Getting ready before a big pitch is never easy. The stakes are just too high, and we all need to make sure everything goes smoothly. But, the closer it gets, the more anticipation it builds, it becomes impossible to calm the nerves.  Well, you are not alone. What if we told you that public speaking anxiety is the most prevalent phobia on the globe? In fact, just in the U.S., 5.3 million people have social anxiety, 74% of which deal with speech anxiety, statistics show.  Discomfort and anxiety are indeed part of the game, but if you want your pitch to be noticed, you have to be confident. So, the question is, what can you do to deal with the nervousness? Here, we’ve decided to share some handy tips on how to make a good business pitch you can rely on even when anxiety and fear start to kick in. 

How To Make A Good Business Pitch

 1. Anxiety Can Be a Good Thing

According to David Greenberg, a professional coach, author, and CEO of Simply Speaking, anxiety is not that bad. Feeling uneasy about something shows that you really care. It means that this pitch is worth your while.  The adrenaline will kick in, and the discomfort will begin. If you want to succeed, you will need to accept these feelings. They are not there to make you fail; they are there to inspire you to get your message noticed. Instead of fighting them, accept them.  If you don’t see the anxiety as something that will ruin your pitch, you will be able to convey the message with a more positive connotation. All you have to do is accept these feelings, observe, and reframe your thoughts and actions based on the situation.  

 2. Don’t Let Your Mind Wander

It’s easy to let your nerves get the best of you. The moment you are faced with them, plenty of thoughts will cross your mind and impact your better judgment: What if I mess this up? What if they don’t like me? If I fail, it will all be for nothing! What you can do is be present! All those sensations (quickened breathing, heart racing, voice cracking, sweating) are normal.  Before you say anything, take a deep breath and take a good look at your surroundings. Focus on something physical. Find an anchor, like a chair, for example, and focus your entire body weight on your toes. Basically, you are tuning in with your body. Strike a confident pose and own the space. 

 3. Calm the Nerves In Your Own Way

Everyone has their own unique way that helps them calm down. You can try to do whatever suits you best. Here are a couple of options you can try that may help you out. You can:  - Do a few more practice pitches before you go in  - Exercise to stabilize the adrenaline  - Listen to some music   - Meditate a couple of minutes before you do the pitch Practicing the pitch helps build confidence. You get the chance to repeat and calm down by reminding yourself that you can do a good job.  Exercise doesn’t directly affect your pitch, but it helps manage the adrenaline. The more anxious you become, the higher the adrenaline gets, so you need something to calm the nerves and help you stay on track. Physical activity is always the right approach. Music is another great way to reduce stress. According to research, listening to your favorite songs can help reduce anxiety by up to 65%. This is more than enough to help you keep going, while meditation can reduce the activity in the brain that makes our minds wander. Any self-referential thoughts can be controlled. If you know how to do it, you will less likely fail your speech. Sometimes, something as simple as this can be the step in the right direction.

 4. Do Not Seek Perfection, Be Yourself!

Based on a recent analysis, fear of failure is a serious problem for the majority of the young population. From more than 1,000 people evaluated, 31% stated they were afraid of making a mistake. Being afraid to speak in public often stems from fear of failure.  Female Gives Presentation To Team But, if you want to make a successful business pitch, you first need to understand that nothing is perfect. Instead of hoping for perfection, be yourself. No one wants people who are masking their true goals and intentions. If you want people to take you seriously, you have to be confident and honest. That’s the best way to get the attention you need. 

 5. Don’t Be Boring

When you present your pitch, you shouldn’t be the only one talking. Involving the audience is the key to getting more attention. This will be a turning point for your presentation. Plus, it eases the nerves since you will be inspiring a dialogue in which people can help take your mind off your anxiety.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2LwuF7zn9c

 6. Do a Solid Research 

Whatever topic or business you will present, you have to be fully acquainted with it. The business will be your topic, and you are the authority of that topic. If the audience asks a question, you should know how to answer it. This will help you appear more confident, secure, and trustworthy. Moreover, the more you know, the less likely you are to stress out. This makes for an excellent strategy in the long run. 

 7. Visualize your Success

If you want your pitch to leave an impression, you have to enter the room with enthusiasm. That’s when visualization can come in handy. The first step to making it work is to imagine yourself making a successful pitch.  Let the presentation play in your mind and imagine how it ends successfully. Create a detailed imagination as you possibly can. Picture the audience, the room, the questions they might pose, your clothes, anything that comes to mind. Spend at least 10 to 15 min imagining yourself achieving your goal. It may seem like a banal approach, but it’s bound to help you get closer to success. 

 8. Focus On the Positives

Seeing your audience clap or shake their heads, showing that they listened to your pitch is all the affirmation you need. Learn from this experience and improve. See how they reacted with the first presentation and embrace their positive reactions. So, the next time you have to do another pitch, you will be eager to take on the challenge.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEDcc0aCjaA

Conclusion

Making the right preparations will only be the foundation of your business pitch. Everything else that comes in your way will be a challenge. But, if you use all the handy tips listed here, you will always be prepared to take that challenge head-on.  Remember, feeling anxious or nervous before a speech is normal. But, if you know how to overcome it, you will always be one step ahead. Of course, the perfect pitch doesn’t exist. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t improve. On the contrary, take all your experiences, observe, analyze, and improve them.  Eventually, you will be ready to take on anything on any given day. Now that you know how to make a good business pitch and overcome your nervousness step out of that comfort zone and make the ultimate pitch, you can come up with.  Have you tried any of these tips before? Did they work for you? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.