How to get rid of negative thoughts when presenting: tips from the expert

You probably know that too. You're about to give a big presentation, and the spiral of thoughts in your head starts to spin. Negative thoughts circle in your head and paralyze you.

Your self-confidence sinks, your body language seems unrounded, your gestures uncertain. Your voice loses its pleasant sound. And because you notice that the uncertainty is rising, the good energy is suddenly gone, as if it were seeping into the ground.

Caught in the vicious circle of negative thoughts

When you have brought yourself to stand up and speak, you notice how hot it rises inside you. You feel as if a thousand critical eyes are directed at you. You feel your awkward movements, suddenly ask yourself where to put your hands. You stumble over your words and pepper your speech with "um". It feels like the whole world is watching and judging you.

When introspection becomes a stumbling block

In similar situations, you have probably sometimes asked yourself how it would be possible to stop this ever-faster spinning carousel of thoughts. What can help you get out of the spiral. How you can get your brain back to get security and ground under your feet. And to produce beneficial feelings and to direct the stream of thoughts in a different, useful direction.

What causes the annoying carousel of thoughts?

Did you know that precise and particularly motivated people are much more prone to this inhibiting "overthinking", as psychology calls the phenomenon? The explanation is simple. Because if you look closely, the negative thoughts during presentation arise from the strong desire to do everything right.

If you then make the mistake and prepare yourself one-sidedly, with exclusive concentration on the topic, arguments and factual details, you automatically trigger the desire in your brain to reproduce everything correctly.

Wanting to do everything right and well increases pressure

Even before the Entrance the worry creeps into the subconscious that you might miss important statements, or that you could become hectic due to an unforeseen reaction of a listener. Or through a technical mishap on stage the Losing Thread .

Is it any wonder that negative thoughts are pre-programmed during the lecture, such as:

• Do I remember the content and the process?
• Will I put my arguments in the right order?
• What if I forget an important point?

The question arises: Is presenting and giving a lecture really about doing something right? Isn't it more about establishing lively contact with the audience and awakening curiosity and emotional images in them? So let's get started.

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How can the stress of talking be stopped?

Perhaps the thought has long since crossed your mind while reading that it must have to do with your previous way of preparation, which challenges the unnecessary tension and disturbing thoughts while speaking.

What could a goal-oriented new way of preparation look like? From many years of experience with the speech preparation of my clients, I recommend three consecutive steps in the preparation to reliably put an end to negative thoughts when presenting:

• Plan how to create an emotional dialogue with the audience lead to illustrate your topics
• Use the power of suggestive language, ask your audience clever questions and give the audience enough time to think and react during the pauses
• If, despite everything, the spiral of negative thoughts catches up with you and disturbs you, Sense Focusing helps you to Sovereignty and confidence in the blink of an eye.

Let's take a look at it in detail.

Step 1: Plan your speech from the audience's perspective

At this point, I often hear: "I always emphasize the benefit aspects of my customers anyway and explain what they gain from it!". Well, that's well-intentioned. But it is precisely this often recommended approach that seduces people to explain and lecture in the lecture. You quickly feel the restraint of your listeners - and are even more irritated.

How to develop emotionalizing scenarios

First of all, think your way into the everyday life of your listeners. In those concrete situations in which the lack of your product or service becomes a serious burden. I'm sure you can think of a whole series of frightening scenarios:

• The moment when your customer sees the feared call from the boss on the phone because another part is missing from the warehouse
• A look at the anxiously awaited monthly statistics, which clearly shows that the targets have not been achieved
• The face of the customer who is currently complaining, etc.

Find out three specific moments that cause concern, headaches and rob you of sleep. Think of these scenarios as a 10-second video, with the participants, the location, the time of day, the foreground and background.

Formulate suggestive introductions from this

Suppose you step in front of your listeners, pause for a short moment to get their full attention – and when all eyes look at you curiously and expectantly, you start and address one of the electrifying everyday moments described above without any previous phrases ... will this secure you the full attention of each individual?

If you start with a suggestive, emotionalizing scene, you use the psychological primacy effect. The little surprise at the beginning of your speech sets you apart from all the others, you have acquired a bonus and create a very benevolent positive expectation for the further course of your speech.

Suggestions: Linguistic blueprint with added value

A pleasant side effect of this approach is that you can repeat the formulas as often as you like, which make such small films play in the minds of your listeners. At the beginning of the third-to-last paragraph, I used one of these formulas:

• Suppose you... (stepping in front of your listeners ...)

An even easier to use suggestion formula can be found one paragraph later:

• If you ... (start with a suggestive, emotionalizing scene ...)

You want to know more about the power and effect of suggestive language? Just write that in the comments and you will receive a worksheet with practical examples from me free of charge.

Let's assume that you have just achieved good reactions with your first gripping words and that your listeners look at you expectantly – What happens next?

Step 2: Structure your speech with coordinated questions

Suppose you meet a colleague in the hallway before your presentation and are asked: "What are you about to talk about?" Maybe you would have answered so far: "Topic 1 is this, Topic 2 is that..." etc. I recommend that you prepare yourself in such a way that you can confidently say in the future to such questions:

• "I will give answers to the following five questions: ..."

Practical tip: In your preparation, write down a list of the most pressing questions that your audience/customers are asking themselves in connection with your topic. Develop a chain of sensibly coordinated questions.

How to structure your presentation with a question chain

You will quickly notice that the order of these questions always has its own logic and goes from the rough to the fine, from the problem to its background and its history to solution variants and finally to the necessary action steps.

