Stage Fright – How to Overcome the Fear of Public Speaking

If I were to say that every other participant of my workshops or every other client at an individual counselling says “I can’t present or give a speech in public because I have stage fright”, I would make a statistical error. But stage fright is so often one, if not the only reason people state that prevents them from giving business presentations or public speaking. Trembling of the voice (tremolo), palpitations, inability to breathe, inability to concentrate, sweaty hands, redness of the face, are just some of the symptoms of stage fright that my clients complain of when they first come to my workshop. There are also extreme cases when they cannot perform due to stage fright, when they lose consciousness, experience the so-called blackout or they say they experienced the worst possible feeling of their lives. The question everyone asks me is: “How do I fight stage fright? Is that even possible?” And I tell them: “No, because we don’t have to fight stage fright, we have to learn how to manage its symptoms”.

Stage fright is a kind of a physiological reaction of the body and mind to a new, unpredictable or stressful situation. When it comes to a public performance, everyone that cares about the impression they leave in the eyes of the audience is nervous, and it is caused by the increased secretion of the stress hormone cortisol. Our body recognises the situation of this public exposure as stressful and dangerous because it activates the subconscious part of the brain, which does not recognise that people in the audience are not our enemies and that we are not in a life-threatening situation; instead, it makes us feel as though we are in a clear kill zone.

 

How to manage the symptoms of stage fright?

My personal view of stage fright is that it is actually the energy that arises in our body, for all the above-stated reasons, and it is up to us whether we allow that energy to be destructive for us or direct it to something constructive that will further enrich our performance. Well, if in some early moments of presentation, we cannot influence that psychological moment of stage fright, then we can at least manage its physical manifestations:

 

Prepare well:

The most important, and even crucial, is good and quality preparation for the presentation. Good preparation creates a sense of safety and anticipation, so the body secretes less of that bad stress hormone and does not put you in a state of uncertainty. Start preparing for the presentation in time, not the day before. Work out the structure of the presentation and the key arguments so that you can grab your presentation by the head and tail at any time, find a way around it when you get a bit lost, and overcome the occasional slips. The only two sentences you are allowed to memorise are introductory and concluding, so draft and prepare them extremely well. Be prepared for reactions and questions from the audience, which will also help raise your self-confidence and the sense of being in control of the situation.

 

Practise your presentation:

As I have already stated, stage fright also occurs because of the unpredictability we feel, and in order to avoid it, it is necessary to practise our presentation. The more times you give the presentation just by yourself or to someone willing to listen to you, the more will your brain see the situation as closer and more comfortable and it will not get so upset at the moment of the actual presentation because the circumstances will be familiar. Practising the presentation does not mean memorizing the text, but telling your story a little differently each time, allowing it to have its variations. But it is important to say it out loud, verbalise the content, make gestures, paint the verbal picture, visualise and emphasise the messages you want to convey to the audience…

 

Deep breaths:

It is important to take deep breaths just before the presentation. Deep breathing, abdominal breathing or breathing from the diaphragm brings enough oxygen to the body and thus reduces the physiological symptoms of stage fright. A sufficient amount oxygen also ensures better concentration. Breathing in through the nose and breathing out through the mouth five to ten times will do wonders for your stage fright management. And, during the presentation, every time you feel your stage fright intensifying, just remember to take a deep breath in and deep breath out.

 

Smile:

Especially in the first minutes of the presentation. In addition to having a calming and positive effect on the audience, a smile will also have a relaxing effect and encourage a good atmosphere.

 

Use gestures:

By doing that, you will spend more energy on functional gesturing and expressing your thoughts, and less on stage fright.

 

Emphasise important words:

Same as with intensifying gestures, you will remove your inner focus from stage fright as you will invest energy in emphasising what is important as much as possible.

 
With stage fright, it is crucial to focus on managing its symptoms in order to make the best impression on the audience. If we cannot mentally overcome stage fright in the moment and use it as an additional motivation for the most effective and inspiring performance, we should do everything in our power to keep its physiological manifestations under control. With time and experience, we will start believing that “we can give presentations too”. Remember, stage fright is not an innate, but a learned fear. As we have learned stage fright, we can unlearn it.