Imagine, as an example, the owner of a small packaging factory in Sorocaba, in the state of São Paulo, who has signed up for an online business round. The night before, she imagines she might end up talking to the buyer at a supermarket chain and feels her stomach tighten. She knows her product better than anyone, but whenever she has to introduce herself to a stranger her voice fades and her mind goes blank. A fear of public speaking does not choose between a stage and a meeting room: it also shows up in a video conversation that lasts only a few minutes. What helps most is having what you want to say ready before you need to say it. To start there, the free Pitch Generator builds a 60-second and a 30-second introduction, plus an opening question, from a handful of answers. This guide shows how to use that text, how to prepare and how to keep going even when you are nervous.
Understand why the nerves show up
Talking to someone you do not know, about your own company, with the feeling that you are being judged, combines three things that make almost anyone tense. Add the worry of getting a detail wrong, forgetting the name of a product or having no answer, and your body reacts: your hands sweat, you speak faster, the sentence you rehearsed disappears.
For many small business owners, there is extra weight. You are not talking about just any subject, you are talking about something you built. A tough question feels like a question about you. And because the company is small, there is no salesperson you can send in your place.
None of this means you are bad at selling. It means the situation is new or rare in your routine, and what is rare feels scarier. The goal here is not to make the fear disappear: it is to make it get in the way less. Plenty of people stay nervous and still lead good conversations. If anxiety is affecting your life beyond meetings, it is worth talking to a health professional.
See the real size of the conversation
When people think about a fear of public speaking, the picture that comes to mind is a packed auditorium. A short business meeting is something else, and a conversation in an online business round is even more contained. Comparing the two situations helps put the nerves in proportion.
| Point | Talk or presentation to a group | One-on-one conversation in an online round |
|---|---|---|
| Who listens | An audience, often of strangers | One person from another company |
| Length | Long, with you talking almost the whole time | Short, with a fixed time, and it ends on its own |
| Who talks | Mostly you | Both of you, taking turns |
| What is expected | A complete presentation | Finding out whether a next conversation is worth it |
| Where you are | Standing in front of the group | In your own office, in front of the camera |
In an online round, conversations happen by video call inside the platform, the room switches on its own when time is up and nobody has to send a link. The other person is also there to meet companies, and is sometimes just as tense as you are. Contact details are only shared when both sides mark interest at the end, so nobody has to close anything on the spot. It is not a stage. It is still a conversation with a stranger, and the nerves may still come, but the challenge is usually smaller than it looks the night before. To see why this format favors conversation over presentation, read the guide to business networking.
Prepare what lowers the nerves
A good part of the nervousness comes from improvising: not knowing what to say, or where to start with a stranger. Every item you prepare is one less decision to make during the conversation.
Know what the screen shows about the other side
In the platform's online round, there is no list of companies in advance: pairs are formed live, among those present. But nobody walks in blind. When each conversation opens, the screen shows the person's name, the company, what it does, what it needs and why you were matched. Read that card first and pick your question. Strangers are easier once you know a little about them.
Write your introduction, without memorizing it word for word
Have in writing who you are, what the company does, who it is for and what you are looking for. Memorizing the whole text often makes things worse: if one word slips, the rest goes with it. Keep the order of the ideas, not the exact sentences. The guide to the 60-second sales pitch shows the structure and gives examples by industry.
Prepare two or three questions
Questions take the spotlight off you. While the other person answers, you listen, breathe and think about what to say next. "How do you handle this today?" and "What would make you switch suppliers?" work in almost every industry.
Sort out your setup the day before
Camera, audio, connection and a quiet place. A technical problem at the start of a conversation makes any nervousness worse. The full list of what to check before the day is in the guide on how to prepare for a business round.
Use a short script for the first minutes
The opening is the hardest part. Once the conversation gets going, most people relax a little. That is why it pays to have a script just for the opening, simple enough to remember even when you are nervous.
- Say hello and give your name and the company's: one sentence is enough. Example: "Good afternoon, I am Marta, from a packaging factory in Sorocaba."
- Mention the person on the other side: "I saw on your profile that you have stores in the countryside." It shows you paid attention, and it hands the floor over quickly.
- Introduce the company in a few sentences: what you do, who you do it for and what you are looking for in the round.
- Ask your opening question: then let the other person talk. Write down what you hear.
- Agree on a next step at the end: sending a price list, booking a longer call, introducing someone. Or say thank you and move on, if there is no fit.
Keep this script on a sheet of paper next to the screen, in bullet points and large handwriting. On a video call, nobody finds it odd if you glance down for a second. Just having notes nearby takes away part of the fear of forgetting.
Know what to do if you freeze
Even with preparation, it can happen: the sentence vanishes, you lose your train of thought or you do not know the answer. Having a plan for that moment also makes you less afraid of it.
Pause and say what happened
A pause of a few seconds feels long to the speaker and goes almost unnoticed by the listener. Breathe, look at your notes and pick up again. If you need to, say it naturally: "I lost my thread there, let me pick it up again." Most people respond kindly, because they have been through the same thing.
Hand it back with a question
If your mind goes blank, ask something about the other company. "And how do you buy packaging today?" While the other person answers, you regain your footing and the conversation goes on.
Not knowing an answer is allowed
When the question is technical, or involves a price or a lead time you are not sure about, say you will check and send it afterwards. "I would rather confirm before I answer" sounds professional, not weak. It is better than promising something you cannot deliver.
Remember that time runs out on its own
In an online round, each conversation has a fixed time and the room switches by itself. If one conversation went badly, it ends, and the next one starts from scratch, with someone who did not see the previous one.
Practice beforehand, in small doses
Nervousness usually eases with repetition. You do not need a course or an audience: a few short sessions in the days before are enough.
- Say your introduction out loud: reading it silently is not practice. The first time out loud is always the strangest, and it is better if that time is not in front of the buyer.
- Record a video on your phone: watch it once, pick one thing to improve and record it again. One thing at a time.
- Practice with someone you trust: a business partner, a colleague or a family member plays the buyer and throws in a question you did not expect.
- Get to know the screens first: the Business Round Simulator shows the round's screens in under a minute, without turning on your camera. Knowing where you will click is one less surprise on the day.
- Practice in small situations: introduce your company over coffee with a supplier, at a meeting of your local business association or at an event in your industry. Every time counts.
If this is your first time, the guide to your first business round walks through the experience from start to finish, which also takes away part of the fear of the unknown.
After the conversation, review without beating yourself up
People who fear public speaking tend to leave a meeting remembering only what went wrong. Do the opposite on purpose: right after each conversation, write down one thing that worked and one thing you want to adjust next time. It might be a sentence that caught the other person's interest, or a question you could not answer and will now prepare for.
Then mark whether there was interest and move on to the next one. Getting back to the people who also marked interest happens within 48 hours, in writing, and writing is often more comfortable for those who freeze when speaking. Over time, these notes turn into a script that is more and more your own.
Where to start
Generate your introduction with the Pitch Generator, rewrite it in your own words and say it out loud until you no longer need to read it. Prepare two questions, write your opening notes and get to know the screens in the simulator. The nerves may still come along: what matters is having something to say when the conversation starts.
Your company's first online business round is on us: all you need is an active CNPJ (the Brazilian company registration number), once per CNPJ, and contact details are only shared when both sides mark interest. See the upcoming business rounds and start with short, one-on-one conversations with companies looking for what you offer.