Vinh Giang

If you’ve ever felt your heart racing, palms sweaty, knees weak, and arms are heavy right before a presentation, you are not alone. (Hopefully, you managed to avoid mom’s spaghetti for lunch, though.) 😂

In fact, you’re in very good company. 

I’ve been on thousands of stages in my lifetime, and I still have to manage my nerves. But over the years, I’ve learned that nerves aren’t something you need to “cure.” They are just something you need to understand and reframe.

Here are four powerful strategies to help you calm your nerves, lose yourself in the moment, and own the stage.

1. Shift the Spotlight (It’s Not About You)

We tend to get nervous when we make things about ourselves. That is why we call it “self-conscious” – because we are putting too much of our consciousness on the self.

When you are obsessing over how you look or how you sound, you start to spiral. You freak out because the stakes feel personal.

The fix? Take that consciousness and put it on other people.

You have to tell yourself: “It’s not about me. It’s about the people I am about to serve.”

The message you are about to deliver isn’t there to make you look good; it is there to inform, educate, inspire or perhaps even change their lives. 

When you remove the focus from yourself and place it on the audience, nerves reduce dramatically.

2. The Biological Hack: Nervous vs. Excited

Do you know what happens to your body biologically when you feel nervous?

Your adrenal glands release adrenaline into your bloodstream. This causes:

• Sweaty hands
• Shaking
• Dry mouth
• Racing heart

Here is the fascinating part: Your body literally doesn’t know the difference between fear and excitement.

Biologically, the symptoms are identical. The only difference is the psychological label you put on it.

So, here is the hack. When I’m backstage and I feel my hands sweating and my heart racing, I don’t say, “I’m nervous.” I say out loud: 

“Here we go, Vinh. This is what excitement feels like, baby! Let’s have some fun.” 🚀

I literally re-label the symptoms. If my body can’t tell the difference, I get to decide what those symptoms mean.

3. Slow Down to Calm Down

When we are nervous, our first instinct is to speed up. We increase our rate of speech because we just want the experience to be over and done with.

But speeding up only signals to your brain that you are in danger, which makes you more nervous.

Although somewhat counter-intuitive, the solution is to simply: Slow down.

A slow rate of speech doesn’t just make the audience feel more relaxed; it relaxes you. By consciously slowing your pace, you hack your own biology. You signal to your brain that you are in control, and the feelings of panic start to subside.

4. Practice With The Lights On

This final insight took me over a decade to figure out.

We often blame our nerves on fear of failure or judgment. But there is a physical factor we overlook: The Lights.

Stage lights are bright. They beam directly into your eyes, hindering your ability to concentrate. It’s actually a tactic police use during interrogations to rattle people! If you aren’t used to it, it will disorient you.

To fix this, you need to desensitize yourself.

• The Pro Way: Hire a local theater and rehearse with the full stage lights blasting in your face.
• The Cheaper Way: Buy some cheap studio lights for your home, turn them to full blast, and rehearse in front of them.

If you get comfortable with the physical sensation of bright lights before the presentation, you won’t be thrown off when you step on stage. 

The 5 Simple Steps To Stop Feeling Nervous Before Giving A Presentation:

If the thought of an upcoming presentation is keeping you up at night just remember:

1. Shift your focus from yourself to the audience.
2. Reframe your anxiety as excitement.
3. Slow your rate of speech, &
4. Desensitize yourself to presenting in front of bright lights. 
5. Remember to have some fun and enjoy the moment! ❤️

Have you ever felt like you’re the only person who can actually hear your voice?  

You speak up, but your words seem to vanish into thin air and the conversation moves on as if you weren’t even there. 👻

If you feel like you’re constantly being ignored, there is a very specific reason for it. 

It all comes down to Presence.

Presence isn’t some magical quality you’re either born with or you’re not. It’s a skill anyone can learn which comes down to a combination of two things: 

1. Vocal Presence and 
2. Visual Presence.

So if you want to stand out in a crowd and command people’s attention – here’s exactly what to do:

Mastering Your Vocal Presence

Vocal presence is entirely about how you use your voice. Most people think they are just “quiet,” but the truth is they aren’t utilising the five key foundations of vocal delivery. 

