Public speaking anxiety is a physiological fight-or-flight response -- the brain's amygdala treats being watched and judged as a threat, triggering adrenaline that raises heart rate and tightens the chest, which is why nearly every speaker feels some version of this, including experienced ones. A simple and effective technique is box breathing: inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4, repeated for one minute before speaking, which slows the heart rate and calms the nervous system. Psychologists have found that reframing nervousness as excitement (both produce the same physical sensations) rather than trying to suppress it measurably improves performance, because fighting the feeling takes more energy than redirecting it. Preparation is the most reliable anxiety reducer of all: speakers who have rehearsed their opening 60 seconds out loud at least five times report significantly lower nerves than those who only reviewed notes silently.