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Crush Speaking Anxiety Like a Wet Dog
Are you anxious before you speak? Does your heart start pounding out of your chest and your stomach tightens in a knot as you think about everyone judging you?😟
The next time this happens, I want you to pretend you’re a wet dog. 🐶
That’s right – pretend you just got out of the bath like my Pomeranian, “Gunner.”
After a bath, he used to shake like crazy. He’d run donuts around the living room (anyone heard of the “Zoomies”?). He’d rub his face all over the carpet (well, maybe skip that last part).
Dogs do this to dry off, adopt a more familiar scent, and… to *release pent-up anxiety and stress from their body*. The same approach can help YOU before you give a presentation.
Even professional speakers release anxiety through physical movement before they speak. Tony Robbins knows it looks ridiculous for a 6’ 7” man to bounce on a trampoline, but he still does it before taking the mic.
When you act like a wet dog before a presentation, several good things happen:
The level of stress hormones in your body decreases
You release physical tension that can cause a shaky voice, stiff body language and rapid speech
You give yourself a chance to reframe your anxious energy as excitement. When audiences see an excited speaker, they lean in to listen.
Mastering your speech anxiety is not a quick fix, but adopting a release ritual like this is just one tool to help you on your journey.
Now who’s ready for burpees?
#speaker #publicspeaking #anxiety #GoToSpeaker #communications #presentation