Deep Breaths

They always say, "You'll do great! Don't worry about it!" Well, it's pretty hard not to worry about messing up a speech in front of a room full of people. 

If you read almost any article or research paper about the fears of public speaking, you are sure to find that public speaking ranks the number one fear amongst people while the fear of death takes the silver medal. The fear of speaking is ranked number one over all of the thousands of other fears. Do you know how many fears and phobias exist? I can tell you, there are a ton - some of them are pretty comical, too! I highly recommend you skim through the phobia list to give yourself a good laugh at some of these fears. 

One of the techniques I use to dial down the anxiety is through slow tunes.  

My personal recommendation is to listen to some songs on your walk to class or wherever your speech may be held. Listening to music before you enter the building should allow you to get your jitters out before you enter your "all-seriousness zone..." and start freaking out all over again. 

Before a speech, choosing a song that has a more calm, relaxing, slower rhythm to it will probably help keep your heart rate from speeding up before presentation time. 

Oh, how I hate the accelerated heart beat! When nerves kick in, my heart races like Secretariat in the final stretch of the Kentucky Derby. My face turns red. I break out into a sweat like I had just been on a mile-long run. Ugh, the dreaded heart beat; it's the same one I get from from watching horror films - I have only ever watched two, but two is enough for a lifetime. 

Anyways, slow and steady wins the race. Do not come to class jamming out to Taylor Swift's "22" or Aerosmith's "Dream On" right before you walk in to give a speech. Your heart rate will be pumping into next week, leaving you little room to recover before your talk. 

I like to stick to something more classy: jazz.

 

One of my favorite jazz songs is "Fly Me To the Moon" by Frank Sinatra. If you have never heard of Frank Sinatra, 1) shame on you, and 2) his voice is literally like caramel. "Fly Me To the Moon" has a good tempo, not too fast but not bore-you-to-sleep-while-walking slow. Not to mention, the lyrics make you feel all gooey inside, and who doesn't like gooey? 

If you are one of those people who procrastinates until the very last minute and likes to go over your notecards before class, you may want to listen to music without lyrics. In that case, there are many popular hits that have been turned into instrumentals. Below are a few examples of some great, slow, sappy songs that might make you tear up a little, but that also keep you at a nice, calm persona. You will also notice that the same piano player is jingling the ivory keys in each video. Costantino Carrara  has plenty of talent and a wide variety of songs you can choose from, all instrumental. 

The first song is "All of Me" by John Legend. 

The second song is "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth. 

The third song is "Let Her Go" by Passengers. 

Whether you are freaking out for your speech or are prepping on the go, I encourage you to take some time to sway to some Sinatra or mull over some amazing instrumentals. Both will hopefully, fingers crossed, calm you down enough to rock your speech with as little nerves as possible. And don't worry! You'll do great! Just take deep breaths.