to past or anticipated public speaking experiences . Do you blush ? Does your breathing or heartbeat quicken ? These physical reactions are a natural part of your body ’ s fight or flight response to fear . 8
STEP THREE : Create an Action Plan
Once you know which negative messages and physical reactions tend to spike your public speaking anxiety , you can develop a plan to counteract these responses . Write positive slogans like , “ I am most confident when I _____.” Or “ I feel really smart and capable when I _____.” Create as many positive responses as you need to counteract negative self-talk . You will use these to drown out the negative messages that contribute to public speaking anxiety . 9
Because you now know and understand your body ’ s reactions to public speaking , you can make subtle changes in posture and breathing to decrease your body ’ s fight or flight response . Position your body into an athlete ’ s balanced and powerful pose ( seated or standing ) with your feet spread slightly apart to help direct excess energy and increase oxygen flow . Breathe slowly and deeply . Each of these physical adjustments decreases the fight or flight response and allows oxygen and blood to flow evenly throughout your body , especially to the brain ( the lawyer ’ s peak performance organ ) instead of flowing only to the arms and legs to assist with a fight or flight response . 10
STEP FOUR : Practice Applying Your New Mental & Physical Action Plans
Pick one low stakes performance event related to your law practice and put your plan into action . When negative messages begin , employ the “ stop , drop , and roll ” technique . Stop for a moment . Greet the negative messages . Drop them or let them go . And then roll on with your new positive slogans . If you begin to notice your breathing quicken or heartbeat race , adjust your posture and regulate your breathing . 11
With this abbreviated four-step process , lawyers can manage the fear , anxiety , and stress that accompanies public speaking situations in a way that leads to better well-being and peak performance . Who ’ s afraid of a little old oral argument ? Well , you won ’ t be .
1 . Anne M . Brafford , American Bar Association Well-Being Toolkit for Lawyers and Legal Employers ( 2018 ), available at https :// www . americanbar . org / content / dam / aba / administrative / lawyer _ assistance / ls _ colap _ well-being _ toolkit _ for _ lawyers _ legal _ employers . pdf .
2 . Heidi K . Brown , Lawyering ‘ Twisties ’: Naming and Untangling Performance Anxiety , BROOKLYN WORKS ( Dec . 2021 ), available at https :// brooklynworks . brooklaw . edu / faculty . 3 . Id . 4 . Id . 5 . Id . 6 . Brafford , supra note 1 . 7 . Id . 8 . Id . 9 . Id . 10 . Id . 11 . Id .
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