It’s completely normal to have anxiety before an upcoming speaking event. Even most seasoned speakers get those pre-stage jitters. But that nervousness is not a sign of being unprepared. Every woman should have a pre-stage checklist to follow before your speaking event. Use this guide to get your mind at ease and have everything in order before your (inevitably riveting) center-stage moment.
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Get Your Content Locked In
Know Your First 60 Seconds
You don’t need to memorize every word of your presentation, but know how you’re opening. Those first few sentences can carry you through the biggest wave of nerves and help you settle into your rhythm. Practice them enough that they feel familiar, not robotic.
Know How You’re Getting Out of There, Too
Your ending deserves just as much attention as your opening. Know the point you want to leave people with—is it a certain call to action? A question for them to reflect on? Make sure that final idea you want lingering in their heads is clear before the curtain closes.
Pick Your Non-Negotiable Points
Things happen. We’ve all attended events where a panel runs long or another speaker steals five minutes. Know the two or three ideas you absolutely need your audience to remember so you can adjust without completely losing your presentation.
Stop Rehearsing Before You Psych Yourself Out
There comes a moment when one more run-through is not helping you. About 15 to 30 minutes before you speak, put the notes down.
Remember: You’re completely prepared. You totally know your stuff. Avoid making drastic edits or decisions at the last minute. You’re likely overthinking it.
Get Comfortable in the Room
See the Space Before Everyone Else Does
Familiarity helps, so, if you can, get into the room before it fills up. Walk onto the stage, and get a feel for where you’ll generally stand. Think about how to move in that space, and get an idea of what the audience will look like from your perspective.
Test the Tech
Never assume the tech will magically cooperate because someone else said, “It should be fine.”
Test your slides. Hold the microphone. Learn how the clicker works. Five minutes of awkward troubleshooting before the event beats doing it in front of 200 people.
Know How You’ll Move
You don’t need to pace around like you’re giving a TED Talk, but think about whether you’ll be standing behind a podium, moving across a stage or sitting on a panel.
The goal is simply to know what your body is doing so you’re not making those decisions while simultaneously trying to remember your next point.
Take Care of Your Body
Please Eat Something
A speaking engagement is not the day to accidentally survive on coffee until 3 p.m. Have something that will actually keep you fueled without eating a massive meal right before you go onstage.
Hydrate Strategically
Don’t chug your Stanley five minutes before your introduction. Sip throughout the day and keep some nearby while you speak, if possible.
Test-Drive the Fit
What you wear should do more than just look good. Sit in it. Walk in it. Raise your arms. Wear the shoes around the house. Could these pieces be tolerable for the length of the event? Factor in anywhere you’ll be going before and after when making this decision.
Something to Consider: Wireless microphone packs often need somewhere to clip. The gorgeous pocketless dress may suddenly become slightly less gorgeous when someone is trying to figure out where to attach a transmitter.
Get the Tension Out
Nerves are physical, so give your body somewhere to put them. Roll your shoulders, loosen your jaw, shake out your hands or take a quick walk.
Get Your Head in the Right Place
Slow Down More Than Feels Natural
Nerves make almost everyone talk faster. Give yourself permission to pause, and take a breath in between important takeaways. That two-second silence that feels enormous inside your head probably looks completely intentional from the audience. Plus, it’s giving all those big, important moments time to land.
Take Up the Space You Were Given
Don’t be afraid to move around the room, especially if you’re the only one on stage. Showing that energy gives your audience the same energy back. Let people hear and feel what you came there to say.
Remember Why You Were Invited
Someone believed your experience or perspective belonged in that room. An expert doesn’t need to be the world’s most flawless public speaker. The audience does not know the version you rehearsed in your kitchen, and they have no idea which sentence you planned to say next or whether you skipped half of a story. They only know the woman standing in front of them, so let her have the room.
The Weinberg Center for the Arts stands as a landmark destination and a vibrant cultural cornerstone. This historic venue is committed to hosting a variety of live performances, including music, comedy, dance, theater, and cinema, alongside impactful community events located right in the heart of downtown Frederick. With its stunning architectural restoration and eclectic schedule, the theater provides unique opportunities to inspire and delight guests of every generation.
Shaylynn Marks
Shaylynn Marks has a BFA in Creative Writing, with poetry and prose published through several journals and sold internationally. She was awarded Runner-Up for Poet of the Year with Poetic Anarchy Press. When she doesn't have a pen in hand, you can find her with a guitar or paintbrush!
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