You’re standing there trying to deliver your speech, but your body has other plans. It’s doing that fun thing where it betrays you in front of everyone. Your voice might even start shaking too, just to really complete the picture.
Here’s what nobody tells you: that shaking doesn’t mean you’re bad at public speaking. It doesn’t mean you’re weak or unprepared. It just means you’re human, and your body is responding to what it thinks is a threat. The good news? You can actually do something about it.
Let’s talk about how to stop those shakes before they start, and what to do if they show up anyway.
Why Your Body Decides to Shake at the Worst Possible Time
Your body thinks it’s helping. Really.
When you stand up to give a speech, your brain sometimes interprets this as danger. Not like tiger-chasing-you danger, but danger nonetheless. So it releases adrenaline, which is basically your body’s emergency fuel. That adrenaline causes your muscles to tense up, your heart to race, and yes, your hands to shake.
The shaking happens because adrenaline is preparing your muscles for action. It’s the same response you’d get if you had to run or fight something. Except you’re not running or fighting. You’re just standing there holding notecards, which makes all that excess energy have nowhere to go except into visible shaking.
The more you focus on the shaking, the more anxious you get. The more anxious you get, the more you shake. It’s a frustrating loop.
But you can break it.
Before the Speech: Setting Yourself Up to Stay Steady
Burn Off That Excess Energy
Remember how we said adrenaline prepares you for action? Give it some action.
About 30 minutes before your speech, do some physical activity. Take a brisk walk around the building. Do some jumping jacks in the bathroom (lock the door first). Climb a few flights of stairs. Nothing intense enough to make you sweaty and out of breath, but enough to burn through some of that nervous energy.
A lot of actors and performers swear by this. They’ll pace backstage, do stretches, even do full workout routines before going on. You don’t need to go that far, but getting your blood moving helps tremendously.
The Power Pose Trick
This sounds ridiculous until you try it. Find a private space—a bathroom stall, an empty hallway, your car—and stand in a power pose for two minutes.
What’s a power pose? Stand with your feet apart, hands on your hips, chest out. Like a superhero. Or put your hands up in a victory pose. Or lean forward with your hands planted firmly on a desk.
Studies show that holding these poses for just two minutes can actually change your hormone levels. Your stress hormones drop, and your confidence hormones rise. Does it feel silly? Absolutely. Does it work? Surprisingly, yes.
Practice Holding Things Steady
Here’s a weird tip that actually helps: practice holding a glass of water without spilling it while you rehearse your speech.
This does two things. First, it trains your body to stay steady even when you’re nervous. Second, it gives you immediate feedback. If water spills, you know you need to work on staying calmer. As you practice more, you’ll notice you can hold the glass steadier, which means you’ll hold your notecards steadier too.
Eat Something Light
Don’t give your speech on an empty stomach, but don’t eat a huge meal either. Low blood sugar can make shaking worse. So can a stomach full of heavy food that’s making you feel sluggish and uncomfortable.
A banana is perfect. Maybe some toast with peanut butter. Something that’ll give you steady energy without making you feel sick or jittery.
Skip the coffee if you’re already prone to shaking. I know, I know—you think you need it for energy. But caffeine makes shaking worse. Way worse. If you absolutely need caffeine, have it several hours before your speech, not right before.
During the Speech: Techniques That Actually Work
Ground Yourself Physically
Plant your feet firmly on the floor, about shoulder-width apart. Feel the ground beneath you. This isn’t just woo-woo advice—it’s physics. A wider, more stable stance actually makes you physically harder to shake.
If you’re behind a podium, place your hands firmly on either side of it. That contact with something solid helps stabilize your whole body. Your hands might still want to shake, but they’ll shake less when they’re grounded against something.
If you’re walking around while speaking, walk with purpose. Don’t pace nervously. Take a few steps, plant yourself, deliver part of your speech, then move again. That planting motion helps reset your body each time.
Control Your Breathing (Seriously, This One Matters)
Shallow breathing makes everything worse. When you’re nervous, you tend to breathe from your chest in short, quick breaths. This actually increases anxiety and makes shaking worse.
Instead, breathe deeply from your belly. Before you start speaking, take three deep breaths—in through your nose for four counts, hold for four counts, out through your mouth for four counts.
During your speech, pause between points and take fuller breaths. Nobody will think anything of it. They’ll just think you’re pausing for effect.
If you feel shaking starting, stop mid-sentence if you need to, take a visible breath, and continue. The audience won’t judge you for it. They might not even notice you were shaking in the first place.
Use Gestures Purposefully
Here’s a sneaky trick: shaking hands are way more noticeable when they’re just hanging there or weakly holding notecards. But moving hands? Totally normal.
Use hand gestures as you speak. Not wild, frantic gestures—purposeful ones that emphasize your points. When your hands are moving intentionally, any slight tremor becomes invisible because it’s lost in the motion.
Point to your slides. Count on your fingers. Open your hands when making an inclusive statement. These movements serve two purposes: they make your speech more engaging, and they hide any shaking.
