Public speaking. It can make even the most polished professional panicky.. Getting up to speak before an audience can be a terrifying moment. It is said that people fear it more than death. It’s even a challenge for even well-known performers. Adele, Rhianna and Barbra Streisand all reportedly suffer from stage fright.

But you need to face these fears. You are a leader, and at some point, you are going to have to speak before a group or do something else that makes you nervous. When this happens, don’t avoid the possibility and lose the opportunity to show your value to an administrator. It is not what leaders do.

Instead, prepare for it by knowing what to do when the butterflies start churning. In her article, Why the First 30 Seconds of a Stressful Situation Are the Most Critical, Stephanie Vozza provides four steps to get you through those moments. Vozza explains those first seconds are the peak anxiety time. Since this is when all your bodily functions go into freeze and flight, they are the key to getting past the worse of this. Here are her four steps:

• Practice Meditation – It doesn’t need to be more than two minutes, but if do it each day (or at least regularly), you become accustomed to stilling your heartbeat. When you are faced with getting up to the podium, or anything that has your pulse racing, you can do your accustomed routine. Your body will easily recognize what it needs to do.
• Just Breathe – Not the usual in and out, but in a more fully mindful way. Become aware of your breathing and your body. Notice the physical manifestations of your tension. Are you clenching your teeth? Are your fingers tightened into fists? By being mindful you can do what it takes to physically relax. Breathe. Notice. Untense those tight muscles.
• Harness Your Inner Superhero – Just as your body adds to your tension by its responses, it can do the opposite and telegraph confidence. Straighten your stance. Throw your shoulders back. You have this. You know your stuff. You are well prepared. Think of your favorite empowering song and go for it.
• Rehearse Challenges – One of the best ways to be calm in the moment is to prepare in advance. If you’re giving a presentation, know the opening paragraph. Print it out on something you can read easily without it being too conspicuous. Once you get past that opening, you will be fine. Can you get into the room early? Seeing where you will be can help you to envision yourself succeeding.

How you manage the challenges and stresses you will face as a leader is up to you. As with so many things in life, you can go one of two ways. You can let the stress engulf you and avoid ever doing it again. Or you can embrace the challenge. Prepare yourself in advance and prove to yourself you can handle this.

Being a leader involves getting out of your comfort zone and taking on new challenges. Whether it’s public speaking or running for an office in your state/national organization, there will be scary moments as you start and even once you have attained a new level of being in the public eye. The more often you take the chance, the more often you will succeed. And each success will build an extra layer of confidence.