Speaking in front of an audience is a daunting task and to some it is an awesome performance. Almost everyone has this fear. It is nothing unusual. Even President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher admitted that they too had stage fright. Cicero, Roman orator, speaking some 2000 years ago said, “The better qualified a person is to speak, the more the person fears the difficulty of speaking.”
Public speakers, conference presenters, panel speakers and even emcees, everyone has butterflies in the stomach just before one begins to speak. The experienced speaker is able to make butterflies fly in formation.
Nervousness, speech anxiety, stage fright, platform panic, and blackout – they are lurking about all the time. A speaker must overcome these problems. These problems can be overcome or, at least, reduced.
HOW TO REDUCE YOUR FEAR
Prepare
Preparation is the key to success. Speakers and entertainers always prepare and rehearse their scripts many, many times and usually weeks in advance. Nobody wants to take a risk. As the saying goes, “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.”
Practise
Practise, practise and practise. There is no short cut to success. The best way to do it is to speak out loudly and simulate the conditions of your speaking environment. Do it in front of a mirror, friends, family members and colleagues.
Make a note
This is to ensure that in times of emergency, you have your notes. These cards are an insurance against forgetting your points.
Bring along a few jokes
Just in case you need the jokes to cheer up the audience when there is an electrical failure or something happens suddenly.
Use breathing and relaxing methods
When you are nervous, your mouth and lips become dry and your throat and jaw tightens up. A tight throat can disrupt air flow and cause shallow breathing. You need to do some exercises to relax and loosen the muscles. Some of the common ways are:
- doing push up ( at home or in your hotel room)
- push against the wall lunging yourself forward
- using your breath only, ( no sound) exhale on the syllable “PAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH.” The aim is to make sustained breath. Keep the mouth, throat and jaw relaxed.
HOW TO OVERCOME FEAR OF YOUR PERFORMANCE
A speaker is alone on the platform. You are alone to fend for yourself if anything goes wrong. What happens when you are anxious ?
Don’t show your anxiety
You do not have to show and tell everyone that you are anxious. You will not get sympathy by letting people know that you are nervous. Many speakers know how to camouflage their nervousness. Put up a great smile and forget about the stage fright.
Self-Visualisation
Create a mental image of yourself giving the talk and getting a positive response from your audience. This form of creative self-visualisation is also used by athletes who visualise themselves winning.
Move around
Walking about the stage will help you dissipate nervous energy.
HOW TO OVERCOME FEAR OF THE AUDIENCE
Audiences are friendly. They are not out to get you. Generally they expect a good show from you. If you feel confident and enthusiastic about your subject, chances are they will cheer you and give you their support. However, if you are not confident and appear uncomfortable, then the audience’s response may change.
Win them over
If you make the effort to understand the audience, then you can win them over. Study the audience profile beforehand and you will understand people’s expectation of you. Be at the venue earlier to greet the audience and create rapport with them.
Empathise with the audience
Never, never insult or ridicule the audience. Do not question their intelligence! Have a great feeling for them.
Communicate with excitement
If you speak with excitement, enthusiasm and passion, the audience will soon feel the same excitement. This is a contagious effect.
HOW TO OVERCOME FEAR OF YOUR OWN MATERIAL
Are you worried that you do not measure up to the expectations of the audience?
If you know your limitations and you do not change and improve, then you have a problem. Your fear will be heightened on the occasion of your performance. Research your material and prepare your lesson well; then there is nothing you are afraid of except simple stage fright.
Remember Murphy’s Law: If everything can go wrong, it will.
Prepare the work in advance and know exactly what to do when Murphy Law’s happens to you.
FEAR IN A LIGHT-HEARTED MANNER
FEAR = Feeling Emotional and Restless
FEAR = Feeling Eager and Robust
FEAR = Forever Existing and Returning
