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Get Those Butterflies in Formation!
By Jay Frasier, MA
The phrase "butterflies in your stomach" never seemed to make sense to me. It always seemed to me like I had a flock of seagulls going crazy in my stomach before a presentation, not a few gentle butterflies. I found my basic speech class in college to be terrifying. I ended up getting sick before almost every speech I had to give. I never could have imagined that I would end up teaching speech in college. However, my experiences in that basic speech class led me to an in-depth study of presentational speaking and the best methods for managing the fear that goes along with giving presentations.
In this brief article I'm going to introduce you to several approaches to managing speaking anxiety. The primary approach I will recommend is based upon a well-researched theory of where the fear of presenting comes from. The basic idea is this: A person's general view of speaking leads to thinking about the speaking situation in certain ways and feeling in certain ways (as measured by one's level of physical arousal). Communication researcher Michael Motley identified two general views of speaking, which he calls the communication orientation and the performance orientation. In general, his research indicates that holding a communication orientation leads to thinking rationally about the speaking situation and feeling relatively low levels of physical arousal, in other words, little fear and anxiety. In contrast, holding a performance orientation leads to irrational thinking and high levels of anxiety.
So, where does this lead us? Well, if you will adopt a communication orientation, make your thinking more rational, and minimize your physical arousal, then I can assure you that you will be able to give a presentation with relatively little anxiety. The "butterflies in your stomach" will still be there. But, as the old saying goes, they will be flying in formation.
The most important step in managing speaking anxiety, according to Dr. Motley's research, is to adopt a communication orientation. People with high anxiety almost always have a performance orientation, that is, they view their audiences as a group of critics and judges who are primarily focused on the delivery aspects of the presentation. A good presentation is seen as one which is given with almost no delivery errors. This typically leads to an affected, not-natural delivery style.
In contrast, low anxiety speakers generally view giving presentations as opportunities to communicate. Their audiences are seen as individuals who are there to hear what the speaker has to say. The audience probably even hopes the speaker will do a good job. A good presentation is one which accomplishes its goal. The speaker's focus is on connecting with the audience and getting his or her message across to them. This leads to delivering the presentation in a natural, direct (and effective) style.
Here's the basic approach in a nutshell: as much as possible, see the audience as a group of people who are there to hear what you have to say. Focus on having something important to tell them, organize your points in an effective way, and then simply communicate what you want to say in a natural, direct manner. Focus on communicating with your audience, not performing for them.
In addition to adopting a communication orientation, it is also helpful to make sure your thinking stays rational and realistic. Imagining horrible events like the audience throwing things at you or thinking thoughts like "I'm gonna screw it up and ruin my career" are certain to lead to high anxiety. Be on guard against such irrational thoughts ("stinking thinking") and try to replace them with more rational ones. Say to yourself, "I've prepared well and I'm going to do well. Even if the presentation doesn't go as well as I believe it will, my career will still be fine." Instead of saying to yourself "I'm gonna forget what I'm trying to say," say to yourself "I've rehearsed enough so that I know what I'm trying to communicate and I have notes to help me through any rough spots." You may find it helpful to visualize yourself giving your speech well with little anxiety several times before the presentation.
In addition to the above recommendations, you can also minimize your physical arousal. In general, what leads to the extreme anxiety many of us feel is our heart-rate accelerating to an extremely high rate which leads to the fight-or-flight response. Adopting a communication orientation and thinking rationally will naturally lead to less physical arousal. If you begin to feel your heart-rate increase, breathing slowly and deeply from your diaphragm can help to keep the heart-rate in check. I recommend what I call the "428" (mnemonic: "fortunate") approach. Breathe in slowly to a count of four. Then, hold your breath to a count of two. Finally, breathe out for a count of eight. Doing this whenever you begin to feel aroused can help to keep you from feeling anxious.
There are other methods besides what I've mentioned here. While the latest research indicates the approach discussed in Dr. Motley's book is the most powerful approach for most people, you may find other approaches helpful as well. The best resource I am aware of for alternative approaches is Janet Esposito's excellent book. If these resources do not help you to manage your speaking anxiety, feel free to contact me directly. I do believe, however, that if you will adopt a communication orientation, keep your thinking rational, and breathe deeply, you will be able to face your next presentation, not with fear, but with excitement! Good luck!
Recommended Resources:
- Michael T. Motley's Overcoming Your Fear of Public Speaking: A Proven Method. Houghton Mifflin Company (1997).
- Janet E. Esposito's In the Spotlight: Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Performing. Strong Books (2000).
- Leon Fletcher's How to Speak Like a Pro. Ballantine Books (1983).
Learn more about Jay Frasier in our Contributor's section.
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