Does mental visualization help manage stress before public speaking?

Does mental visualization help manage stress before public speaking?

A lot is said about the power of visualization. Athletes, before an important performance, visualize what they will do, how they will do it, in what sequence, and the results it will bring them. But it’s not just athletes—presenters do it too.

 

Take control

A few months ago, I spoke with Simon Lancaster, a distinguished British speechwriter, speaker, and author of books on communication. In 2016, he delivered an outstanding TEDx talk titled "Speak Like a Leader." During our conversation, he admitted that visualization was crucial in his preparation process. He mentioned that, for several weeks before his talk, he would go to bed every evening, close his eyes, and visualize a mental image of what awaited him on the TEDx red dot. He imagined himself delivering his speech, the audience watching him attentively and with curiosity, laughing at his jokes, and applauding at the end of his presentation. Of course, visualization wasn’t the only preparation method—it was one of many. However, visualization is essential in mastering the unknown: every visualization serves as training for our mind; a rehearsal for the final performance.

Many of us also subconsciously visualize what will happen during a presentation. The problem is that we often imagine exactly what we don’t want to happen. We picture ourselves stumbling over words, forgetting what to say, embarrassing ourselves, or seeing the audience stare at us awkwardly and later point fingers in mockery. That, too, is a form of visualization. And you know what? It’s very effective as well—unfortunately, in the wrong direction. By priming our minds for such outcomes, it’s no wonder we experience stress.

 

The basketball free throw experiment

Visualization has proven effects. In 1996, Dr. Judd Blaslotto and L.V. Clark conducted an experiment at the University of Chicago, the results of which remain impressive to this day. The researchers divided students into three groups. The first group was instructed to practice basketball free throws every day for 30 minutes over 30 days using a standard basketball from the free-throw line. The second group was asked to avoid basketball altogether during the 30 days—they weren’t to touch a basketball or engage with the sport in any way. The third group, like the first, was told to show up at the basketball court daily but not to touch the ball. Instead, they were to sit quietly on the bench, close their eyes, and visualize themselves making free throws for 30 minutes.

The results were compared. Each group performed test free throws on the first and last day of the experiment, the 30th day. What did they find? The first group—the ones who practiced—improved their accuracy by 24%. The second group, which did not practice at all, showed no improvement. However, the third group—those who visualized the throws—improved their accuracy by 23%. That’s just one percent less than those who physically practiced.

 

Public Speaking Training

Unbelievable, isn’t it? This led to the conclusion that our mind has difficulty distinguishing between what is real and what is imagined. So, if you want to prepare for a public speaking event, practice your speech not only in real life but also repeatedly in your mind through visualization.

Each subsequent attempt—whether real or imagined—reduces our stress. After all, we feel stressed about things that are new, unknown, and therefore potentially dangerous to us. Visualization is one of the simplest ways to manage stress.

Visualization is just one method to reduce stress before delivering a presentation. A full range of solutions to manage stress and improve your skills can be found in our training, Professional Public Speaking, available HERE>

 

Piotr Garlej

 

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