Published September 29, 2025
Public Speaking Nerves Are Normal: How Experienced Presenters Handle Them
By Jessica Setnick, MS, RD, CEDS-C
The Short Version
Nerves before speaking are not a sign you're unqualified. They're a sign your body knows it matters. Experienced presenters don't feel less; they've simply built a pre-talk routine, a rock-solid opening, and a way of reframing the adrenaline so it fuels the delivery instead of sabotaging it.
Stop waiting to feel calm before you'll speak. That day isn't coming, even for the pros. Instead, learn to perform well while nervous. The nerves shrink with reps, but the skill of speaking through them is what you build first.
Reframe the Adrenaline
The physical sensations of fear and excitement are nearly identical: racing heart, quick breath, buzzing energy. Your body doesn't know the difference; your brain assigns the label. Experienced speakers deliberately relabel the feeling as excitement, because "I'm excited" and "I'm terrified" are the same chemistry pointed in opposite directions.
This isn't a mind trick, it's an accurate reframe. That energy is your body preparing to perform, exactly as it should before something that matters. Instead of fighting it, use it. A little adrenaline sharpens you, and audiences read that alertness as passion.
Nail the First Ninety Seconds
Nerves peak at the very start and drop fast once you're rolling. So over-prepare your opening. Know your first ninety seconds cold, word for word if you need to, because getting cleanly through the beginning tells your nervous system the danger has passed and lets you settle into the rest.
A memorized opening is a handrail. Even if the middle goes off-script, a confident start buys you calm and buys the audience's trust. Don't open with an apology or a fumble with the slides; open with a line you could deliver in your sleep. Momentum does the rest.
Prepare Your Body, Not Just Your Slides
Presenters manage nerves physically before they manage them mentally. Slow, deliberate breathing before you walk on signals safety to your nervous system and steadies your voice. A few minutes of movement burns off the jitter. Even planting your feet and standing tall changes how confident you feel, not just how you look.
Small logistics kill outsized anxiety. Arrive early, test the microphone, find where the water is, know how the clicker works. Much of what feels like stage fright is really fear of a technical surprise. Remove the surprises and a big chunk of the nerves goes with them.
Remember the Room Is On Your Side
New speakers imagine the audience is hunting for flaws. They aren't. They gave you their time because they want to learn something, and they're quietly rooting for you to be good, because a good talk is a better use of their afternoon. The room wants you to succeed.
Shift your focus from yourself to them. Nerves are self-focused: how do I look, will I mess up. Service is audience-focused: what does this person need from me today. When you concentrate on helping the room rather than protecting your ego, the nerves lose their grip. The Dietitian's Speaking Guide includes practical routines for turning that anxious energy into a stronger delivery.