Fear Busters - 10 Tips to Overcome Stage Fright!
Do butterflies attack your stomach each time you’re about to speak? Tired of standing on stage, gripped by fear and paralysed by nervousness?
How would you like to be able to go through the entire presentation, or speak before a crowd with fear firmly at the back of your mind?
In this very first edition, I’m going to share with everyone some tips and strategies which I employ to calm those frayed and frazzled nerves.
The following are 10 tips to to help you overcome stage fright.
Enjoy!
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F - Focus on your most powerful Experience
Think about the your most memorable and powerful experience. Was it the day your wife agreed to marry you? The day your kid told the world that you were the best mom/dad in the whole wide world? The day your partner agreed to go out with you?
Or how about the day you pulled off that great project - a project that few believed you could pull off?
Relive your most powerful experience and feel the confidence and power flow through your veins again.
Speak with this power in your heart.
E - Energize Yourself
You’ve adrenaline pumping through your veins. Your heart is racing and your muscles are all tensed up. Your eyes are shifty and you are unsettled. You are ready to bolt for the door… or are you?
An adrenaline rush is a built-in defense mechanism for human beings. It is a natural response mechanism that allows us to fight or take flight in the event of danger. That explains the heightened sensitivity we have when we are nervous and excited.
My suggestion for handling this andrenaline rush anxiety involves harnessing this nervous energy and make it work for you! You see, many people tend to suppress this nervous energy and bolt themselves to the ground instead of running away. This suppression causes them to shake and tremble because they are consciously fighting against their subconscious tendency to run away!
So, how can we harness this nervous energy for the benefit of our presentations?
MOVE AROUND! Is there really a need to bolt yourself to the ground? I’ve found that walking around the room and gentle gesticulating from time to time allows me to dissipate my nervous energy.
A - Acknowledge Your Fears
I’ve said this once, I’ve said it a thousand times. Fear is here to protect us, not paralyse us. Don’t run away from being afraid! Acknowledge it as being part of you… use it to identify the possible pitfalls, then work to plug those loopholes that may most likely (you can’t plug all… can you?) go wrong during your presentation.
Being prepared and the knowledge that you’ve covered most angles will prepare you and leave you assured that things will go to plan. And if they don’t, then at least you’re all ready to execute Plan B anyway!
R - Relax… BREATHE!
Take deep breathes and Regulate your breathing! Let the breathing regulate and calm your heart rate!
B - Believe in Your Value!
You’ve got to believe in the value of your message!
Know that your presentation has the potential to change lives! Your words are powerful and can impact lives in more ways than one!
This best works together with Point T below.
U - Understand the Audience
Understand that the audience are here to hear you succeed! They’re here for value and they want you to succeed! They’re not here to sabotage you, or poke fun at you… they’re hear to listen to you speak!
You have something they want! You are the god for the moment. Their leader and source of information… and only you can satisfy them. You can make them laugh and fulfill their deepest desires…
YOU ARE POWERFUL!
S - Smile!
Studies have proven that changing one’s physiology will have an pronounced impact on one’s mental state.
This means that, if you slouch and look down and drag your feet most of the time, chances are you’ll be feeling depressed and low most of the time.
Conversely, if you were to quicken your pace, dig in your heels and run around (like your two year old nephew/niece), chances are you’ll be feeling on top of the world!
Smile and pretend that you’re enjoying yourself. Soon enough, your body will tell your brain that you’re happy… and before you know it, fear will be drowning at the back of your head by Little Miss Sunshine! =)
T - Talk to Yourself
Many people will begin telling themselves how they can’t do it and various reasons why they will not be able to speak properly.
Counter that.
Tell yourself that you will be able to do a good job and let yourself in on the reasons why you can.
One of the best ways you can find reasons of why you can succeed is by asking yourself questions like:
“What do I know that they don’t?”
“Have the audience got my experience?”
“What can I offer these people that my competitors can’t?”
Know your niche and build it up. Then share it. You’ll be amazed how many people will pay to learn from you those specialised skills, knowledge and experience which you’ve built up over time!
E - Enjoy Yourself!
Get out on the stage and seek to have fun! Let your hair down and allow your mischievous side to rule for awhile! This will be a great strength if you’re preparing yourself to take up the role as Emcee for a Dinner and Dance event.
R - Rejoice!
Many people begin visualising their the worst case scenerio as they ready themselves to speak.
Well, I’m ready to counter that!
I want you to visualise yourself victorious at the end of the presentation. Think of the amount of gratitude your audience will have for you sharing such important information with them! Think about the smiles and laughter which you would have created?
Hey, if Mr Negativity can get you to think about the worst case scenerio, then I will implore you to summon Mr Positivity to provide you with images of encouragement!
