The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Some tension keys up the body and mind actually

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 12, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Some tension keys up the body and mind actually

Special Correspondent

`Being prepared helps when it goes wrong'

Bangalore: An attack of "bad nerves" before making a business presentation in front of a large crowd is common. In fact, being a bit nervous may even make you perform better as you may anticipate things going wrong.

"This may sound like an argument against positive thinking... all it means is, it pays to be prepared for things to go wrong; they may or may not,'' says psychotherapist Sunanda Murthy. This also applies to people called upon to make speeches before an audience, perhaps, at a rather short notice.

The thing to remember is that even veteran actors and musicians and people regularly interviewed on television may have the jitters occasionally. There are actors who fumble over lines and time their actions wrongly and re-takes have to be shot in the studio. Musicians suddenly go off key or are let down by accompanists.

"The best among them `ad lib' to save the situation. Others may just carry on after a pause as if nothing had gone wrong. Chances are small gaffes may be forgotten soon enough,'' she says. Feeling some tension and anticipation actually keys up the body and mind to do the best. Like the commando losing all fears in the heat of battle.

One thing to remember is that our feelings of fear or nervousness are obvious only to ourselves and not to others. Not everybody in an audience of a 100 or a 1,000 or more is going to notice the fact that you are nervous.

Unless you actually stutter and stumble or falter, you are just a figure on a stage 20 ft or more away or at the other end of the conference room.

"It helps to have a full rehearsal with your own colleagues as the audience, well before the big day,'' suggests former human resource head M.K. Rao. You will feel more confident in front of them and can also ask them to be objective enough in pointing out shortcomings or mistakes, if any. If a colleague says, "You need to speak more slowly'', you may be willing to accept it and correct it in time. They may also have better ideas about the visual aids you need to use in a power point presentation.

Always assess the mood of the audience. If you are the last in a series of speakers just before lunch break, do cut your presentation short. Condense whatever you have prepared to three-fourths of the time given, if possible. Many hungry people may even applaud you much to the surprise of the earlier speakers who may not have received such a positive response.

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