Believe it or not, most people seem to be most afraid of public speaking, not death.
If all you can think about is fear, don't give that presentation that could get you and your company the sales you need. Presentations and public speaking are two of the best ways to get the word out about your products and services. Why not give people a chance to hear about your product or service? If you are still scared, try your best to think about all the good things that will happen after you give that presentation. Think about how many clients, customers, and contacts you might not get to see or talk to if you let that unnecessary and unimportant worry take over. Even if your pitch or presentation only lasts 30 minutes, it could have a big impact in the long run.
If your fear is still holding you back, try the following exercises to help your body relax and get ready for whatever you plan to do in your presentation. Change that bad energy into a good one and see who can use it the most.
Get your body warm.
Do you have high-heeled shoes on right now? Please take them off right now if you are. Go ahead and stand up. Try standing on just one foot. Then give the leg that's not on the floor a shake. Do the same thing again with the other leg. You are sending the bad energy of your anxiety to the floor and out of your body. Even though this seems and sounds so strange, it really does work. For your information, this is a warm-up exercise that actors do before going into a scene.
Put your hands out and shake them quickly. Put your hands over your head and down by your sides. Do the same thing again. Doing this over and over will keep your hands and arms from feeling tense, which will make any movements you make with them during your presentation look more natural.
Relax the muscles in your face that are tense. You could do this by chewing very hard.
The goal of these exercises is to warm up any part of your body that is tight or tense because you are worried about how well you will do in your presentation. But don't think too much, because that will just add stress. If you're calm, your audience will be calm, too.
