Prior to presenting a keynote, I panicked.

It was my first time presenting a keynote online via Zoom, and I didn’t feel ready.

Instead of softening my nerves by pacing the stage and talking to members of the audience prior, I glanced out my office bay window witnessing my goats grazing.

I paused.

Took a beat.

Realized all the crazy was just in my head. I could, would, and needed to manage my stage fright.

All of us have experienced stage fright in some capacity.

Holistic Life Coach and performer Elisa De Napoli lays out three ideas to lessen your anxiety when speaking.

1) Engage in aerobic exercise – get moving -run stairs, dance, jog, get your heart rate up, so you increase your breath. Your cortisol, the stress you’re feeling has nowhere to go. Once you’re aware, you can move the nervous energy out of your body physically.

2) Diaphragm breathing – through the nose and slowly out of the nose to clear the headiness of the brain. Be sure the breath out is longer and slower and do it for 5 minutes.

3) Ground yourself – put your place of power in positive self-talk – Instead of “I’m not” a speaker/can’t/not confident; change to “I am a speaker.” – changing your subconscious, making the mind up to do what you want. Look towards the future state of being that you can be what’s possible.