If you want to stop being ignored, you need to master these five areas:

• Rate of Speech: How fast or slow you talk.
• Volume: Your ability to project (without shouting).
• Tonality: The emotional quality of your voice.
• Pitch and Melody: The highs and lows that keep people engaged.
• The Pause: The silence that gives your words weight.

When you lack vocal presence, you often will sound hesitant and use too many filler words like “um” and “ah,” or speak in a monotone drone which could make even an insomniac doze off. 

If you aren’t using these tools, you are essentially telling the listener’s brain that your message isn’t important enough to pay attention to.

Increasing Your Visual Presence

The second half of the equation is visual presence; how you show up physically in the world. 

There are two ways to dial this up:

1. Your Style and Clothing

If you want to stand out, don’t be afraid to wear something a little louder! 

In my professional life, I often dress conservatively to keep the focus on the message. But in my personal life? My wife has turned me into someone who loves fun, vibrant clothes. 

We even wear matching outfits as a family on weekends. (I know, it’s nauseating to some, but we love it!) 

The point is: when you dress in a way that makes you feel visible, you start to act visible. 

2. Your Body Language

It is incredibly difficult to be invisible when you use larger gestures and more animated facial expressions. 

When you shrink your body, you signal to others that you want to be ignored. When you open up your posture and use your hands to emphasize your points, you command the space around you. Pair this with a strong voice, and suddenly, you’re impossible to ignore.

Why Growth Feels Gross

Here’s a reality check: when you start trying these new behaviours, it’s going to feel weird. 🤢

That “unnatural” feeling is just your brain realizing you’re doing something new. Your current habits feel natural because you’ve been repeating them for 20 years. But if those habits aren’t serving you, they aren’t optimal. 

Remember: If it doesn’t feel weird, you’re probably not trying hard enough!  

You have to be courageous enough to step out of your comfort zone and try on these new habits until they become your new normal.

How to Change (The Sustainable Way)

When it comes to improving communication skills, most people fail because they try to change everything overnight. They want the “30-day plan” to become a master communicator. 

But in reality, meaningful progress is slow. 🐢

If you want to stop being the “quiet person” at work or in social groups, use the KPI Method. 

The 3-Step KPI Plan To Make You Impossible to Ignore:

1.  The Phone Call KPI: Once a day, call a store to ask a simple question. The goal? Use a loud, vibrant voice. Practice projecting your name and your request clearly. 

2.  The Greeting KPI: Once you’ve mastered the phone, start greeting one stranger a day in person. Use a strong, friendly voice that sends out good vibes.

3.  The Compliment KPI: Finally, pair your greeting with a compliment. “I love your glasses, where did you get them?” Say it with confidence and energy.

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. (Sorry for the cheesy line, I hope you’re not lactose intolerant!).  So rather than trying to completely reinvent yourself overnight, just pick up the phone, use your voice, and watch how quickly the world stops ignoring you.

You’re in the middle of a sentence, your chest feels tight, and suddenly you’re gasping for air like you’ve just finished a 100m sprint.

But you haven’t been running. You’re just… talking.

If you’ve ever wondered “why do I run out of breath when talking”, it usually isn’t because you have small lungs. It’s because you’re a “leaky” speaker.

The Breath Leak: Why You’re Running Out of Air

When you’re struggling to finish a sentence without a massive gasp, it usually means you’re being too breathy.

Think about it like this: your breath is the fuel for your voice.

If you open the fuel tank wide and let everything pour out on the first three words, you’re going to be empty before you hit the punchline.

Someone with low breath support sounds like they are whispering or sighing through their words.

“Hi everyone… (gasp)… it’s so good… (gasp)… to be here.”

It sounds airy, it sounds tired, and most importantly, it makes you feel like you’re constantly suffocating mid-conversation.

