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First thing, or 3 hours before your speech.
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- Review your content and make any final changes.
- Create an index card or small sheet of paper with a rough outline or talking points
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Give yourself enough time to finalize the content -- the outline also helps you review the flow of your points and gain perspective about the overall content.
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2 hours before your speech.
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- Do slow breathing exercises.
- Warm up vocally and physically.
- Practice out loud.
- Walk around or sing.
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Warm ups help you get in the zone and work to calm nerves and get your body in performance-ready mode.
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1 hour before your speech.
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- Stop what you are doing. Don’t overrehearse.
- Let it go: remind yourself, “it is what it is.”
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Cramming increases nerves: instead, you need to get to a place of peace, where you give yourself some space from your preparation.
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30 minutes beforehand.
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- Talk to people and converse with others around you.
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Mindless chatter can take your mind off your presentation and put you in a more social place mentally. It is good to start speaking before you have to give your actual remarks.
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15 minutes beforehand and while sitting in your seat, ready to give your speech.
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- Find a quiet place (an actual place or somewhere in your mind) and center yourself.
- Tell yourself affirmations like “you got this” or “you’ve done this before” or “you have something important to say”.
- Take breaths and exhale slowly: repeat until the shakiness disappears.
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It is important to reaffirm your trust in yourself. Rather than thinking about your nerves or overthinking your speech, it is helpful to remind yourself that your voice is worthy.
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Your name has been called and it’s time to go up to the front.
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- Turn it “on”. Mentally switch into performance mode.
- Look at people as you walk up.
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A performance mode helps you switch into a person who doesn’t feel fear. In this mode, you acknowledge the audience, instead of avoiding eye contact.
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Moment before your speech.
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- Stand in a grounded position and acknowledge in audience.
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Ground yourself when you get to the front. Don’t speak while walking, but wait until you and the audience are ready.
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