How should I control my nervousness, so as not to disturb my presentation on the day of a conference?

Question

My paper is successfully accepted in a very prestigious and reputable conference, to be presented orally in one of the presentation sessions. This is my first time that I am going to give such a talk in a large academic conference. My previous experiences are my presentations for my class projects and my bachelor's and master's thesis presentations. In my previous talks, I had reviewed my presentation slides more than five or six times before the presentation and had a bottle of water beside my laptop, but still I was too nervous.I am a little nervous about giving a presentation talk in front of a large number of students and professors. I am sure that in the day of the presentation, I will be in trouble and my hands will start shaking and my voice will be vibrating when I am going to talk, because of my stress.How should I decrease my stress on the day of my paper presentation and better control my nervousness in my presentation? My research paper is perfectly done; I don't want my nervousness ruin my first academic presentation in a conference and the huge research my co-authors and I have done in the research paper.

Answer 1

You mention having reviewed previous presentations 5 or 6 times. For my speech students, I would require many, many more repetitions. I have watched speakers go from bundles of nerves to polished, confident looking presenters, primarily by repetition prior to their presentations. Given the complexity and length of your presentation, it might not be possible to run through it a hundred times, but get in as many repetitions a you can. The more practiced you are, the less you will have to think about what you are doing. Practicing in front of a mirror works best. Make eye contact with yourself, and watch what your hands are doing. Practice gestures as well as words, keeping them consistent so your hands will have a set place to go at each point in your presentation, which will reduce fidgeting. As mentioned by a previous commenter, transitions are particularly critical, so practice them a lot. But also, your intro and conclusion are vital. If you can draw people in at the start of your speech, you will sense their interest and energy, which can help you stay calm as you will begin to feel that you are just explaining something you are excited about to a friend who very much wants to hear what you have to say. Try to focus on the meaning you are trying to convey, rather than your slides or precise words. If you are passionate about your material, and engaged in the message you are bringing to your audience, small slips in wording will not even be noticed because the overall flow will carry your listeners to your next point. The more you can convince yourself that what you are saying is fascinating and worth saying, the more your listeners will pay attention and engage with your words.