Here’s the good news – nobody ever died of stage fright! But sometimes it feels like you might. There are some ways to deal with it. Here’s three simple ideas for you to try:-
1) Breathe – if you don’t breathe, you can’t speak!
Yes, I know everybody says “breathe”, but that’s because it works!
If you are having an attack of stage-fright, you are suffering from the effects of a dose of adrenaline, a powerful drug released by your body in times of stress. One of the effects of this drug is to make your heart race, and your breathing fast and shallow. Great if you’re about to fight a sabre-tooth tiger, but less useful when presenting this year’s results to the shareholders.
Deep and slow breathing will flush your system with oxygen, which will relax your body, focus your mind, and help your heart beat normally again.
2) Look Out Not In – it’s not always about you!
Think about your audience, not yourself. Performance fear is the worry of getting it wrong, of looking foolish, of making a mistake. It’s all centred on you.
But you can change that focus – think about your audience’s needs. What are they hoping to hear? What are their anxieties? How can you help them see the value in what you have to say? What will capture their hearts and minds.
Most audiences want a speaker to succeed, they are hoping to be engaged and entertained – they are on your side. Think of them as friends, prepare to talk to them as friends, and be concerned for their well-being, not your own.
3) Fake It - everyone else does!
Not as dishonest as it sounds.
If you watch a video of yourself speaking in public, I guarantee you’ll be surprised by how confident you look. We can’t see how fast your heart is beating, or that your knees are trembling. Most of your nervousness is invisible.
Now play a game with yourself. You might not be feeling confident, but you can act the part of someone who is! In your mind, decide on the personality of a dynamite speaker, It could be someone you have actually heard, or someone you make up. Think about how they would walk, how they would look at the audience, how they would sound.
Simply act as if you were that presenter. Stand tall, speak up, look confident. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to fool yourself into actually feeling more confident too.
(this post also available as a free downloadable resource from the Resources page.)