How to Control Your “Fuel”

To stop running out of breath when speaking, you have to learn how to manage the air release per word.

You don’t need more air. You need better management of the air you already have.

Here is a simple way to test your current breath support: 👇

The Counting Exercise

1. Take a deep, comfortable breath.
2. Start counting out loud at a normal volume: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…
3. Keep going until you absolutely have to take another breath.

Where did you stop?

If you only made it to 5 or 6 before your lungs felt empty, you’re releasing way too much air per number. You’re “leaking” fuel.

On the flip side, some people hold it in so tight they sound like a robot.

“1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.”

This sounds stiff and unnatural. It’s like driving with the handbrake on.

Finding Your Middle Ground

The secret to great vocal presence is finding the “Goldilocks Zone” of breath.

Not too much. Not too little. Just right.

Try the counting exercise again, but this time, play with the flow:

🔊 The Airy Version: Let lots of air out. See how fast you empty the tank.

🤐 The Tight Version: Hold everything in. Notice how strained your throat feels.

⚖️ The Balanced Version: Release just enough air to make the sound clear and resonant.

When you find that middle ground, you’ll notice that your voice sounds stronger and you no longer feel that panicked need to gasp for air every five seconds.

Practice Makes Permanent

You don’t need a gym membership to fix this. You just need a few minutes of experimentation.

Next time you’re in the car or the shower, practice that counting exercise.

Learn what it feels like to “sip” your air rather than “gulping” it.

If you can master your breath support, you’ll stop running out of breath when presenting and start speaking with the kind of calm, steady confidence that makes people actually want to listen. 👊

If you want to learn how to stop rambling in job interviews, at work, or even in day-to-day conversations with friends and family, you first need to identify your “Rambling Style.”

Most ramblers fall into one of these three categories:

Any of those sound familiar? (Don’t worry, I used to be a textbook ‘Looper’ myself. 🙋‍♂️)

Once you know your rambling style, you can apply a framework to shut it down. 

The P.A.R.A. Framework

This is the mental model I use to keep my communication concise, high-value, and (most importantly) engaging. 

If you want to learnhow to stop rambling and oversharing at work, simply memorise these four letters: P.A.R.A.

1. P is for Point

Start with your statement. What do you actually believe? Share the idea clearly and quickly.

2. A is for Action

What did you do because of that point? This adds depth and shows you aren’t just talking—you’re doing. 

3. R is for Result

What happened after you took that action? This is the “payoff” for the listener.

4. A is for Ask

**This is the most important step.** Stop talking and throw the ball back to them by asking a question. This prevents you from becoming a “conversation hog.”

Let’s look at an example:

Imagine you’re in a meeting talking about high performance. Instead of rambling for ten minutes about your morning routine, try this: 👇

• Point: “I’ve learned recently that rest is actually a critical element of high performance.”
• Action: “So, for the first time in my career, I’m taking weekends completely off.”
• Result: “It’s changed the quality of my work and, honestly, my quality of life.”
• Ask: “How do you all incorporate rest into your schedules?”

Boom!💥

In less than 30 seconds, you’ve shared a powerful insight, backed it up with a result, and engaged the other person. 

How P.A.R.A. Prevents You From Rambling

When you use this structure, you create depth without length. 

You aren’t just dumping information; you’re telling a micro-story that leads to a connection. 

It keeps you concise, it adds value and it stops you from being the person everyone tries to avoid at the water cooler. 🏃‍♂️

The Next Time You Speak…

Before you dive into a story, quickly run through the P.A.R.A. checklist in your head. 

1.  State the Point.

2. Share the Action

3. Show the Result

4. Ask a Question

If you do these four things, I’m confident you’ll find yourself much less prone to rambling and therefore a more engaging and memorable communicator.

Many people think that to project your voice, you just need to turn the dial up to a Level 10.

But when you increase your vocal volume without changing your delivery, 9 times out of 10 you’re going to came across as angry, arrogant or just a W⚓.

The Volume Trap

When we try to project our voice, we often tighten up. We push the air out harder, our faces get serious, and our tone becomes flat and aggressive.