Granted it, the outcome may not resmble 100% as depicted by both Mr N and Mr P, but if you’re going to think about these things anyway, I’d suggest you think about something that EMPOWERS YOU, not Paralyses you!
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Well, there you have it! My first edition of 10 tips to help you overcome the fear of public speaking!
Try it out and let me know how well they work for you!
Live with passion!
Speak with life!
As a confidence coach and speaking coach, I come across a lot of 10 tip articles about breaking free of stage fright, but I must say, I really appreciate this one. Your suggestions are right on.
The only thing I would add is that when you’re really nervous or downright scared of speaking in public (or performing) it’s usually centered in the fear of what people will think of you. The fear of being judged as less than fabulous.
Just remember that what people think of you is none of your business. You can’t really even know what someone is thinking, and even if you did, you can’t change what they are thinking, so let go of caring about what others may think. Instead, focus on your message, what you want to experience while speaking and appreciate the attention of your audience.
Hi Gary!! =) your Fearbuster tips are super cool!
Yea, i think every point makes sense too. haha, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the article! I’ve had problems with stage fright myself so it’s good to read other perspectives on this.
I still get nervous any time I have to perform in front of others, but I find the best things to do are to be totally prepared, accept that a mistake doesn’t mean the whole thing is a disaster and get your breathing under control.
For anyone interested, another website that has articles and help for stage fright is http://www.stagefrighthelp.com
This is my first post
just saying HI
[...] immediately to improve your speaking skills. One of the more popular posts in Gary’s blog is 10 Tips To Overcome Stage Fright. If you are a newbie in public speaking, his blog is a must read because he will leave you feeling [...]
[...] For more information on how to overcome nervousness and fear of public speaking, check out my post on Fear Busters! [...]
Here’s a personal story that will give comfort to anyone who experiences stage fright or fear of public speaking.
Some years ago, I was asked to be master of ceremonies at a dinner in which legendary Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry was to give the keynote address. It was a fairly small gathering of about 300 people at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas.
Landry is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he played and coached in some of the biggest games in the history of the NFL. Not only that, but as a 20-year-old bomber pilot during World War II, but he flew missions over Germany. He had been shot at. Now that can scare you!
As he delivered his speech, I was privileged to sit directly next to the podium.
What I saw really surprised me.
Tom Landry was speaking to an audience that admired and probably even idolized him. There was no reason to be nervous in the least. In their eyes, he could do no wrong.
Yet, from my seat less than three feet away, I could see Tom Landry palms sweating and his hands trembling as he read from a stack of index cards containing his notes. He was literally shaking.
Like millions of other people, it seems Tom Landry was not immune to stage fright, or halophobia.
After the dinner ended, I got up some courage and approached him. “Coach,” I said, “would you mind if I asked you a question about your speech?”
“That’s fine,” he replied.
“Do you get nervous when you have to make a speech.”
Landry smiled. “Almost every time,” he replied
“How do you overcome it” I asked.
His response was memorable.
“I remind myself of what I often told my players,” he said. “Walk through your fear with faith. And you never let the fear of failure become the cause of failure.”
That’s certainly great advice from a great man for anyone who has to deal with a fear of public speaking.
And by the way, next time you get a little nervous because you have to make a speech, remind yourself that if someone like Tom Landry can get stage fright, or halophobia, the rest of us certainly shouldn’t be ashamed if we do too.
Hi George!
Thank you for sharing that beautiful story! It’s really relevant and I must agree that if a war veteran who’s stared death in the face is entitled to feel afraid, then everyone else shouldn’t be ashamed of feeling afraid either!
I particular like Landry’s response. Indeed, the key to courage is not the absence of fear, but daring to carry on in spite of it!
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful story with all of us! It’ll definitely be a comforting reminder for all of us!
Looking forward to hearing from you again soon!
Gary
Thanks for these tips. Later on I’ve got a drama performance, and I’m worried about how the audience will react to my rather obscene character.
For one, I’m playing a man, which is hard enough as it is, but I must admit, very entertaining on my part, but he cracks a lot of crude jokes, that I’m worried will not get many laughs and there will be the dreaded *tumbleweed* moment.
But, these tips have helped, and Im feel slightly better about performing tonight, so thanks!
Wish me luck
-Mikaela
Hey Mikaela,
LUCK!
- Gary
[...] Related Posts Fear Busters - 10 Tips to Overcome Stage Fright [...]
Hello Gary,
I would like to apologize for this very delayed email. The Philippine Independence Day celebration was a great success and thank you very much for all the techniques you have shared with me in the preparation, during and even after the program. I admit I was very confident and relaxed and Good God! there were about more or less than 900 people around. The venue was so small. It was the biggest crowd we had in years. Again, I thank you so much.
Take care,
Mel