I am not a shy person, and I am well practised to walk into a room and introduce myself to strangers. I have been attending business networking meetings for work for years, and often have to meet suppliers or clients to discuss their needs.
However, even like the most self-confident among us, I can get nervous. Especially when you are shy or under-prepared, you can feel like you are embarrassing yourself by fluffing your lines, experience dry mouth or come across as non-engaging.
Here are five simple ways of overcoming shyness before a business seminar, networking meeting or an event.
Powerpose
Ok, this one might make you feel a bit silly at first. Try striking a power pose in the bathroom mirror before you head into your meeting. It’s called the Wonder Woman pose. Stand with your feet apart, put your hands on your hips, shoulders back and lift your chin. If you’re really into it, raise one fist into the air as if you’re ready to take off and fly.
Even a forced smile can trigger the happy hormones in your brain, and hitting the pose before you face the room can make you feel more confident. It will also make you appear more purposeful in your posture. Tell yourself you are going to be fine, and you will be!
Make some notes
People will want to know who you are and what you do. Having a full script to recite could make for a very dull meeting. They’ll switch off and start to play with their phones or start reading any literature in front of them. Get yourself organised with a few bullet points, or practise your elevator pitch – a brief, persuasive speech that you use to spark interest in what you and your organisation does. If you have this written down or nailed, you will feel more confident in talking to others, and less likely to get lost and flustered.
Left to Righ. I only knew one person in the picture on the left. After a fun networking meeting, we all took a selfie. The middle picture was taken at a business show held at the Cardiff City Stadium, the tedium had gotten to me by this point. Lastly with my colleagues at a coffee morning before we were really awake – it must have been 6am.
Have a drink ready
This does not mean shots at the bar! Have a bottle of water at the ready, or grab a tea or coffee when you arrive. A symptom of feeling nervous is a dry mouth, which can make getting your words out more difficult. Pausing for a drink gives you time to compose yourself and collect your thoughts if you start to feel out of your depth. You can also take a sip if you start to feel overwhelmed.
Show rather than tell
If you do have to address the room and can think of nothing worse than standing up in front of people, you could rely on a video presentation. With some time and practice, this can even be made on your phone. Meeting rooms will have a screen or projector you can hook your laptop into or a USB portal. If you can pre-record elements of your presentation can take some of the pressure off and less talking on the day.
Go with back up
If you need some reassurance, there is always time before the meeting to ring someone for a last-minute pep talk. Whether it is your mum, partner or best friend, they can get you in the right frame of mind and improve your confidence levels. Alternatively, you could take one of your colleagues who can be there for moral support.
Do not be hard on yourself
Remember, the majority of people will go easy on you. Even if you are not feeling like a superhero on the day, the others in the room will not have noticed, and your colleagues and clients will be forgiving if you get a bit flustered. Everyone has been the newbie in the room at some point. Tell yourself you can do it, and have some faith that you can do it. Even the best in business suffer from pre-meeting nerves.
Do you feel more confident?
If in doubt, fake it until you make it!
I would love to hear if these tactics have worked for you? Please leave your comments below.
FREE Visit Cardiff Checklist & Guide
Get your FREE Visting Cardiff Checklist and Guide with over 25 pages full of travel tips, how to get around, places to visit, food and drink, shopping, parks and green spaces, some Welsh phrases and a travel itinerary.
Do you want to be the first to read my latest blog posts? You can stay updated with my other best of travel and lifestyle features by signing up my mailing list:
Follow me on social media: Instagram Facebook Twitter
Related Articles
Is it time to ditch the power suit?
4 thoughts on “5 simple ways of overcoming nerves before networking”