Everyone is affected differently by the stress caused by a speaking test. Some people see it merely as a light pleasant conversation between three people and others see it as a intensely overwhelming and nerve-racking experience. To this end, everyone also has their own ways of dealing with stress before an oral exam.

It is a common mistake to think that if sound is coming out of your mouth then you are producing meaningful language.

"I... uuuuuuhhh... have never... uhhhh... been to... aaaahhhh... London... mmmmmmm but I have... uuuuuuhhh heard that uhhhh..."

This sounds just awful to the examiner and can make an intelligent and prepared candidate sound very silly. Furthermore this effect is most often caused exclusively by stress and nervousness.

If you are the type of person who does this then I strongly recommend the 'pause technique'. Nothing can make you appear more clever and pensive as the well planned and powerfully silent 'pause'. Taking time to think before you speak for just a few brief seconds gives the appearance of being careful and sensible (wanting to plan your answer) and it is a very good 'answer' to the UUUUUHHHHHH problem.

"Well I (2 second pause) have never (1 second pause) been to London (2 second pause) but (1 second pause) I have heard (2 sec. pause) that it is very (pause) beautiful."

Obviously there is no substitute for good fluent English but if you are the type of person prone to 'uuuhhhhh's and 'aaaahhs' then the Power Pause can help you sound better.

It is also a great idea to have several 'safety sentences'. These are very common fixed phrases that you use all the time that can refocus your thinking when you have made a digression or have begun rambling. Such sentences may be for example:

"Well I seem to have drifted off topic. What I am basically trying to say is that... (very simple summary of your point)

"Well let me just take a second or two to gather my thoughts. What I mean to say is that..."

"Could I just ask you to repeat the question?"

"Well I'm sure that anyone would agree that..."

When nervousness has caused you to ramble mindlessly off topic these sentences 'safety-sentences' can really save the day.

"Well I think that it is very important to save electricity in the home by shutting off lights because we don't always have to have our lights on and these things use a lot of power and this costs money and we don't always have a lot of money when we could easily be saving money by turning off lights when we are finished in a particular room. And electrical power plants also appreciate when we turn off our lights because they don't want us to use too much energy... uhhh... because... they... the power plant workers need... uuhhh Well I seem to have drifted off topic but what I am basically trying to say is that we shouldn't waste electricity."

I have also developed other techniques that seems to work for me. For example, I fold my hands under the table or lay them flat on the surface of the table if they tend to shake. Also I avoid taking pieces of paper in my hand if the examiner may see that I am trembling. Another technique that has worked wonders for me is that before a presentation or interview I go somewhere and move my whole body very very slowly. For even 5 minutes before a presentation I will move dramatically slower than usual. I slowly bring my hand up to my forehead and scratch an itch or take slow dramatic steps everywhere as if I was completely physically exhausted. This probably sounds strange but it has the effect of 'tricking' my physiology and slowing down my blood pressure and heart rate. Well OK, so I'm a bit strange but it works for me.

The most important thing to remember at the end of the day is that this is just a rather formulaic conversation about predictable things in a very unintimidating (even relaxing) setting. I mean there are only 3 other people in the room who you will never likely see again! It is not a speech in front of 300 people! So just relax!!

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