Nevermind ‘The King’s Speech.’ What about yours? These tips can ease podium anxiety

Public speaking can be stressful, especially when it comes with the job. Witness King George VI, whose stuttering set off a royal crisis when he had to speak calmly to his jittery subjects during World War II.

Some of us can relate -- and it has nothing to do with stuttering. Julie Deardorff in Julie’s Health Club blog reports on how to overcome public speaking anxiety. Here’s what she says:

“To combat the embarrassing blushing, shaking or sweating that may occur, invoke the ‘quieting response,’ a five-minute technique that occurs automatically with practice, said [Jonathan] Berent. Try it minutes before any event where you know you’ll be noticeably nervous, as long as you have four or five minutes to yourself.”

The 10-step exercise from the authors of “Work Makes Me Nervous” is pretty simple but requires practice. Check out the entire blog post here.

And, fortunately, few of us will ever have to speak from the throne.

Related story: “Stuttering linked to genetic mutation”