Help for presentation anxiety using simple energy techniques
Presentation anxiety can be crippling and make you feel dreadful. However, all is not lost. I have found Simple Energy Techniques (SET) helpful in reducing or overcoming the fear of public speaking and the anxiety associated with it. Simple Energy Techniques involve tapping on acupressure points. Tapping can shift the feelings in the body associated with presentation anxiety and stage fright.
Here are five steps in using tapping to reduce presentation anxiety:
1. Think about what is making you anxious.
While you tap on the points think about the situation or thought that is making you anxious. If thinking about presenting is what makes you anxious then that's what you think about.
2. Rate your anxiety level.
Before you start tapping rate the anxiety level you feel from 1 (low) – 10 (high).
3. How and where to tap.
Use two fingers. Tap hard enough so that you can feel it but not hard enough to hurt. I personally start tapping on the very top of my head but some people feel too silly to do this, so you might prefer to start with the eyebrow.
Here is a tapping sequence that can be used to help you reduce your presentation anxiety:
- Side of the eyebrow.
- Side of the eye.
- Under the eye.
- Under the nose in the midline.
- On the chin in the midline.
- Under the collarbone.
- Under the arm at the side of the chest.
- On the side of the thumb, level with the base of the nail.
- On the side of each finger, level with the base of the nail.
- On the side of the hand, commonly called the "Karate chop".
- On the wrist both top and bottom.
See the diagram and our video for clarification of these points.
4. Re-rate your anxiety level.
Once you have done one or two rounds of tapping, take a breath. Then re-rate the presentation anxiety from 1-10. Pay attention to the feelings in the body, have they changed? In many people they find the number has lowered and the anxiety is not as strong.
5. Keep on tapping on different aspects.
If you haven't yet got your anxiety down to a rating of 0 or 1, keep on tapping on the situation that concerns you until it doesn't stir you up in the body and no longer causes the anxious feelings.
Tap on all aspects you are worried about. Tap on past experiences. As Steve Wells, the co-founder of SET says, in our video, "Past experiences may be holding up your anxiety problem and when that collapses the whole problem may collapse."
Tap on potential threats and where you learned that was a threat.
Identify your negative thoughts and tap while focusing on those.
Tap on all the situations that this presentation anxiety arises in, e.g. speaking in a meeting, presenting to the Board, reading in church, speaking at a conference, and so on.
Tap on all aspects of presenting that make you anxious e.g. being invited to speak, preparing your speech, waiting to speak, starting the speech, being asked a question, and so on.
Summary on overcoming anxiety:
How can tapping reduce presentation anxiety? It can seem impossible, can't it? Well the good news is that being cynical about tapping is OK, it can still work!
I was certainly very cynical at first and I'm still surprised at the results. But I can't deny that people can have a profound reduction in presentation anxiety by using SET. I've seen it happen in front of my own eyes.
Seeing a good SET practitioner can help you get the best out of the technique.
If you would like to see an explanation along with a demonstration of the SET tapping points, watch our YouTube video:
Written by Rachel Green: Motivational Speaker | Emotional Intelligence & Engagement Specialist | Confidence Coach.
Rachel is the Founding Director of Confident Woman Australia and author of 20 CDs including "Confidence in public speaking", and the E-book "Overcome your fear of public speaking forever".
She also provides 1-1 presentation coaching: "Confidence in public speaking".
She is a professional speaker who confidently speaks in front of large and small audiences and enjoys it!
Copyright Confident Woman Australia 2011.
NB: This article is for your information only and does not constitute individual advice. It is not provided as an alternative to obtaining advice from an appropriately qualified professional. Please seek the help you need in overcoming your presentation anxiety.
Rachel Green
Reader Comments (1)
Have a go at using it and let me know what you think. It may not just decrease anxiety but increase confidence too.
Let yourself shine and get rid of the fear of public speaking and all the anxiety associated with it.
Rachel.