🌈 Reframe your pre-presentation nerves with this simple trick

In the hours leading up to her talk, Monica Lewinsky told TED curator Chris Anderson, that she was a nervous wreck. Yet, she went on to deliver one of the most courageous and heartwarming talks of all time.

One of the things she did was…

Two words that shifted the focus away from her and towards her ‘why.’

It’s a technique that won’t get rid of your nerves (more on that later)…

But it might serve as a timely reminder that how you’re feeling in the moment is insignificant when your talk is something much bigger than you.

When Monica walked on stage, she knew that every single person in the room would have preconceptions about her; so the success of her talk hinged on her opening anecdote.

In this 48-second clip, you’ll see exactly what she said… 🍿

Here’s why it worked…

1. The anecdote was chosen to address preconceptions 💪
   This allowed Monica to take control of her own narrative rather than allowing it to be dictated by the audience. The fact the anecdote was funny also removed any awkwardness around the topic; it allowed the audience to feel comfortable.
   

2. It started with an enticing hook 🪝
   And the pause straight after signals to the audience that now is the time to listen.

3. She asked a question just before the punchline 🤔
   This slowed down time, built extra tension and increased curiosity giving her punchline the best chance of landing which, judging by the 10 seconds of applause straight after, it did.

But perhaps most importantly of all…

She used a toolkit of techniques to keep her calm backstage 🎁
What you do in the moments before you step on stage is critical. It’s well-documented that backstage Monica was focusing on several different exercises to calm her nerves.

If you’re someone who struggles with nerves, I highly recommend checking out habits and mindfulness coach, Steffi Seefeld’s Speaker’s Guide to Serenity.

In there, you’ll find 3 tools that will help you stay present and find calm ahead of your next presentation.

Alex

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