Speaking: Public Speaking & Presentations B2 - Lesson 5: Managing Nerves & Speaking Confidently

Speaking: Public Speaking & Presentations B2

Managing Nerves & Speaking Confidently

Listen to the "Nervous vs. Confident" examples.

What you will learn: By the end of this lesson, you will learn practical physical, mental, and verbal techniques to manage public speaking anxiety and deliver your message with confidence.

Why Nerves Are Actually a Good Sign ⚡

Everyone feels nervous before speaking in public—even professionals. The secret is to reframe your anxiety. Those butterflies in your stomach are not just "nerves"; they are energy. Your body is preparing you to perform! A B2 speaker learns to *use* this energy instead of letting it control them.

NERVOUS (Energy controls you)

"Um, so, I guess my topic is... uh... it's about marketing, which is, like, really important..."

CONFIDENT (You control the energy)

"Good morning. [PAUSE] My topic today is marketing... a critical driver for our company's growth. [PAUSE]"

Your Confidence Toolkit 🛠️ (Click 🔊)

You can manage nerves by preparing your body, your mind, and your words.

1. Before You Speak (Preparation)

Confidence starts before you say a word.

• Breathe Deeply: Try "box breathing" (inhale 4 sec, hold 4 sec, exhale 4 sec, hold 4 sec).
• Visualize Success: Close your eyes and imagine yourself giving a great presentation.
• Know Your First Line: Memorize your first sentence perfectly. A strong start builds momentum.

2. During Your Speech (Control)

Techniques to use while you are live.

• The Power Pause: If you feel lost or nervous, just stop. Be silent. Take a breath. This makes you look thoughtful, not nervous.
• Ground Yourself: Focus on the feeling of your feet on the floor. This brings you into the present moment.
• Find a Friendly Face: Make eye contact with one friendly-looking person for a full sentence. Then move to another.

3. Replacing Filler Words

The #1 sign of nerves is using "um," "uh," and "like."

• Challenge: Train your brain to replace "Um..." with a SILENT PAUSE.
• Why it works: A pause sounds professional, confident, and thoughtful. A filler word sounds unprepared and nervous.

Pronunciation Tip

🗣️ Pacing: Slow Down Your "Um"

When you feel an "um" or "uh" coming, don't just say it. Stop. Breathe. Think. Then speak.

Nervous: "I think... um... the best solution is... uh... to hire more people."

Confident: "I think... [PAUSE] ...the best solution is... [PAUSE] ...to hire more people."

Your audience will wait. The silence feels longer to you than it does to them.

Practice Your Responses 🎯

Practice Quiz: What's the Confident Choice?

Read the situation, then choose the *best* action. Click "Check Answers" when done.

1. Situation: Your heart is racing right before you are introduced.

Best Action:

• A) Tell the audience "Sorry, I'm really nervous."
• B) Take two slow, deep breaths and reframe the feeling as "excitement" or "energy".
• C) Try to ignore it and speak as fast as possible to get it over with.

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2. Situation: You are in the middle of a sentence and completely forget your next word.

Best Action:

• A) Say "um... uh... wait..." until you remember.
• B) Look at the ceiling and apologize.
• C) Pause silently. Take a calm breath, look at your notes (if you have them), and then continue.

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3. Situation: You feel your hands or legs shaking while you are speaking.

Best Action:

• A) Grip the podium as hard as you can.
• B) "Ground" yourself: calmly plant both feet flat on the floor and feel your connection to the ground.
• C) Put your hands in your pockets and jingle your keys.

Key Vocabulary (Click 🔊)

• Anxiety / Nerves (Noun) | ការวิตกกังวล / ភាពភ័យ
  A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event.
• To Reframe (Verb) | បកស្រាយឡើងវិញ
  To change the way you think about something; to see it from a new perspective.
• Filler Word (Noun) | ពាក្យបំពេញ
  A word with no meaning used to fill a pause (e.g., "um", "uh", "like", "you know").
• Pace / Pacing (Noun) | ល្បឿន
  The speed at which someone speaks or does something.
• To Ground (oneself) (Verb) | ធ្វើអោយមានស្ថេរភាព
  To mentally connect yourself to the present moment, often by focusing on your physical body.
• To Visualize (Verb) | ស្រមៃ
  To form a mental image of something; to imagine.

Your Mission: The "Pause Challenge" ⭐

Your mission is to replace filler words with confident pauses.

1. Choose any topic you are comfortable with (your job, your hobby, your favorite movie).
2. Record yourself speaking about that topic for 2 minutes.
3. Listen to the recording and count how many times you said "um," "uh," or "like."
4. Record yourself again. This time, your only goal is to reduce that number. Every time you want to say "um," force yourself to PAUSE silently for 1-2 seconds instead.

This will feel strange at first, but it will make you sound 100% more confident!