if you’ve conquered your presentation jitters/blind spots, what helped you get over them?

That most people in the room are rooting for you. That for clients, creative presentations are often the best part of their day and they’re supposed to be “fun”. That I know the work almost better than anyone and actually have no reason to be nervous. That we’re all just people experiencing life together, and that presenting is kind of just like a conversation, and that conversations throughout the day aren’t scary so why is this moment different than others? I don’t get nervous talking to my barista, or the guy at the bank, or the associate at Aritzia, or when my neighbors randomly make conversation in the elevator.

I understand that not everyone will think like this, but once I got over the hump that I’m actually NOT under a microscope and this is all just basic communication, it’s been a way way way different experience.

Presenting more.

That’s it, basically. The only way to get better at something is deliberate practice.

One thing that did help me, was remembering that my audience has no idea how my presentation is “supposed to go.” As long as I speak confidently enough, most people will assume I’m doing everything intentionally.

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Someone once told me to use your nervous energy and trick yourself into thinking it’s actually excitement. Like say out loud to yourself “I’m so excited for this”. It sounds kind of lame, but it works pretty well for me.

This is all much better advice than my manager gave me, which was essentially just to video myself presenting and pick the presentation apart. While that may have helped with timing, it didn’t get at the root cause of the nerves or how to help it.

Great thread thanks OP.

Thank you for this thread. Would love to hear more responses. I have a deep seated insecurity about myself and my body (plus sized woman) paired with imposter syndrome that makes every presentation my worst nightmare. As a producer, it also manifests on set. I appreciate hearing these takes - it’s hard when you’re your own worst enemy.

This might not work for anybody that isn’t nearsighted, but what I end up doing is actually removing my contacts so that I literally am unable to even see who I’m presenting in front of, but I can easily see the data in my presentation in front of me. I’m presenting to a big blur. 

Two things:
1. Preparation is confidence. I tell my team the day before big presentations where I'm presenting that the deck is locked 20 minutes before the meetings so that I can prepare.
2. Stop trying to present and start trying to communicate. You are just talking after all and no one knows the work better than you. So just tell them what it is.
3. Use your anxious energy as excitement. View it that way because that's really what it is, internal excitement.

Know your work - and why your work works strategically. Nothing undermines your and your work like "I thought it would be cool if" vs., "So the strategy inspired us to think this way."

Being able to walk through your process is huge- and it builds the confidence you need to present it from more than a creative opinion. From how the strategy inspired you - to your own creative insights - to how they come together (the work) and close with an overview of the work (if it's a campaign) and why it delivers.

Know that you are there to help them solve a problem they have. And any push back on your work is not a reflection on your creativity - but a feeling they have of not having solved the problem yet. So - any feedback - try to get it down to the problem solution level, sometimes you can find the solution they need - other times not - but at lest you have greater input for you to build your next insights on.

I’m a strong presenter and I still get nervous. I’ve performed music for years, and more recently improv and standup. I know it’s cliche, but if you try to have fun with it, it will make it fun for others. I highly recommend getting into comedy. You’ll be a better presenter and it’ll make your writing better too.

Agree with a lot that’s been shared.

I used to get stage fright as a teen when performing (music, plays) which lead to major nervousness with public speaking (complete with wobbly voice) when I was a student/junior. Pretty mortifying. My agency sent a bunch of us to a day course which surprisingly worked. No groundbreaking technique more just…leaning into the cringe. And ultimately being told I came across very genuine and friendly when presenting, so should embrace that as my style vs trying to be slick and formal. Classic “don’t try and be someone else, be yourself” lesson.

Ever since, I’ve practiced and practiced and become pretty comfortable. I even host events with hundreds of people these days. Reflecting on this here I’d actually forgotten how nervous I used to get. Wild.

Now, (apparently) I’m a “great presenter” and I reckon it’s because I keep it casual but tight. Honest but intentional. Clients don’t think I’m putting the moves on them so they trust me.

All’s to say, find your style. My old bosses had a good routine. One was great at channelling nervous energy into charismatically tap dancing around a question to give the other boss (who’s quieter and more awkward) time to process and land a killer response.

Even if it’s something as simple as presenting sitting down. Standing in front of a crowd triggered stage fright for a long time, so that helped bypass the fear.

For me, repetition. But a method that I had been using all along and didn’t even realize was simple. You know the feeling you have when you have a gift for someone (the perfect gift) and you can’t wait for them to open it? You might even suggest they open it before it’s time? That excitement is what I try to harness. Walking into the room barely able to contain myself because I have a gift for these people and can’t wait for them to unwrap it. That same excitement (ie anxiety) is a close cousin to the nervousness you feel, making it a simple mental shift. It works for me. More so than imagining everybody naked, which I still do anyway. But that’s a different bowl.

I'm anxious by nature. Nearly threw up during my first client presentation. But an understanding CD got me through it and it got easier with experience. Cool clients have helped too. I've been fortunate in that regard.

I wrote all my speaking notes out for each slide and memorized them. I never winged it. This gave me the confidence to make some improv during my own presentation. You’ll always have the jitters in the beginning and if you know your content, the jitters make you better and they decrease.

If you get serious jitters/ panic check out beta blockers for this like situationally. I went thru a phase where I would get super nervous and this helped quite a bit. No longer need them but they really helped my confidence when I needed it. Just google beta blockers for stage fright or public speaking it will tell you all about it. But if that’s too extreme / try breathing in fours. I heard a navy seal say they use that when getting ready to go into a tense situation breathe in for four hold for four out for four. Good luck!

I did a lot of public speaking as a teen (model parliament) and while it didn’t help me socially in any way, I dealt with my jitters and anxiety mroe than a decade earlier than I would have otherwise. It’s mostly just reps; the hard part is finding a way to do it that isn’t as high stakes as your job can be.

I think the biggest thing is believing in your work. If you can confidently stand behind your ideas, it’s much easier to confidently sell them to people. I found that this came naturally to me over time as I gained confidence as a creative.

It can also be helpful to try to any mimic good presenters that you may work with. Pay attention to how they sell work, handle questions, improvise on the spot, etc. Ask to sit in on client presentations with CDs if you have to. And definitely ask them for tips too.

Last thing, practice. Present as much as possible and it will become second nature to you in no time. Good luck!

100% beta blockers for me. Also realizing that maybe being a little cringe sometimes is OK

I taught a class and realized everyone is BORED. They are not judging you, they’re fighting to stay awake! This realization made me such a better presenter because I took it as a challenge instead of feeling like everyone hated me.

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