Before she even got out of bed on speech day, Stephanie was already feeling sick. A lump of dread in her stomach made the thought of eating breakfast almost unimaginable. By the time she got to school, things had only gotten worse. 

As she entered the speech classroom, her stomach felt like she had bats inside her, battering their way to daylight. Her mouth was dry and she had to go to the bathroom — even though she had stopped in the women’s room right before she came to class.  

When the teacher called her name, she could feel her pulse pounding in her head and neck. Her hands were sweaty and her mouth became dry. She thought to herself, “I wonder if this is what it feels like to die?” 

The human body is designed to protect us from fearful situations. If someone were chasing you with the intent of doing you harm, your body has all sorts of mechanisms to try and keep you safe.  

For example, blood flow becomes prioritized. The greater majority of it goes to your large muscle groups to help you run faster. (Your brain gets shortchanged in this process, because your body figures you won’t be asked many important questions while you’re running for your life.) 

Similarly, digestive processes get put on hold. Saliva production is nearly stopped, and your stomach no longer works on processing your food. Instead, your body puts energy into such things as, well, making more energy. Large amounts of sugar are released into your blood stream to fuel your large muscle groups. 

You sweat profusely in an attempt to keep your body cool and functioning at peak performance while you run. Adrenaline races through your body. Even your bladder tries to help the cause by giving the urge to download as much unnecessary weight as possible. Everything is about getting energy to those large muscle groups. 

Your breathing quickens to help maximize oxygen intake, important for optimum muscle function. 

Okay, but no one is really chasing you. You are terrified out of your wits because your computer crashed, taking with it the only copy of your semester project. Or someone has just asked you to give a speech. You’re still frightened, but in a different way than if someone were chasing you. You’re worried about failure and humiliation, not survival.  

But your body only knows how to do “fear” one way. It prepares you for flight — even though you’re pretty sure no one in the speech classroom is going to chase you. The result is a lot of terrifying symptoms that make you feel truly miserable when it’s time to give a speech. Some students even break out in angry red hives all over their neck and face when they try to speak in public! (This is their reaction to the fear-producing chemicals racing through their blood.) 

So, what is the point of knowing all this if your body doesn’t know how to properly react to modern-day scary situations? If you know why you’re feeling the way you are, you are less likely to be frightened by the symptoms themselves. And by understanding the symptoms, you can counteract them as efficiently as possible.  

Tips for the Day of Your Speech 

q       Don’t eat high-sugar foods or drink caffeine before your speech. Remember, you body is already increasing your sugar content and your adrenaline level is higher than normal. Additional sugar or stimulant will most likely give you the shakes — a visible sign of nervousness you can easily control by watching your diet on speech day.

q       Don’t eat a big meal before you speak. Although it’s never a good idea to go without food before a speech or other performance, you want to be sure to keep your eating light. Remember, your body makes digestion a very low priority when you’re nervous. Eat too much, and your food will simply lay in your stomach undigested, making you even more uncomfortable than you already are.

q       Try keeping your mouth moist before you speak. Remember, salivation is put on hold during fight or flight, so your mouth will get dry when you’re nervous. (That’s why so many professional speakers have water pitchers and glasses right next to the podium.) Try a throat lozenge or hard candy, but be sure there’s nothing in your mouth when you speak.