Advice
The Day I Watched a CFO Vomit Before a Board Presentation: Why Your Public Speaking Terror Is Actually Normal
Related Resources:
Right, let's get one thing straight from the get-go. That sweaty palm, racing heart, "I'd rather be anywhere else in the universe" feeling you get before speaking publicly? That's not a character flaw. That's biology doing exactly what it's supposed to do when your brain thinks you're about to be eaten by a sabre-tooth tiger.
I've been running workplace communication training across Australia for nearly two decades now, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that 90% of executives are completely terrified of public speaking. The other 10% are either lying or sociopaths.
The CFO I mentioned? This was a bloke who'd negotiated multi-million dollar deals without breaking a sweat. But put him in front of 12 board members and he turned into a walking disaster. We're talking full-blown panic attack territory. Yet six months later, after applying the strategies I'm about to share, he was presenting quarterly results like he was born for it.
The Real Problem Isn't What You Think
Here's where most people get it wrong. They think the solution to public speaking anxiety is to "just be confident" or "imagine everyone in their underwear." Absolute rubbish.
The problem isn't confidence. It's preparation. More specifically, it's the wrong kind of preparation.
Most people prepare by memorising their content word-for-word. Then they rock up, forget line three of paragraph two, and their entire mental framework collapses like a house of cards. I've seen senior managers reduced to stuttering messes because they couldn't remember whether slide four came before or after the budget breakdown.
The smart approach? Prepare your structure, not your script.
Think of it like building a house. You need solid foundations and a good frame, but you don't need to know exactly where every nail goes before you start. Your key points are your framework. Everything else is just decoration you can improvise.
The Melbourne Method (Yes, I Named It After Myself)
After working with everyone from mining executives in Perth to tech startup founders in Sydney, I've developed what I call the Melbourne Method. It's dead simple, which is exactly why it works.
Step One: The Three-Point Rule Never, and I mean never, try to make more than three main points in any presentation. The human brain can't handle more than that in a single sitting. Even TED talks follow this rule, though they'll never admit it.
Pick your three strongest points. Everything else gets filed under "nice to have" and promptly forgotten.
Step Two: The Anchor Technique For each of your three points, create a visual or physical anchor. Maybe it's touching your watch when you talk about timing, or looking at the back wall when discussing long-term strategy. These anchors become your safety net when nerves try to derail your train of thought.
Step Three: The Reality Check Here's the confronting truth nobody wants to hear: your audience probably isn't paying as much attention as you think they are. That executive checking her phone isn't plotting your downfall. She's probably thinking about her kid's school pickup or whether she remembered to feed the cat.
This isn't meant to be depressing. It's liberating. The pressure you're feeling is mostly self-imposed.
What Actually Works (And What Doesn't)
Breathing exercises: Absolutely work, but not the way most people teach them. Forget the elaborate 4-7-8 patterns. Just focus on making your exhale longer than your inhale. That's it. Your nervous system will thank you.
Visualisation: Partly effective, but don't waste time imagining yourself as some sort of presentation superhero. Instead, visualise handling mistakes gracefully. What will you do when the projector dies? How will you recover from a mental blank? Plan for problems, not perfection.
Practice makes perfect: Complete myth. Practice makes permanent. If you're practising the wrong things, you're just cementing bad habits. Better to practice less but practice smart.
I learned this the hard way after watching a client practice the same awkward gesture 50 times before a presentation. By showtime, that gesture was so deeply ingrained she couldn't stop doing it, even though it made her look like she was trying to direct traffic.
The Personality Factor
Now here's something most training programs won't tell you: your personality type affects how you should approach public speaking, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution.
Introverts often think they're at a disadvantage, but that's backwards thinking. Some of the most compelling speakers I know are introverts who've learned to channel their natural tendency toward careful preparation and thoughtful delivery.
Extroverts, on the other hand, often rely too heavily on their natural charisma and under-prepare. I've seen countless extroverted managers wing it spectacularly badly because they assumed their personality would carry them through.
The sweet spot is somewhere in the middle. Channel your natural strengths but don't rely on them exclusively.
Real-World Applications
Let me give you a practical example from last month. I was working with a team leader in Adelaide who needed to present a restructure proposal to her department. Sensitive topic, potentially hostile audience, high stakes.
Instead of focusing on making everyone love the proposal (impossible), we focused on three key messages: why change was necessary, what the timeline looked like, and how individual roles would be affected.
We practiced handling objections, not avoiding them. We prepared for emotion, not logic. We planned follow-up conversations, not hoping to resolve everything in one meeting.
Result? The presentation went smoothly, yes, but more importantly, the follow-up discussions were productive instead of defensive. That's where the real value lies.
The Technology Trap
Quick sidebar about presentation technology, because this comes up constantly. PowerPoint is not your friend. It's a crutch that often becomes a liability.
The best presentations I've seen lately have used minimal slides or none at all. When you're constantly looking at slides, you're not connecting with your audience. When your slides are text-heavy, people read instead of listening.
Keep slides simple, use them sparingly, and always have a backup plan for when technology fails. Because it will fail, usually at the worst possible moment.
Building Long-Term Confidence
Here's what actually builds speaking confidence over time: small, regular wins. Not big, dramatic presentations that leave you traumatised for months.
Start with team meetings. Volunteer to give updates. Offer to explain new processes. Gradually increase your comfort zone without jumping off the deep end.
I tell my clients to aim for one small speaking opportunity every week. Nothing major. Just something that gets you comfortable with having all eyes on you for a few minutes.
The emotional intelligence training I run often incorporates these principles because self-awareness and audience awareness go hand in hand.
The Australian Advantage
We've got a natural advantage in this country when it comes to authentic communication. Australians generally appreciate straight talk over corporate speak. Use that.
Don't try to sound like an American motivational speaker or a British academic. Sound like yourself, just more organised.
The moment you start putting on a "presentation voice," you've lost authenticity. And authenticity is what creates connection with your audience.
When Things Go Wrong (And They Will)
Murphy's Law applies double to presentations. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong, and probably during the most important presentation of your career.
I once had a client whose trousers split during a company-wide address. Instead of panicking, he made a quick joke about "really putting himself out there" and carried on. The audience loved him for it, and that moment of vulnerability became the most memorable part of his presentation.
The key is having a mindset that treats mistakes as opportunities rather than disasters. Easy to say, harder to implement, but absolutely essential.
The Bottom Line
Public speaking fear is normal, manageable, and definitely conquerable. But it requires the right approach, not just positive thinking and deep breathing.
Focus on structure over script. Prepare for problems, not perfection. Build confidence gradually through small wins.
And remember, even that CFO who vomited before his first board presentation? He's now the go-to person for investor relations. If he can do it, so can you.
The difference between speakers who thrive and those who merely survive isn't natural talent. It's systematic preparation and realistic expectations. Master those two elements, and you'll wonder what you were so worried about in the first place.
Now stop making excuses and book that next speaking opportunity. Your career will thank you for it.
Looking for more workplace communication strategies? Check out our resources on managing difficult conversations and team development.