How do I calm my nerves on the morning of a presentation?

In brief

Get out of your head and into your body. A few minutes of gentle vocal warm up (face stretches, tongue circles, humming and lip trills) releases tension, warms the voice and calms the nervous system all at once. Preparation gets you to the day; technique carries you through it.
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In detail

I get nervous before a presentation. Still. Particularly when I'm sharing new material with new people.  Recently I had a morning session with a legal team in London. Here's what I did before I walked in. I warmed up in the shower, and carried on at Surbiton station. One end of the platform was empty, so I turned away from everyone and kept going. I love London for this reason. Literally, no one cares.

When a wave of nerves hit, I smiled. Not because I felt like it, but because if I hold it there and let it settle, it reminds me there is nothing to fear.  On the train, my phone stayed in my bag. The carriage was packed, so I closed my eyes and thought my way through the session. I saw the participants nodding, engaged, enjoying each other's company and the chance to learn together.

That is exactly what happened.

A five minute warm up for the morning of a talk

1. Stretch the face. Raise your eyebrows, open your eyes and mouth wide, then scrunch everything small. Three times, then let the jaw hang loose.
2. Circle the tongue. Keeping the tongue inside the mouth. Stretch it forward slowly, then circle it inside your mouth, between teeth and lips, five times each way.
3. Hum. Lips gently closed, a comfortable note, no pushing. You're after a light buzz on the lips.
4. Lip trill. Loose lips, blow air through them as if you're making the sound of a car. Slide gently up and down. If your lips won't cooperate, press a fingertip into each cheek near the corners of your mouth. This is my first choice every time.
5. Smile and breathe. When the nerves arrive, and they will, hold a soft smile and let the breath drop low. Give it a moment to settle.

Nerves tend to speed us up. A voice that's warm and released is far easier to slow down when it matters.

Your tip for this week

​Before your next meeting or call, find your own empty end of the platform. Two minutes of lip trills, then notice how your first sentence sounds.
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There's more on pace in my online course, How to Speak with Clarity.