There are people who have no fear when it comes to speaking in front of an audience, but then there is another category of chaps who would rather kill themselves than speak on stage. With a few people, the problem is so severe that the thought itself of speaking in public makes them nervous.
Stage fright is a phobia which comes in an individual when they have to perform or speak publicly. If you are one of the people who shudder at the thought of having to speak in public, do not worry because we have got some tips and tricks that you can use to calm your nerves before speaking to an audience. To overcome stage fright, read these points and keep them in mind for next time -
In order to cure your fears, you should be knowing what's causing it in the first place. We have found some common reasons behind stage fright
#1. Concern Of Being Judged By Others
#2. Failures In The Past
#3. Self-consciousness
#4. Comparing Yourself With Others
#5. Not Fully Prepared
#6. Fear Of Making A Fool Of Yourself
#7. Lack Of Concentration
If you agree to these reasons being behind your fear of stage, you can smile now as we will help you to make a good orator. The very first step to overcome stage fright is discovering the reason behind it. Now that you know it, you can proceed to the next tip we have for you.
It is natural for someone who has stage fright to be nervous before speaking in front of an audience. But in order to overcome the stage fright, you have to stop being nervous about speaking in a crowd. The best way to do it is being fully prepared with your presentation. That not only gives you more confidence, it also takes away all your nervousness. If you are going to speak as a part of a series, try to sit in the audience and listen to other speeches as well just to see how others are performing and how the audience is reacting to it. Also always arrive a little early so that you get enough time to judge the surroundings. The more familiar you feel with the place, the less nervous you will be.
If you are someone who wants to get rid of nerves altogether, then the first thing you need to do is accept it. Do not freak out at the very thought of having nerves before your performance. Know that the nerves are only preparing your body for the big presentation and it is completely normal and happens to even the best of orators. The performers usually have their own ways of chilling out their minds before the performance. It could be anything from breathing and yoga to listening music and reading inspiring thoughts. Some people get motivated with some shouting and dancing while some prefer to sit and calm down. You have to find your own way of getting rid of nerves.
#1. Practice And Prepare
Practice as much as you can so that you are aware of the content through and through. Research about your topic so that you know what you are going to speak. That is bound to give you more confidence even if it doesn't remove the stage fear completely. Practice speaking in front of your family or friends so that you get confidence speaking in front of people.
Before doing that, try practicing the speech by yourself after you are through with your content. You can try rehearsing in front of a mirror to gain that polish look on your face. Also, try recording your voice and listen to how you sound. This way you will be able to interpret where you need to improve.
#2. Calm Your Body
To overcome stage fright, you have to make sure that your body is relaxed before going on the stage. If you are able to do so, you will be able to relax your mind and get a fearless voice. You can do various things to calm your body like singing your favorite songs, eating a chocolate or something that makes you happy and keeps your stomach happy. You will see the positive effects of calming the body on your performance too.
Exercise a little in the morning prior to your performance, do little stretches as that will help you to reduce the tension. If you do not prefer working out, you should try meditating in the morning before your performance for about an hour or less till you feel that your soul is serene and peaceful. During meditation try to ease all the stress from your mind especially the one of performing on the stage. Reach that point of solace where you no longer feel worried about anything.
#3. Keep Yourself Entertained
The best way to overcome stage fright is not to allow yourself to think about it at all. You should try keeping yourself occupied with things you like after you are fully prepared with the presentation. The less vacant time you have, the less you will be freaky you will feel on stage. Or we can say " AN EMPTY MIND IS A DEVIL'S WORKSHOP !" So do not allow yourself the luxury of sitting idle.
There are numerous things you can do that will keep you busy and entertained. The best one so far is doing something that makes you laugh as laughter is the best therapy. You can talk to one of your funny friends so that you can laugh and forget about having a stage fright. If not, you can just google some funny videos and binge watch them till you feel light-hearted. Other things that you can try is listening to music, playing games on your cell phone or maybe reading some inspirational articles.
#4. Never Tell You Are Nervous
This is a very common mistake that we happen to do but should not be doing. Usually, anyone who is nervous feels relaxed in announcing that as the first thing after coming on stage. As a matter of fact, you should avoid doing that. If you do not tell them that you have stage fright, they will never know and they need not know. In order to overcome your stage fright and have your audience enjoy your presentation, you should let them think that you are confident and are going to give a good speech.
#5. Positive Mindset
There is this one thing that gives birth to stage fright which is the fear of doing things wrong and making silly mistakes. If you have negative thoughts like "what if I do this wrong?" , that will automatically have your mindset into thinking that you will be screwing up things. So avoid negative pop-ups that come into your head. Instead, have a positive approach before and during your presentation. Ask yourself "what if I get this done perfectly ?" or "what if everyone loves my presentation?". Positivity in thoughts will bring positivity in the outcome as well. Only if you think that you can do it, that is when you actually end up doing it.
Keep yourself open to making mistakes, after all, you are human. Be positive to it and react in a way that it was intended. That will bring a little humor too to your presentation. Even if you do not want that humor, you can simply let go of that mistake and audience will too; if the rest of your performance is good.
#6. Ask Feedback
If you really want to overcome stage fright, you should always ask people in the audience how you did on stage. Negative as well positive feedbacks will help you to overcome stage fright. If they tell you that you were amazing, it will build your confidence for the future as now you know that there is nothing to be scared of. If they happen to express their criticism, then you have it a point that you need to polish yourself on. Both ways, the feedback from your audience will help you in so many ways.
You do not have to worry about your stage fright anymore as we are sure that once you try all these tips shared by us, you will be as confident as you can imagine. Just dress smartly and have that sparkling smile on your face to please the audience. Wear something that makes you feel great and just step on the stage to give your best presentation.
We hope that you liked the tips shared to overcome stage fright. If you have any more advice that you personally follow or know someone who does, do share it in the comment section below.
We would love to hear from you.
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