What nerves are doing to your body

You will be able to describe the stress response and why it feels worse from the inside.

It is ten minutes before Arjun's talk to the clinic managers. His heart is going fast enough that he can feel it in his neck. His mouth is dry, even though he drank water five minutes ago. When he picks up the clicker to test it, his hand shakes slightly, and he puts it down again in case anyone notices. He is fairly sure everyone in the room can tell how nervous he is.

If any of that sounds familiar, you are in large company. Most people feel nervous before speaking to a group, including many who do it often. This lesson explains what is happening in your body, why it is not a sign that something is wrong, and why it looks much smaller from the outside than it feels from the inside.

The stress response

Standing up in front of a group, especially one that will judge you, can set off the body's stress response. It is the same system that evolved to help people deal with physical danger. Your body releases adrenaline and other stress hormones, and they cause a set of quick changes.

Your heart beats faster and harder, to send more blood to your muscles. Your breathing gets quicker and shallower. Digestion slows down, which is why your mouth goes dry and your stomach feels odd. Your muscles tense, ready to act, which can show up as shaky hands or a trembling voice. Some people sweat, flush or feel hot.

None of this is a malfunction. Your body is doing exactly what it is built to do when something feels important and uncertain. The trouble is that the response was built for moments that called for running or fighting, and a presentation calls for neither. So the energy has nowhere to go, and it comes out as shaking, rushing or fidgeting.

Nerves sharpen you, too

The same response that makes your hands shake also sharpens your attention. You notice more, react faster and feel more alert. Many experienced speakers say they would worry if they did not feel some nerves before a talk, because the edge helps them perform.

So the goal of this module is not to get rid of nerves. For most people, that is not possible, and even if it were, you would lose the alertness that comes with them. The goal is to manage them, so they stay at a level where they help rather than overwhelm. Lesson 6.2, Breathing and a routine before you speak, covers the practical tools.

It also helps to stop treating nerves as evidence that you are bad at this. Nerves mean the talk matters to you. That is a reasonable thing to feel about something that matters.

The audience sees much less than you feel

Here is something that surprises most people. The audience usually notices your nerves far less than you feel them.

Psychologists Kenneth Savitsky and Thomas Gilovich called this the illusion of transparency: the tendency to believe that your inner state is more visible to others than it really is. In their research on public speaking, speakers believed they looked more nervous than observers rated them. When some speakers were told about the illusion before they spoke, they felt less anxious, and observers rated their talks better.

Think about why. Your racing heart, dry mouth and tight stomach are invisible. A slight tremor in your hand is hard to see from more than a couple of metres away. A small catch in your voice sounds like nothing to someone who has never heard you speak before. What feels like an obvious display from the inside is mostly private.

After Arjun's talk, one of the clinic managers told him it was the clearest update she had heard in months. When he admitted how nervous he had been, she said she had not noticed at all.

When nerves peak

For many speakers, nerves follow a pattern. They build in the hours and minutes before the talk, peak just before you start and in the first minute or so, then ease once you are into the material and the audience is responding.

Knowing your own pattern helps in two ways. First, it tells you the bad part is temporary. If you can get through the first minute, things usually get easier. Second, it tells you where to focus your preparation. That is why lesson 2.2, Open strong in the first 30 seconds, suggests knowing your first few sentences by heart: they carry you through the peak.

Some people find the night before is worse than the talk itself. Others feel fine until the moment they stand up. Pay attention to when your own nerves are strongest, because that is when your routine needs to work hardest.

When it is more than nerves

Ordinary nerves before a talk are normal and manageable with the tools in this module. For some people, though, anxiety about speaking goes further. It might stop you from taking a role, cause panic attacks, keep you awake for nights beforehand, or affect your daily life well beyond presentations. If that sounds like you, talk to a doctor. In Singapore, mindline.sg is a starting point for support with stress and anxiety. This course teaches practical skills for everyday nerves, and it is no substitute for professional help when you need it.

In the activity, you will write down the three physical signs of nerves you notice most and the moment when they peak for you.

Write down the three physical signs of nerves you notice most and the point when they peak for you.

Course

• Presenting and public speaking