Heart rate during presentation: the usual curve
Most people's heart rate rises in the minutes before they start, peaks in the first minute or two of speaking, then settles as they get into it. A tough question can bring a second, shorter peak. The opening is almost always the hardest part.
That is why the most common advice, "know your first two minutes cold", works: it covers the part of the talk where your body is working hardest.
Heart rate during interview: where it spikes
- Waiting in reception or the video-call lobby
- The handshake and "tell me about yourself"
- A question you did not prepare for
- Salary and notice-period questions
Knowing where your own spikes are tells you what to practise. If your peak is always the opening, rehearse the opening. If it is the salary question, prepare your number.
How to see your own data
Put the talk or interview in your calendar with its real start and end time. Afterwards, 70 BPM shows your heart rate inside that event, plus the half-hour before and after. For a big one, turn on Focused Tracking beforehand; it starts an iPhone workout session so samples are denser during that event.
Compare, do not judge
There is no "right" heart rate for public speaking. A high number does not mean it went badly; audiences cannot see your heart rate. What helps is comparison: the same kind of talk, a month apart. Most people find the peak gets lower and shorter with practice.
Calming the start
- Slow breathing with a longer out-breath for a minute or two before you begin.
- Arrive early so rushing does not add to it.
- Skip the extra coffee right before.
Not medical advice. 70 BPM shows heart-rate data your watch has already written to Apple Health. It is not a medical device and cannot diagnose anything. If your heart rate is often high at rest, or you have chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness, talk to a doctor.