The "Book of Lists" consistently cites adults' biggest fear as public speaking, followed by death. Jerry Seinfeld put this into perspective when he said, "So let me get this straight. You are at a funeral. You would rather be the guy in the casket than the guy giving the eulogy?"

The good news is that if you get nervous, you are normal. Studies show that 85 percent of people get nervous before presenting. Even more good news is that nervousness can help you during presentations. Nervousness is merely adrenaline coursing through your veins, which can help you be at your best. Think about how athletes create and use adrenaline to help them perform at the top of their game. You don't see football players singing Kumbaya before kick-off to eliminate the nerves; instead they "head butt," grunt and perform other odd behaviors—all in the spirit of churning up that adrenaline.

So does this mean grunting and helmet bashing needs to be part of your pre-presentation ritual? Only if it works for you. Since we are all wired differently, the key is to use strategies that work best for you. Below are a few other strategies to help manage those nerves so they become your presentation ally.

1. Breathe. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Yet when we get nervous it is fascinating what we can forget to do correctly. Typically, we either forget to breathe all together or we create shallow breaths from high in our chest. Either one can impact our voice quality and speed up the rate at which we speak.

The trick here is to be conscious of your breathing. Make sure that you breathe from your belly, which will provide the needed oxygen to the brain and help relax any tension built up in your body.

2. Think and see success. It is easy to create a picture in our mind that amplifies our feelings. When you feel nervous, the tendency is to start telling yourself things such as, "I'm not a good speaker! I don't know my material. This audience is going to shred me to pieces." Those words begin to form a picture in your mind of a presenter who is unsure of them self. You are then well on your way to generating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Instead of conceiving an image of failure, create a picture of success. Change your self-talk to help create what you want to see. "I am a great presenter. I know my material. My audience is interested in this topic." Naturally this paints a different picture in your mind and can lead to much more positive results. Sound too touchy feely? Talk to any top athlete. They will tell you otherwise.

3. Nail your opening. Nerves are at their peak at the beginning of a presentation. As the presentation progresses, nerves begin to settle down. Given this, you do not want to leave your opening to chance. Take the time to script out the first few sentences of your presentation so you know exactly how you will start. This and a few deep belly breaths will help you manage those nerves and start your presentation off on solid footing.

4. Get your audience talking. Monologues are not natural. Dialogues are. If you can create a setting for dialogue in your presentations, this can help calm nerves. It shifts the focus from the presenter to the audience and begins to replicate what you do day-to-day: converse.

A few tips to get your audience talking:

Ask open-ended vs. closed-ended questions. "Has anyone been part of a merger or acquisition?" doesn't open much dialogue. "For those who have been part of a merger or acquisition, what was the biggest lesson you learned?" This creates interaction and involvement.

Pause after you ask a question. Audiences need time to process the question and decide if they want to share their answer if front of their peers. If you get anxious, merely restate the question.

5. Prepare and practice. There is no replacement for proper preparation and planning. You can do all the breathing, visualizing, dialoguing and openings you want but if you haven't thought through and practiced what you want to communicate, you should be nervous.

In our future columns, we will address specific strategies to effectively prepare and practice presentations. Topics such as how to outline your presentation, when to use notes and how to practice will help ensure nervousness is your best presentation ally.