"I'm nervous" before a speech/presentation. Yea/Nay?

In My Humble Opinion
21

So the correct answer is no.

There is no need to discuss your feelings before giving a presentation of any kind. What’s wild about that is nervousness is pretty common – when people are asked what their fears are, they frequently rank public speaking above death and spiders.

So just get on with it. It can endear the audience to you at times, but what’s more endearing is just giving the presentation.

I ask because whatshisname and I got into a hilarious, but spirited conversation about this last night. It concluded with agreeing to disagree, and that I was mean and that he apparently feels the need to discuss his feelings with the audience before getting to the point.

This is legitimately hilarious, but I don’t actually think they feed on fear, heh.

22

Also correct! I pointed out, in the discussion that spurred this thread, that I will allow a self-effacing joke if it is actually funny. Doesn’t have to be hilarious, knee-slapping funny. But if it warrants even an inward chuckle, even an inward chuckle that is small, it’s okay.

23

Not nervous in the slightest. I used to say if you told me I had to give a speech in five minutes, I’d say, “on what subject?”

A few years ago, that actually happened to me. I had less than a minute to prepare a guest of honor interview at a convention in front of everyone at the con. It went very well.

24

Nope. No shit you’re nervous. That’s normal. Everyone is. OK, most people are. Get on with it.

ETA: Yeah, peccavi’s second paragraph kind of encapsulates how I feel when somebody says it. There’s a bit of “uh oh, here we go… this is going to go off the rails.”

25

I’m one of those who voted “wrong” at first. Do I have a certain amount of “nervous energy” coursing through me before I take the stage? Yes, I do. Do I announce “I’m nervous”? Never.

I can present myself as confident or not. “I’m nervous” is the not confident approach and can, in fact, put the audience on edge, waiting to see if the speaker implodes.

26

I’m retired from my professional life, but when I did give speeches and presentations, I always peppered them with a copious amount of humor. I’m a glutton for the sound of laughter, so no, never nervous. Not since my 4th grade school play when I kept flubbing my lines.

27

I used to train people. And for the first three months of doing so, I was so nervous every time that I thought I might throw up. But no, I never announced to anyone that I was nervous.

28

OK then I too misunderstood the question. I thought “I’m nervous” referred to how one felt before their public speaking not about if they announced “I’m nervous”. then I would change my vote to “nay”. While I stand by my statement that “I’m nervous” before a presentation, I would never admit it. From a leadership standpoint, you must always exude confidence. Like the old Gillette anti perspirant commercial: “never let them see you sweat”. .

29

Yes, I’m afraid I misread the question as well.

No, I never announce to a court that I’m nervous before a presentation. You have to look and sound in control and confident. If you look like you don’t believe your arguments, why should a judge?

30

Yeah, now I don’t know what the heck is going on here. The quotes in the OP seem to imply to me that the poll is about announcing whether one is nervous before a speech. Otherwise, the OP would be something like “Are you nervous before a speech/presentation.” But now, I’m second-guessing my reading, as it seems about half the respondents here read it as the straightforward question.

31

WHAT? The poll at this point is even 50/50.
Were you just going to say “So the correct answer is no.” no matter what we had to say? Why… oh, now I see:

Ummm, so you’re cheating to get one up on whatisname? (Who you should let see this thread, and the tied score.)

32

Ah, nevermind. The above quoted post makes clear what question was being asked, so my vote was correct: no.

33

I think that if you’re nervous before a speech/presentation, and you want to tell your audience, then you should. And if you’re nervous, but don’t want to let on, then don’t. And if you’re one of those people who isn’t nervous, there’s no point in saying so.

I’m one of those who typically isn’t. I’ve likely given hundreds of talks, speeches, presentations, you name it; for maybe 20 attendees up to halls of four to five hundred. And as a lawyer, I agree with @Northern_Piper above, where he says you have to speak confidently in the courtroom. My prior public speaking experience certainly helps with that.

I took a refresher on public speaking some years ago. One exercise that I found really useful and helpful, was the day when we did the equivalent of “Whose Line is it Anyway’s” scenes from a hat. When your name was called at random, you went to the front of the room, extracted a piece of paper from the hat, and spoke, completely off the cuff, on the topic written on the paper. They were simple topics, such as “my favourite movie,” or “what I did on vacation last year”; the kind that anybody could speak about, but you had to speak for three to five minutes on your topic, within thirty seconds of picking it out of the hat.

I drew “my favourite actress,” and spent four minutes speaking about Sandra Bullock–her roles in a tense drama (Speed), a fish-out-of-water comedy (Miss Congeniality), and a few other films also. I made it through no problem, but it was obvious that some of my classmates were very nervous at being called upon at random, and having to speak about something that was going to be a surprise. To bring this back to the topic of the OP, a few did indeed begin with “I’m nervous,” which had the effect of us all being a little more forgiving than we might otherwise have been.

Which is why I said, up top, “I think that if you’re nervous before a speech/presentation, and you want to tell your audience, then you should.” No harm in it, and it might garner you a more forgiving audience than if you didn’t.

34

Ermm… I think saying “I’m nervous” puts the speaker at ease. Thus they are able to give a better presentation.

Seriously, it takes a collosal dick to see someone up on the podium, know that they’re nervous, and then judge them for saying so.

35

I got over apprehension before presenting at tumor conferences. It helps to be confident that “I know more than these assholes”.

About my particular subject, anyway.

36

Yes I’m usually a little nervous before a presentation.

No I would never say “I’m a little nervous” out some such when in front of the audience.

37

Yeah, you need a better title. I didn’t realize the import of the quotes when I voted. So I hereby change my vote from Yes to NO NO NO NO NO.

I’m nervous before a speech but never let them see you sweat.

The only exception might be a case where you are not presented as an expert speaker, like if you were telling a story on The Moth.

38

I have in the past said this, and found it to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

So, my advice is “nay”.

However, it’s fine IMO to mention things like “This is the first time I’ve presented on this topic”.

39

“Do not apologize in advance” is standard public speaking advice. Don’t apologize for being nervous, nor for being unprepared, nor for sub-par content. Let your words stand on their own.

So no, don’t do that. Your audience will be less likely to accept your message. On the other hand:

  • The beginner breaks all the rules, and looks inept.
  • The trained follows the rules, and looks competent.
  • The expert breaks all the rules, and looks amazing.
40

Don’t announce your worries without a purpose. But if you can use the announcement as the basis for a joke, or an interesting observation, then go for it.