Hold Your Materials Differently
If you’re using notecards or papers, here’s what not to do: hold them out in front of you with one hand. That’s shake-showcase mode. Everyone can see every tremor.
Instead, hold them with both hands. Hold them lower, around waist level, not up by your face. Or better yet, place them on the podium and just glance down at them.
Some speakers use a clipboard or a small folder because the added weight and rigidity make shaking less visible. The papers are held firmly against something solid, so even if your hands shake, the papers don’t flutter as much.
If you’re really shaking badly, put the papers down entirely. You might think you need them in your hands, but you probably don’t. Having them on a surface where you can see them works just as well.
Focus Outward, Not Inward
This is the big one, and it’s harder than it sounds.
When you’re shaking, your brain wants to focus on the shaking. “Oh no, I’m shaking. Can they see it? Yes, that person definitely saw it. Now I’m shaking more. This is terrible.”
That internal focus makes everything worse. Instead, force your attention outward. Look at people’s faces. Think about what you’re saying and why it matters to them. Focus on communicating your message, not on controlling your body.
Paradoxically, when you stop trying so hard to control the shaking, it often lessens on its own.
Know That It’s Less Visible Than You Think
Here’s a truth that might help: your shaking probably looks way worse to you than it does to your audience.
What feels like violent trembling to you often looks like barely noticeable movement to everyone else. They’re sitting several feet away, listening to your words, thinking about your message. They’re not conducting a scientific study of your hand stability.
I once asked an audience member after a speech if they noticed I was shaking. I’d felt like I was vibrating visibly. They said, “Were you? I didn’t notice at all.” That happens more often than you’d think.
Long-Term Solutions: Building a Body That Doesn’t Shake
Regular Exercise Changes Everything
People who exercise regularly have better control over their nervous system response. Their bodies handle adrenaline more efficiently. They don’t shake as much when stressed.
You don’t need to become a gym rat. But 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week—walking, swimming, cycling, whatever you enjoy—will make a noticeable difference in how your body responds to stress.
Practice Speaking More Often
The more you speak publicly, the less your body sees it as a threat. Your nervous system literally gets used to it.
Join a Toastmasters club. Volunteer to give presentations at work. Speak up more in meetings. Each time you do it and survive (and you will), your brain learns that public speaking isn’t actually dangerous.
After enough repetitions, your body stops launching into full emergency mode. The shaking reduces naturally because your system isn’t as activated.
Consider Beta Blockers for Important Speeches
This is a medical option, so talk to your doctor about it. Beta blockers are medications that block the physical effects of adrenaline. They stop the shaking, the racing heart, and the sweating.
Many professional musicians and public speakers use them for important performances. They don’t affect your mind or make you groggy—they just stop your body from having that physical fear response.
They’re not something you’d use for every speech, but for that one really important presentation where you absolutely cannot afford to shake? They’re worth discussing with a healthcare provider.
Work on the Root Anxiety
Sometimes persistent shaking is a sign of deeper anxiety that might benefit from professional help. If you shake so badly that it’s affecting your career or life, talking to a therapist who specializes in anxiety can help.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is particularly effective for public speaking anxiety. It helps rewire how your brain responds to speaking situations.
The Day of Your Speech: A Quick Checklist
- Eat a light, balanced meal 2-3 hours before
- Avoid caffeine and sugar that morning
- Do 10 minutes of physical activity to burn energy
- Practice your power pose in private
- Arrive early to familiarize yourself with the space
- Do breathing exercises right before you start
- Remember that slight shaking is normal and barely noticeable
- Focus on your message, not your hands
When the Shaking Shows Up Anyway
Let’s say you do everything right and you’re still shaking. What then?
First, acknowledge it internally without judgment. “Okay, I’m shaking. That’s just adrenaline. It’s not dangerous. I can keep going.”
Take a pause. Breathe. Then continue.
If the shaking is really bad, you can even acknowledge it out loud: “You might notice I’m a bit nervous—this topic really matters to me.” Audiences are almost always sympathetic when speakers show vulnerability. That acknowledgment often releases enough tension that the shaking actually decreases.
Remember that finishing your speech while shaking is infinitely better than not giving it at all. Every person sitting in that audience has felt nervous about something. They understand. They’re not judging you nearly as harshly as you’re judging yourself.
Final Thoughts
Shaking when you give a speech doesn’t make you a bad speaker. Some of the best speakers in the world still get shaky before big presentations. The difference is they’ve learned not to let it stop them.
Your goal isn’t to become someone who never feels nervous or never shakes. Your goal is to speak effectively despite the shaking. To deliver your message even when your hands are trembling. To realize that the shaking is just a side effect of caring about what you’re saying.
The more you speak, the easier it gets. The techniques above will help, but ultimately, the best solution is simply doing it more often. Each speech you give teaches your body that this isn’t actually dangerous. Eventually, the shaking lessens naturally.
Until then, breathe deeply, ground your feet, use those hand gestures, and keep speaking. You’re doing better than you think you are.