Symptoms of stress, like a dry mouth and a racing heart, are the same as excitement. Research confirms that when people are in stressful situations such as public speaking, instead of telling themselves to calm down, reframing the situation as exciting helps to ride the wave of stress.

If you pretend to have no fear of public speaking, you deny yourself the natural energy your body is giving you. Anxiety creates a kind of energy you can use, just as excitement does.

Ian Tyson, a stand-up comedian and motivational speaker, offered this gem of advice:...

We feel compelled to memorise because public speaking makes us nervous, making us worse at remembering a memorised script.

Research shows that being excited can improve performance and confidence.

• Try to flip your inner anxiety dialogue to excitement, such as...