No Need to hyperventilate - When public speaking nerves take over and you’re lost for words, again.

Clients often tell me, in team settings or in more intimate one-to-one sessions, that when they need to speak up, something within them immediately changes.

Their hearts start racing. Their hands become cold. Their mouths go dry and their thoughts suddenly scatter.

They start speaking faster, forget the point they wanted to make, and sometimes even feel light-headed and dizzy.

And when I ask them what they think the problem is, the answer is usually the same:

"I just don't think I’m confident enough."

But what if it isn't a perceptual confidence problem at all? What if it is a "I’m not being comfortable in the situation” problem.

What if your mind is working perfectly well, but your body has quietly taken over and tension is taking over robbing you of your sense of confidence?

Because oftentimes, what we initially identify as a confidence issue turns out to have a much more physical, primal component. 

When we feel under pressure, our breathing naturally changes. It becomes faster, shallower and the chest tightens. In some situations, especially when we're anxious about speaking up, we can begin to turn this type of breathing into hyperventilation without even realising it.

Hyperventilation simply means breathing more than your body needs at that moment. 

As carbon dioxide levels drop, your body starts producing symptoms that make communication even harder.

You might experience:

• A racing heart

• Dizziness

• Tightness in your chest

• Feeling disconnected or unable to think clearly

• The sensation that you "can't get enough air"

• Tingling in your fingers or around your mouth

Ironically, many people begin taking even bigger breaths, which only makes the sense of urgency worse.

Imagine this scenario for a moment.

You're sitting in a project meeting. You've prepared your idea, and you know it could help solve the problem.

Then, earlier than you anticipated, your manager turns to you and says, "Tim, what are your thoughts?"

Instantly your shoulders tighten, your breathing becomes increasingly sharper and shallower, your awareness heightens but your focus slips, and your mind starts racing.

You speak but it comes out too quickly and unstructured, because your body wants the uncomfortable feeling to end as soon as possible so you rush through it. “Just get to the end”, you think.

A minute later and you’re already sitting back down, you survived, but you don't feel you explained yourself well. You leave the meeting wondering what you could have said differently and why you always struggle under pressure and you conclude, “I’m just not confident enough”.

But, the issue wasn't your confidence. What happened was your nervous system simply shifted into protection mode and took your focus with it.

The good news here is that your breath and your body are working as intended and that you have the potential to change your state and retain your confidence and focus.

Think about it this way. Because stress changes your breathing, changing your breathing can also change your stress. 

That means you can drive yourself into hyperventilation but you could also take yourself to a place of composure and clarity.

Try this to get a first hand experience, before your next meeting or presentation, spend ten seconds noticing your breath.

Allow it to slow, let it become quieter.

Then for another thirty seconds, breathe into your lower ribs and belly instead of your shoulders and your chest.

You don't need to force deep breaths. You simply fill your belly and slowly level out your breathing until the body feels calm, steady and natural.

As your breathing settles, your heart rate begins to settle. As a result your thinking becomes clearer and your voice steadies.

And through this simple but powerful public speaking hack, speaking up becomes far less intimidating.

Confidence isn't a concept you have to build and hold.

But rather it's something that naturally appears once your nervous system no longer believes you're under threat. A sense of comfort in the moment. 

The next time you walk into a meeting, don't ask yourself, "How do I sound more confident?"

Ask yourself, "How is my breathing? And, am I comfortable as I can get in the situation"

Because awareness of your condition is often the first step towards communicating with clarity, composure and confidence.

You don't have to eliminate nerves to become a confident communicator. 

You need to understand what is happening in your body, learn how to regulate your state, and develop the ability to stay composed when the pressure is on.

Learn more about how you can become a calmer, more confident public speaker, build genuine comfort in your communication, and finally say goodbye to the fear of speaking in public.

Because confidence isn't about never feeling nervous.

It's knowing what to do when you are.