Despite working as a science communication trainer for the past few years, I still get nervous before facilitating online teaching sessions.

You might know the feeling: tightness in the stomach, heart beating faster than usual, an overall sense of being on high alert. This is a common response before doing any type of public speaking.

To calm myself before a session (or any other public speaking event), I always make time to sit quietly, relax my body, and breathe.

I recently learned about a breathing technique called triangle breathing, which is a simple way to ground yourself and calm the nerves. It’s easy to do.

As the name suggests, triangle breathing involves breathing with a triangle in mind.

You breathe in for 3 seconds, hold the breath for three seconds, and breathe out for 3 seconds. You count yourself through this with an evenly paced 1…2…3 on the inhale, hold, and exhale.

Doing just three or four triangles is a quick and powerful way to ground yourself. While breathing like this, I also find it useful to plant my feet squarely on the ground and soften up my shoulders.

Being grounded, calm, and present is key for effective communication. When we’re in a grounded state, we’re more likely to communicate thoughtfully and clearly with relaxed body language.

If you’re feeling anxious before a public speaking event, big meeting, or any work-related activity, give triangle breathing a try.

What’s your favourite go-to calming technique? Let me know in the comments.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

• Responding not reacting: How mindfulness can help with anxiety at work.

• How I launched my first online course without freaking out.