Guest Author - Shannon Swanson

I don't know how many times I have heard friends tell me about how nervous they were to give a talk in Sacrament Meeting, or even newly called teachers announce to the class that they are so nervous to teach the class. I, myself, have started a class and been so nervous to teach that I can't hold papers out in front of me without being embarrassed at how badly the paper is shaking in my hand?!

So I decided to put together some thoughts and ideas on what we can do to help us get through those times when we are challenged by our nerves. Although I am sure that we have all heard the age-old solution to imagine everyone in their underwear (and it may really work for some people), for the rest of us, there are more practical solutions.

Ask Yourself...
Find out what you are afraid of. Nerves usually happen out of fear. Are you afraid of what others might think? Are you afraid of letting people down if you lose your spot? That your audience will be bored? Or just because it is something new to you?

Once you address these issues, you can talk yourself through them and maybe even find that they seem a little silly. Everyone in the audience is on your side. They all want you to do well, and even if you don't, so what? Recognize your efforts and move on from there.

Preparation
If you are giving a talk or teaching a lesson, be sure that you are adequately prepared. This means more than knowing which questions you will ask or who is going to read what. It means going over the whole class or talk in your head. Imagine everything that you are going to say, word-for-word. What do you want to happen? What do you want others to get out of it?

If you have a detailed plan, you have direction and will feel more prepared and secure. Even if things don't end up going according to your plan, that is OK. You can still get back on track.

Prayer
Prayer should be part of this preparation. You can and should pray in detail, telling what, exactly you want to happen. You can pray to know what people should hear, which people to involve and how. Prayer is meant, in part, to give you confidence in what you are doing, as well as inspiration.

Think Beyond Yourself
Many times, nervousness is the result of not being able to think beyond ourselves. We are afraid of what others will think of us, what will happen if we mess up, etc. But maybe we can think of it in a different way.

Instead of thinking about “me,” try thinking about others. Ask, “What should others get out of this? What should they hear? How should they be involved?” Focus on helping and teaching others throughout the lesson or talk. Don't worry about doing a good enough job at teaching them if you have done everything you can do to prepare. Your delivery is for them first and you second. And when it is all done, take a deep breath and, if you want to, be glad it is over!