DEALING WITH STAGE FEAR

What is stage fear? You may have dry mouth, tight throat, sweaty or cold Hands, a fast pulse, nausea, and you may start trembling. You probably feel nervous and uncomfortable.

Stage fear affects everyone, some people have little to no anxiety while others find it the opposite way.

Here are some TIPS TO DEAL WITH STAGE FEAR –which is a very common and very manageable problem

KNOW YOUR MATERIAL

By far, the best thing that has helped me control my stage fright is to know my material forward and backward. Many instances of nervousness is the result of someone who knows that they will speaking on something they don’t really understand. Putting in the prep time to know your subject can make a huge difference in the stage fright you experience.

Memorize your intro/Conclusion:

How you start off your speech can set the tone for the rest of it. If you have trouble at the beginning, you may find that you never really get back on track and that’s all you’ll be thinking about throughout the speech. But if you take the time to memorize your intro, then you put yourself on automatic pilot during the most crucial time of the speech. When you execute the intro without a hitch, you will see your confidence soar for the rest.  

I also mention to memorize your conclusion. Though your opportunity for nervousness will be over when your speech ends, a smooth conclusion will help you end on a strong confident note that will help see you through the post-speech activities.

PRACTICE

Chances are that your speech has several points you want to make. You may know your points well, but have you thought about how you are going to transition from one to the next? Make sure you allow time to go through your speech from beginning to end. Do this a few times to help you work out the kinks. Only by practicing the whole speech, out loud, can you find these kinks. You will also find that many words look better written than they sound coming from you. Better to find out in practice than during the final stage performance. 

BREATHE

Pay attention to this long before you get up to start your speech. Take slow, deep breaths as you arrive at the venue. Then, when you find yourself behind the podium, make sure you take that one deep breath before you say the first word of your speech. 

STAYING PRESENT & YOUR SELF TALK

When we are scared of the stage we’re usually scared of 

1)      Not being perfect

2)      Others judging us

3)      Screwing up a hard passage

When I slip up and make a mistake – I simply tell myself “come back” and I also forgive       myself, gently. Know that “beating yourself up”  is TOTALLY unproductive – and it’s a habit formed offstage!

On stage and off -  practice saying:

“I like myself!”
“I am the best!”
“I am freakin’ awesome!
“They love me!”

If saying this makes you uncomfortable, thats good!  That means you a driving new information into the subconscious.  Keep saying these.  It’s not inflating ego – it’s building self esteem!

Good self-esteem helps you perform better, and helps you realize your audience it there to appreciate you, not judge you.

The result?  Less nerves and fear, more joy and confidence. 

SMILE

Smiling can help you feel more confident, even if deep down, you are not feeling that way during your speech. Frowning during your speech, and even pre-speech can have the opposite effect on you. So force the corners of your mouth up and let the confidence start to sweep over you. 

REMEMBER, THE AUDIENCE WANTS YOU TO SUCCEED

People are generally good natured and most want to see others do well. Audiences understand that nervousness is a part of public speaking and they won’t be ready to attack as soon as you show a sign or two of stage fright. In fact, they will be more focused on what you are saying than how you are saying it. If you see your audience as your friend and not your foe, it will do wonders for your ability to face them as a speaker.  

DON’T APOLOGIZE FOR BEING NERVOUS

You will be surprised to know that your quivering, shaking body is more apparent to you than to most people. What seems like a 7.9 on the Richter scale is actually unnoticed by most people. Apologizing for being nervous only does two things: a) it reinforces to you the fact that you are nervous; b) it draws attention to your audience to something that they would probably never have thought about had you not mentioned it. 

VISUALIZE YOURSELF SPEAKING

Whether you get a chance to visit the venue or not, you can visualize yourself speaking. If you go through this mental exercise as well as physically practicing your speech, you will be making it something that is not new, but an event that you have done many times before. Then, if you get flustered during your speech, you can fall back on this “experience” to help you through it. You will be surprised at how easy it is to recall your visualization and practice sessions during your speech when you need a little help.

Perhaps the best way to deal with stage fright is experience itself. When you realize that speaking is not as bad as you thought it would be, it makes each speaking engagement after that a little easier to get through.

All of these tips will not work for everyone. The most important thing you can do to eliminate stage fear is to be prepared so practice well.people react to stressfull situations in different ways so just experiment with these to see what works best for you to reduce the public speaking anxieties