Five minutes before a board update, my client’s hands went cold. Smart, seasoned, C-level leader. But the stakes spiked. Heart rate up, throat tight, brain fog creeping in. He wanted to bolt. Instead, he used a simple reset, led with one clear message, and turned a shaky start into a crisp, confident briefing. That swing from panic to poise is the game. You do not need to be fearless. You need a plan.
What performance anxiety looks like at the top
Over-rehearsing the wrong things while avoiding the tricky question practice
Talking too fast, shallow breathing, rushing slides
Negative self-talk that starts with what if I blank
Cognitive fog, losing your place, skipping the point
Perfection loop that delays decisions and kills momentum
Why it happens
High stakes, limited reps, too much content, and no clear spine to the story. Add identity pressure - you think the room is judging you, so you try to impress instead of inform. The fix is structure plus deliberate exposure.
Your flexible action plan
Two-minute reset - Plant your feet, drop your shoulders, inhale for 4 seconds, exhale for 6. Name your anchor goal out loud: I am here to make a decision easily.
One-Message Rule - If the board only remembers one thing, what is it? Make that your first sentence. Everything else supports it.
30-10-3 Rehearsal - 30 minutes to outline decisions, risks, asks. 10 minutes to deliver it out loud, standing. 3 proof points or stories that make it real.
Pressure reps - Run two fast simulations with a tough colleague. Ask them to interrupt. Practice pausing, labeling the question, and bridging back.
Slide discipline - Fewer slides, bigger font, one idea per slide. Your face makes the sale, not a dense deck.
Pre-wire - Call the two people who can derail you. Share the one message and your recommended decision. Invite their pushback early.
In-room recovery - If nerves hit midstream, stop. Sip water. Say, Let me frame that in one sentence. Reset your tempo. No one punishes clarity.
3x3 After-Action - Three things that worked, three you will change. Capture them within 15 minutes while the adrenaline is still there.
Bottom line
You do not need a new personality. You need a system you can run at game speed. My client walked in shaky and walked out with a decision in his favor because he followed the plan. Keep it simple, keep it human, keep it focused on the decision. When the pressure pops up again - and it will - you will be ready to own the room.