This is especially difficult in the workplace and often made harder for women due to a common double standard;

• When a man projects forcefully, people say: “Look at him taking control.”
• When a woman uses that same force, people say: “She’s being a bit difficult.”

It’s a tough line to walk. But whether you are a man or a woman, the secret to how to project your voice without yelling comes down to one missing ingredient.

The Secret Ingredient: Melody

If you want to increase your volume without sounding angry, you must add melody to your voice.

Think about it:

If I walked onto stage at one of my in person events and barked, “ARE YOU READY TO START?” with zero inflection, I would sound like a drill sergeant. I sound like a W⚓.

But if I say, “Hey! Are you ready to start?” with a bit of a lift and musicality, the anger disappears.

High Volume + Flat Tone = Angry/Aggressive

High Volume + Melody = Engaging/Authoritative

How to Talk Louder Without Sounding Angry

Here is the simple 3-step formula to fix your projection:

1. Add Vocal Melody – Don’t let your voice stay on one flat note. When you project, imagine you are singing the words slightly more than usual. This softens the blow of the high volume while keeping the energy high.

2. Watch Your Face – A slight smile or even just relaxed facial muscles helps the audience perceive your volume as passion rather than anger.

3. The Authority Finish (End on a Low Pitch) – This is the most important part for your credibility. While you want melody in the middle of your sentences, you must end on a low pitch.

Many people make the mistake of “upspeaking” (ending a sentence like it’s a question). When you do this at a high volume, you lose all authority. People think you’re seeking approval.

Instead:

• Start with melody.
• Project from your core.
• Drop your pitch at the very end of the sentence.

Final Thought

The next time you need to command a room, just remember:

Add vocal melody, keep your face engaged, and land your sentences on a low, firm note. 👊

Ever find yourself halfway through a sentence only to realise you have no idea where it’s going?

The panic sets in as you become painfully aware that you’re rambling so your brain tries to buy time by resorting to saying “umm”, “ahh” and other filler words.

Most people think their inability to communicate concisely is a “speaking” problem which can only be fixed via expanding their vocabulary.

However, the reality is:

If your speech isn’t coherent, fluent, or concise, it’s because your thinking isn’t coherent, fluent, or concise. 🤯

You are essentially trying to build a house while you’re still drawing the blueprints. Of course it’s going to look and sound messy!

We often try to speak before we have actually refined the thought. We serve up the “raw ingredients” of our ideas instead of the finished meal.

The “Immediate Answer” Trap

I used to be a victim of this too. I thought that to be a great communicator, I had to be fast.

I believed that if someone asked me a question, I had to fire back an answer within 0.5 seconds or I’d look like I didn’t know what I was talking about.

But trying to talk before you’ve thought usually leads to:

• Coming across as less fluent.
• Losing your train of thought mid-sentence.
• Using a lot of unnecessary “filler” words.
• Looking less confident than you actually are.

When we rush to speak, we sacrifice clarity for speed. And in the world of communication, clarity is king. 👑

The Secret To Speaking Concisely: The Strategic Pause

If you want to know how to speak more concisely, you have to learn to embrace the one thing most people are terrified of: The Pause. 🤫

Instead of feeling the pressure to fill the silence immediately, try this instead: 👇

• Receive the question.
• Take a moment to breathe.
• Refine the thought in your head.
• Collect your thoughts.
• Share your answer.

By taking that extra second or two to pause, you allow your brain to filter out the noise and find the most direct path to the point.

Why This Works

When you give yourself permission to think before you speak, something incredible happens.

You don’t just sound better; you appear more in control.

Taking a moment to pause tells the other person:

“I am giving your question the thought it deserves.” ✅

It changes the perception of your answer from “impulse” to “insight.”

So the next time you’re in a meeting or a conversation and you feel that urge to start talking immediately; Stop, take a breath and refine the thought.

Once you’ve given it the thought it needs, say it. You’ll find that when your thinking is concise, your speaking follows suit. 👊