How To Overcome Stage Fright Of Public Speaking
Renny Yagosesky defines stage fright as a generally intense psychophysical response of the organism that arises as a consequence of catastrophic anticipatory thoughts about the real or imagined situation of public speaking.
From this definition we can draw a first clear conclusion: we are afraid because we visualize failure, sometimes because we remember previous events and sometimes simply because we imagine it.
But it can also be the fact that stage fright is a simple environmental issue. We have heard about stage fright so many times, there are so many books, articles, videos and courses on overcoming fear of the stage and it is such a popular topic that it seems normal to feel this fear.
However, if you move in an environment in which people speak without fear in any circumstance, even improvising (short or not so short) speeches, expressing themselves comfortably and telling you the wonders of giving lectures or classes, the thing it would be very different. Anyone who has contact with a person without stage fright would be willing to taste the taste of success at the end of a presentation, for example.
If you’ve never done it, fear not
If you have never spoken in public and you have to deal with it, it is best to look at the people who enjoy doing it. See how he moves, how good he feels, how confident that person is. There are numerous videos on the Internet of people giving lectures. Look for any of these and observe the security they convey. A trick: stand in front of a mirror at home and do the same.
And above all, focus on the applause at the end, on the public’s face of interest. Now, get into their skin and visualize yourself. What do you feel?
If you failed in the past, learn from your mistakes
Just because you have had a negative situation in the past does not mean that it always has to be this way. The first thing you have to do is think about what happened, but not about the result, but about your attitude before, during and after the event.
We usually allow ourselves to be influenced by our past experiences and make them our references. And to a certain extent it is correct, but as long as we learn from it. Analyzing and thinking about what went wrong will help us learn to correct mistakes for the future. So instead of letting these experiences condition us in a negative way, let them serve us as learning.
Even the brightest lecturers had their beginnings. A few beginnings marked by insecurity and nerves. For the fear of failure and “what will they say”. But little by little and as they analyze their failures, they gain confidence. The best way to overcome this fear is to expose ourselves to it. In this way, we will break that barrier that separates us from what now seems like an abyss.
Most frequent cognitive errors
Bados López (2005), professor of psychology at the University of Barcelona, points out in his article that there are certain cognitive errors that occur frequently. Among these most frequent errors we can find:
- Underestimating our own abilities.
- Overestimating the probability of making mistakes.
- Thinking that others will notice all our anxiety symptoms.
- Overestimation of the probability and intensity of criticism and rejection.
- Existence of selective attention to negative reactions from others and inattention to positive reactions.
- Excessively negative evaluation of our performance.
- Exaggeration of errors.
- Selective recall of negative experiences.
- Attribution of successes to external factors.
We must not forget that these errors, as their name suggests, are errors. So we should not focus on them or make them the center of our experience.
Some positive ideas to overcome stage fright
People do not come to see you suffer, but to enjoy your speech
People have a lot to do to go and miss a speaker. What we all seek is to learn, enjoy, share ideas. Give your audience what they want, it’s the same as you want. Why waste time on negative thoughts?
Rehearse, train, practice
Visualizing is fine, but that does not mean that you abandon yourself to luck. Practice, train, rehearse…. Call it whatever you want. But, since you learn to speak by speaking, who do I bore by repeating the same speech over and over again?
It is not necessary, in fact, it is almost inadvisable, at least until you are confident. Fill a room with faces or wallpapers and speak to them. If you’re wrong … great! You have an excellent opportunity to improvise, an essential ability to function in public.
You may have to repeat it many times, but it doesn’t matter. It will help you gain confidence and improve a lot.
Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t
Run away from those toxic people who are dedicated to throwing their shit on you. Focus on the people who encourage you, who support you and who trust in your possibilities.
Are you the one who sabotages yourself? So maybe it’s time to go out and dump the garbage. Free yourself from negative thoughts and love yourself.
How to dominate yourself and control the situation
You have already visualized yourself, you have rehearsed, you have filled yourself with positive energy and you have practiced a little more. You are ready to go out and succeed.
But, even so, you feel a little tremor in your legs or you notice a kind of cold sweat that runs through your entire body. Well, you may be a little nervous, but you may also feel a great deal of excitement. Try to channel your energies and do the following:
Speak with passion and make your audience fall in love
People will be much more interested in what you say and will engage in the speech. The positive energy that you give off when you talk will feed you during the talk.
Divide your speech into parts easy to differentiate
This will help you to face each part independently, to memorize the speech and to feel that you are evolving successfully. In addition, it will also be easier for your audience to listen to you.
Take a deep breath
Breathing techniques are essential for public speaking and overcoming stage fright, as well as for relaxing and concentrating. Practice diaphragmatic breathing before going out to speak, mindful of what you are doing. You will oxygenate your body and you will feel calmer.
Have a glass of water
Do not forget to drink a glass of water calmly. That will send your brain a message of reassurance. What’s more, keep water handy while you talk. You can take a sip from time to time, taking advantage of the passage between one section and another, or while someone asks a question.
Whenever you can, take advantage of technology
It does not mean that you take your written speech into a presentation and read it, of course not. It is about leaning on technology to facilitate your speech, either through slides that help you structure the talk, photos that make what you say more graphic or anything else that makes things easier for you and helps the public to better grasp your message.
Go early to the place of the act
Thus, in addition to being able to calmly explore the room and visualize yourself in that context, you will be able to verify that everything you need is fine : lights, electrical connections, computer equipment, etc.