• What exactly does the problem consist of?/ When, why and in what context does the problem arise?
• What has happened so far?/ Which steps have not yet led to the result and why?
• What solutions seem possible?
• What will happen if no solution is found?
• What are the next concrete steps for action?

As soon as you succeed in guiding your audience through your presentation based on their current questions, you will quickly get to know a particularly pleasant and effective side effect - your pauses in speech!

In this way, your pauses in speech become a source of strength when speaking

An important basic rule of good speakers is: Don't speak to Your audience. Speech with Your listeners! Because as in any good conversation, the result of your speech is not because you say something important, but only because your listeners understand and think the right thing on the basis of your words.

But thinking takes time, especially if you want to awaken new, unfamiliar thoughts in the minds of your listeners. Let a real dialogue arise! As in a conversation, you ask interesting questions and wait for the mental answer. And already a valuable pause in speech has been created!

Overcome the fear of silence

I know that enduring the short silence is a real challenge at the beginning and requires courage. Just draw your attention to your audience's hidden reactions. Is the corner of the mouth twitching on the left? Is someone raising an eyebrow? Do you hear someone smile?

You will see that your courage for linguistic dialogue leaves no room for disturbing thoughts. Your listeners experience you as entertaining and safe, and even more importantly, as a strong leader.

Step 3: If negative thoughts come back: How to regain your sovereignty with Sense Focusing!

The nervousness comes unasked. Suddenly it is there. The eyelids flutter. The pulse is increased. The mouth is dry. His knees are shaking. The annoying spiral of thoughts in the middle of the important performance has struck.

Maybe you also know this irritation in situations when you are unexpectedly asked for something in front of the group, or something goes wrong with the technology during your lecture? For many people, this leads to dramatic physical sensations. Some of my clients and participants report this, in extreme cases even of sudden blackouts during large presentations.

The search for the inner "emergency stop" switch

Yes, there is an efficient reset button that releases all mental blockages: A mechanism with which you can effortlessly save such a situation and, above all, which immediately directs your energy back into the right direction. Sense Focusing© is what I call this highly effective strategy, which many of my clients successfully use every day.

This is how Sense Focusing clears your head quickly

As soon as you are flooded with concerns, fears or negative thoughts, it seems as if our whole being is filled with them. Nothing works anymore. The brain researchers show us in which mysterious structure of our brain we experience this. They call it working memory. In stressful moments, this is then completely occupied with the negative thoughts and the stress generated by them.

Leave the carousel of thoughts with a small step

How about I tell you that with a simple movement, you can chase all these thoughts out of your brain?

Sense Focusing is a method that helps you focus your senses on the here and now, so that you are free of negative thoughts during your presentation and – regardless of all distractions – can regain full self-confidence at any time at the touch of a button.

Interested in professional support in the preparation of your next speech or presentation? Let's talk about it over an espresso.

The Three Stages of Sense Focusing

• You take a small step to the side while standing, as if you want to shift your weight (when you sit, you simply actively change your sitting position)
• you perceive the change in the load on the sole of your foot (or buttocks) concretely for a moment, you focus on your physical perception
• Because your working memory is now occupied with "sensing" in contrast to before, the body reacts immediately to it. If just before the muscles in your shoulders and some muscles in your face were tense due to the stress, you will notice that they let go as if by magic. Your shoulders have become heavy, your arms sink down. And your facial expressions are very relaxed, the chewing muscle loose.

Move, feel, enjoy the result

All you have to do now is rejoice in the pleasant feeling of inner peace that has just arisen. Instead of letting your mind wander, Sense Focusing helps you to give yourself a moment of inner security every now and then. Now you can reflect on the situation and become aware of how you want to proceed. You can actively shape the tone of your voice and the tempo again.

The result is: You seem present in the moment of pause, Self-confident and sovereign – you radiate energy. No brooding, no carousel of thoughts, no negative thoughts. You've solved an important problem and regained control of what was happening.

How Perceiving the Body Releases Your Tension

Have you tried it and experienced the effect? You may have noticed that it is not possible to think while feeling. Voilá, the documented success of Sense Focusing is based on this simple mechanism.

Sounds easy? And it is. But like all good things, Sense Focusing needs to be practiced and trained so that you can apply it effortlessly in your next lecture.

How to integrate Sense Focusing into your everyday life

"Never practice in competition!" is rightly said in competitive sports. Only if you have tried the simple mechanism often enough in innocuous situations, you are "fit for competition". Then you have the effective effect available when it really matters.

It's best to take a moment and note down three to five occasions in your everyday life in which you want to integrate such a one-second training. These points should be on your checklist:

• What situation, what events will remind you of this?
• What will make you aware that you have just fallen into brooding? That negative thoughts burden you?
• How do you want to recognize that you have stopped the carousel of thoughts?

Have fun and success testing and applying these suggestions and tips!

Let us know how you like this post! Write your feedback and thoughts in the comments!

Your Arno Fischbacher

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Maybe also interesting:

• You can find detailed instructions on the "Sense Focusing©" strategy in my book "Voice Sells! The Power of the Voice in Business". View and order here

• How to get yourself "under control" again at any time with Sense Focusing

• Pauses in speech: When silence is golden

• 3 tips – how to avoid nervousness in the voice

• Is the voice coach himself still nervous, does he still have stage fright?

 

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The author:

Arno Fischbacher is a business voice coach and rhetoric expert, speaker and author. He prepares executives and employees of the top companies in Germany and Austria for negotiations, presentations and media appearances. Fischbacher is the author of several books, past president of the German Speakers Association (GSA) Austria, chairman of the European Network of Voice Experts, stimme.at.

If you would like to learn more about specific training opportunities with Arno Fischbacher, make an appointment here free information talk.

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