Most people at some point in their careers will present, pitch, be on camera or give a speech. Public speaking is a skill that cannot be overlooked– investor Warren Buffett believes it raises your value by 50%.

Still, public speaking is nerve-racking and people turn down numerous opportunities because of the fear of it. Like physical training, public speaking requires attention and practice. But speaking opportunities do not come every day, so where do you start? The answer is in the body.

Ask yourself what you want your audience to feel

During a presentation, the impact of the non-verbal message is much stronger than words because it is what an audience remembers the most and the longest. Do the test, ask yourself what you remember about a talk you saw a few months ago? Is it what the person said or how you felt in their presence? Mirror neurons helps us help us to feel what other people feel. Instead of focusing on the anxiety rushing through your body before speaking, ask yourself what do I want the audience to feel? Then embody that feeling, if you want them to be excited, then find what excitement is for you, if you want them to feel calm and focused, dig into what is that for you.

Listen to your gut

The body is intimately involved in all our thought processes, emotions and decision making. Research has shown that this mind-gut connection is not just metaphorical, we literally have a brain in our gut. Our brain and gut are connected by an extensive network of neurons and a highway of chemicals and hormones that constantly provide feedback. Most of the time we make decisions from our intellect and forget what our other brain, the gut, is telling us. If you are stuck or need a push to prepare your next talk or pitch, ask yourself: What do I truly want to talk about? What does my gut tells me is the right thing to do and/or say for this particular speech?

Fake it till you make it

The rest of your body sends messages to the brain and we can alter these by doing simple things.

Smile for about a second – it can change how you feel about the situation you are in and alter people’s perceptions of you.

Adopt an upright posture. For this exercise focus on having an aligned posture, without any tension and an open chest. A study by Erik Peper, professor at San Francisco State University, found that slouching can produce feelings of depression that can be reversed by walking upright.

Imagine the worst that can happen

One exercise to fight your fears is rehearsing worse case scenarios, a method advocated by lifestyle guru Tim Ferriss. List your worst case scenario; imagine it is happening; listen to things you can do; and then organise your solutions in order of importance.

The Pratfall Effect, a study by Elliot Aronson, shows that mistakes made by a respected person will make them seem more attractive to others.

And visualise success

Michael Phelps won an Olympic medal because he managed to swim without seeing. At the Beijing Olympics his goggles started filling up with water during the 200 metre butterfly. Luckily, Phelps had been training his mind since he was a child and visualising the perfect race every night before going to bed. This helped him to be prepared for anything, so when the goggles were filling up his body knew exactly what to do and he kept swimming to a win. The visualisation techniques enabled Phelps not to panic.

Take moments during your preparation time to sit down, breathe, close your eyes and go through your talk. Even if you don’t know yet what you are going to say, visualise yourself talking to an audience. Once on stage or in the meeting, the situation will feel a bit more familiar.

Public speaking requires practice, tailored techniques that work for you and a certain determination. Start implementing small steps and see the changes that occur. Don’t wait to be on stage to practice the skill that will help you share your thoughts and connect and engage with others.

Emma Zangs is a choreographer and the co-founder of public speaking consultancy Metaspeech

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