Whether you’re a student presenting his first project, a teacher standing in front of your new class or just someone preparing to speak in front of a large audience. You must be familiar with stage fright, dreading it, and what comes with it.
From butterflies in your belly to panic attacks, the severity of symptoms vary from one person to another but the one thing in common is the fact that you can control it.
What is stage fright?
Stage fright is a feeling of anxiety and distress you get before a public speech or an important event that holds a lot of people. It could arise suddenly or gradually, though it often appears during the time adding up to the performance. It could have mild or severe symptoms, emotional or physical reactions.
The emotional ones start with your racing thoughts such as: what if I’m not good enough? What if I forget what to say next? What if they laugh at me?…
And there you have it , that’s where your anxiety starts and your physical reaction kicks in, your lips might start to tremble, your hands and knees might begin to shake, your heart rate increases, and at times you might even suffer from nausea/vomitting.
You may be wondering and asking yourself right now: “I know all of this, I’ve been through it. But how can I overcome it? How can I stop myself from reaching this fearful state? “.
Well, to answer you, we first have to tackle the causes of such anxiety.
Causes of stage fright
The fear of public speaking, also called glossophobia, is common within stage fright. Which makes the latter a phobia itself.
But this shouldn’t worry you or make you feel out of the ordinary, many people happen to struggle with this phobia.
Most of the time it all goes back to your confidence or lack of it to be more accurate, you don’t think you’re good enough for the job; moreover, you expect perfection but you fear rejection and judgment. Other times, it could just be the fact that you didn’t come prepared; and nothing undermines public speaking confidence like being unprepared.
If you haven’t memorized your lines, or had insufficient practice then all you’re left with is a feeling of distress and in this case you have no one to blame but yourself.
If we know what we’re dealing with, and what triggers it then we might have a better chance at treating it before it worsens and escalates.
Many people suffer in silence because of stage fright, the ultimate result of this silence is them dropping out of school or leaving whatever job they have; all in fear of speaking up again in front of people or the further embarrassment of telling others about the phobia they’re dealing with, but we can prevent all of that from happening. How?
Well, this is where my article comes along, this is where I help you to overcome your anxiety and conquor your fears. Here’s what you need to do:
How to get rid of stage fright
1. Accept yourself
You have to believe in your abilities, no matter how clichè this sounds, trust your will and put it in your head that you have nothing to prove to others.
Don’t try to hide the fact that u’re afraid, just accept it, deal with it, and hold your head up high.
Trusting yourself by coming prepared is a good start but it’s not enough, especially if you’re always between the on and off in struggling with stage fright.
You must also deal with whatever negative perceptions, images, or predictions you have that are related to public speaking or performing.
2. Learn helpful skills
Practice ways that can help you keep calm, relax your mind and body. Use techniques such as deep breathing (diaphragmatic or “belly” breathing), relaxation exercises (hypnosis and biofeedback), yoga, and also meditation.
Pay attention to how you stand, sit, gesture, and move when you’re in a comfortable environment. Then recreate that natural movement within a larger group.
3. Engage a healthy life style
Exercise regularly, eat and sleep well. Try to limit caffeine, sugar and alcohol, they’ll only make you even more nervous; drink juice, and make sure to take sips of water during your speech to prevent your mouth from drying.
Try to make new friends, step out of your comfort zone, and start a new hobby. This will help with your self-esteem and hopefully prevent any future stage frights.
4. Practice again and again
Memorize your speech by heart if you have to, repeat and repeat until it’s encrypted in your head. Stand in front of the mirror and practice, record yourself and observe the tape later on, or use the help of a friend as an audience; this will help you master your performance, stop the stammering and those “Hums” and “Ahhs” you’re constantly struggling with.
Overall, you’ll be more confident and assured that you won’t forget a word on your big day.
5. Join speaking groups
If you’re having trouble with your confidence, speaking groups can help you tremendously throughout constructive criticism, offering tips and tricks that will help you develop your speaking skills; furthermore, teaching you how to make a connection with your audience.
Some of these groups include: Toastmasters, TED-style-Talks, goskills, Public speaking project.
6. Try therapy
There is nothing wrong with seeking help. If none of the above works you should consider getting the help of a mental health professional.
By using cognitive behavioral therapy the therapist will help you change your distraught thoughts into more rational, optimistic ones. Medication may also be prescribed to help you control your fear.
Conclusion
In the end, just stop scaring yourself with thoughts about what might go wrong, forget about your past failures, learn to improvise, and stop comparing yourself to others.
Instead, focus your attention and your fear towards what is really important, which is contributing something of value to your audience. In short, give it your best shot and stop trying to be perfect. Be natural. Be yourself.