If you suffer from conference presentation stage fright, you’re not alone. While conference presentations are a fact of academic life, most training focuses on creating a presentation’s content. This makes sense because the content is indeed the star of the show. Figuring out how to organize, summarize, and present complex research and analysis is no easy feat.
Unfortunately, by putting so much energy into the content, it’s easy to set yourself up for anxiety. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been writing right up to the hours before my presentation. Next thing I know, I’m sitting at a long table, unable to enjoy my peers’ work because I’ve ignored my body—my voice, my eyes, my hands, my rapidly escalating heartbeat—until that moment.
Perhaps it will comfort you somewhat to know that I’m a public speaking instructor, and I still do this. However, as a public speaking instructor, I’ve also learned techniques that help me manage conference presentation stage fright. Don’t get me wrong—I still get nervous, but that doesn’t prevent me from delivering great presentations and even enjoying my time at the podium.
Visualize success
Many people find visualization techniques centering and soothing. I’ll sometimes grab a pen and paper and write about myself giving a perfect presentation as if it’s a story. I try to include all my senses: What do my clothes feel like? What does my voice sound like? How does the air smell? And then describe the actions and emotions in the scene.
If you don’t have time for this exercise, take a few minutes to close your eyes and imagine your ideal presentation scenario in as much detail as you can conjure.
Practice, practice, practice
While conference presentations are part of a scholar’s job, the time it takes to prepare them is often hard to come by. This leads to the extremely common last minute writing scenario already described. Unfortunately, being underprepared is the biggest source of presentation stage fright.
So how do we manage this problem? If you know you’re prone to stage fright, practicing is essential. And I don’t mean muttering your paper to yourself in a hotel room the night before your panel (surely not just me?).
I’m talking about really rehearsing as if it’s a performance. Recruit a friend to be your audience; stand or sit the way you’ll do at the conference; wear your conference clothes; and speak at the pace and volume you plan to speak at. Do this as many times as you can—more times than seems reasonable.
In my public speaking classes, it never ceases to amaze me how obvious it is when the speaker has simply practiced their speech. Even people who are comfortable talking to a group tend to ramble and lose track of what they’re doing when they haven’t practiced.
So practicing is the goal, but what if this week you just ran out of time? You had papers to grade, committees to run, emails to triage, meetings to attend, family commitments to show up for, and a whole life to live—and this 20-minute presentation kept getting pushed down the to-do list. It happens. Now what?
There are still ways to minimize your conference presentation stage fright. For example, your visuals can double as an outline, so your bullet points are always there in giant bold font to keep you grounded. You can also arrive early to your presentation space—or if possible, visit it the day before. This will remove at least one source of anxiety because the space will be familiar. You can also use the time to familiarize yourself with any technology you’ll need to manage during your presentation.
And above all…
Don’t forget to breathe
This is one of the most common issues I see in public speaking situations. We become so focused on getting our ideas out, holding together our unruly bodies, and just getting this over with that our words start pouring out in a breathless torrent.
But breathing is a presenter’s best friend. Just as visualization exercises can decrease anxiety, it can be helpful to find a quiet place before your talk to spend a few minutes grounding yourself with slow deep breaths. Unlike with visualization exercises, you can come back to these breaths anytime you need to, including during the talk itself.
If you’re worried because you know you tend to race through your presentation and stumble over words, remind yourself that it’s okay to pause, take a breath, and start again.
Acknowledge your conference presentation stage fright
A popular tip for people with public speaking anxiety is to project confidence, even if you don’t feel it. It’s a variation on “fake it until you make it” that, I suppose, works for some people. But it doesn’t help me at all. Rather than suppressing that anxious energy, I recommend channeling it into your presentation. In other words, reframe your anxiety as excitement about sharing your research.
Over the years, I’ve noticed that some of the best presentations in my public speaking classes were delivered by people who were clearly nervous. However, they acknowledged their nerves—without apologizing for them—and moved on. A simple, “Phew, ok here we go,” is enough to release some tension. And, since a lot of people relate to presentation stage fright, it can create a connection between speaker and listener.
If all else fails, remember that, especially at academic conferences, most people really are there to hear your ideas. The goal is to share your work with others in your field, not win an Academy Award. Yes, we’ve all encountered the judgy person in the second row who has “more of a comment than a question,” but most people are there because they’re interested in what you have to say. And when that fabulous conference presentation develops into a book, you’ll need an equally fabulous editing team to get it across the finish line. Ideas on Fire is here for you with editing and indexing services for interdisciplinary scholars.
Cite this article:
Bernstein, Sara Tatyana. “Managing Conference Presentation Stage Fright.” Ideas on Fire, February 27, 2024. https://ideasonfire.net/conference-presentation-stage-fright.
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