Scaling: an excellent way to manage runaway public speaking nerves
With a link to 4 more useful strategies and a printable checklist
When I was a child, I was frequently told to STOP being a drama queen. Because the hem of my dress came down, it was not a sign it was completely ruined or when my cat got lost it didn't automatically mean it had been run over.
However, the temptation to fall into catastrophe mode was hard to resist. I felt events so keenly that the 'Ain't it Awful' club and I seemed a natural fit.
Fortunately, I've mostly outgrown those extreme reactions where all I saw was a total disaster, or an absolute debacle of gigantic proportions.
The strategy largely responsible for getting my rampant imagination reined in was 'scaling'. With prompting I could stand back and place whatever the current situation was on a 1 - 10 rating scale.
It worked. Perspective diminished the sense of all pervasive doom. It helped me see what was, and what wasn't, controllable.
Do try scaling to check the reality of public speaking nerves, either for yourself, or your students.
If your state of mind, when you stand up to give a speech, was on a scale of 1-10 where would it be?
10 is a total cataclysmic disaster of world-shattering significance.
1 is a minor temporary blip.
Now ask yourself, what is the very worst-case scenario public speaking nerves could cause?
For instance:
Are you likely to die through giving a speech?
Is the world ending?
Are your loved ones threatened?
Think of that worst case and holding it in your mind, put it on the 1-10 scale.
Your answer will put fear in perspective. Once it's there it is much more manageable.
If the very worst that can happen is forgetting what you're going to say, you can do something about it. It's called practice.
If it's something beyond your control, for instance, a tidal wave washing away the entire building, check it for the likelihood of occurrence and let it go.
We can only ever control what is within our reach. Attempting anything else is futile and a waste of energy.
We need to learn to accept and focus on what we can do right now. Fears retreat when they're faced. What we thought was 7 or 8 on the scale when we stood up to speak becomes 5 when we've remembered to breathe properly. By the time we're into our speech and the benefits of practice kick in, it's 3 and those public speaking nerves are fading fast.
Scaling is one strategy I’ve outlined in this article: Manage public speaking nerves: 5 ways. Click the link to see the other four: how to beat negative self-talk, reframing the physiological effects of public speaking nerves, letting go of fantasy land beliefs and expectations, and using a preparation checklist. (There’s a printable checklist to download too.)
Until next time, have an excellent week,
Kind regards,
Susan
PS. If you found this useful, feel free to share it and click the ❤️ button so more people can discover it on Substack. 🙏Thank you.
Always great substance in your articles.
Practical advice. Doable.
Nothing in the air.
Before I retired to my current online Home Business, I was the Clinical Director for a Respiratory Therapy Associate Degree Program. There were occasions I had to speak at graduation. After being asked, I first had my nerves within a 9-10 level. But the more I prepared & practiced, it did reduce it to about a 3. The school also had me speak at other occasions a few times. I had a similar experience.
Now I don't feel as if I'd be more confident overall, with public speaking, as I was when it was required by a job. I think having to do it on a consistent basis helps. But when a person does need to do it, this train of thought suggested by you is certainly the way to go!
A similar thing affects me sometimes now, when contributing in forums, or like commenting right here, or similar interactions. It might not be quite as intimidating as getting up in public before a crowd of those physically eyeing you. But it still has its scariness. The worry about criticism or getting ignored. Etc. I think maybe some of the help you've offered could also be transferred to those types of situations, as well.