You’re standing in front of a crowded room with nothing but a microphone to hide behind. Dozens of big eyes and wiggly feet are all pointed at you. There’s a knot building in your stomach. You take a deep breath and have to make a choice. Do you let this overwhelm you or do you let this energize you?

You know how your passions kind of show up in your life unexpectedly? To most people’s surprise, public speaking was always a passion of mine. I know what you’re thinking - girl you crazy. And yes, I’m crazy about speaking in front of people! It started small as I found myself participating more in class discussions and volunteering to stand up in front of classmates and read from a poem, book or essay. This led to being a tour guide for my small liberal arts college, video promos for my school’s media department, coordinator of a public speaking center and a summer internship in Hollywood. I wanted this to be something I could share with others about how you can take something as intimidating as speaking in front of people and use that energy to your advantage. Public speaking is becoming such a valuable and sell-able skill in all fields of the workplace.

You might be thinking - wait I can stop being nervous during public speaking?! And the answer is – no, not really. I get nervous every time I speak in front of a large group. However, don’t get discouraged because the point is that while you may not get rid of the nerves from public speaking, you can get rid of stage fright. Stage fright and being nervous are two different things. Stage fright is the phobia aroused in an individual by performing in front of an audience, or any activity involving public self-presentation. Being nervous is the feeling of being worried or anxious about a situation. Before I scare you into never giving a presentation again, there is a trick to this. While you can overcome stage fright, you can also control your nerves. What I mean is use that nervousness, worry and anxiety as positive energy. If you say to yourself, “I am going to rock this presentation. I am going to use all this energy to project a great speaking voice. I am going to use this energy to grab the audience’s attention.” Using these tools, you can change the intimidating perspective of public speaking.

These are my 5 tips for being a successful and energized public speaker:

1. Eat a healthy snack before your presentation – this will help you be alert and get your mind in focus!
2. Make a routine to keep you centered and grounded – before your presentation take a walk while you go over your outline or do breathing exercises, but make sure you’re doing the same routine every time.
3. Always speak about something you are passionate about (if the topic is optional).
4. Keep props and/or PowerPoint simple.
5. Most importantly, be confident! – in your voice, presentation style, attire, your topic, everything.

Keep these tips in the back of your mind next time your professor assigns a presentation and don’t let public speaking intimidate you. Let it exhilarate and energize you!