Overcoming Stage Fright

So, do you have fear of public speaking? If you do than you are not alone. In fact, public
speaking out ranks death in what people fear. Many of the most famous people that were in the
public eye and on stage had fear of speaking in front of people. For example, Elvis Presley had
severe stage fright to the extent that it gave him severe anxiety every time he had to perform.
Steve Jobs and Warren Buffet also had stage fright and had to find ways to move past it to share
what they wanted to share with the world. As Jerry Seinfeld points out in his standup routine,
this means the average person going to a funeral "would rather be in the casket than give the
eulogy."

Why is public speaking so scary for so many people? As humans, we are hard-wired to seek
approval and we want to fit in socially. This is because we want to feel like we belong and want
to conform. In fact, we will conform to things even if they are obviously incorrect or against our
belief systems. There have been many studies that prove this, and in fact, Joeel did experiments
in his psychology class to show his students the power of conformity. They printed out signs that
resembled bathroom signs for men and women and put them on the doors that go into the
building (labeling one for women and one for men). People would automatically move to open
the door that correlated with their sex. Alternatively, he had the students that came in early all
put their heads down on the table to see how many students that came in later would follow their
lead. The late arrivers automatically came in, looked around and put their heads down without
asking any questions. This need to conform caused by a primitive part of our brain that drives us
as social creatures. So, when you think about the potential negative consequences of messing up
a presentation, a part of your brain, called the hypothalamus, activates and triggers the pituitary
gland to secrete the hormone ACTH that in turn activates the Adrenal Glands in your kidneys to
release adrenaline. This, then, sends our bodies into the fight or flight response. In other words,
you get anxious about speaking because your body and mind is trying to protect you. How nice
of it! Your brain will continue to react with fear (to protect you) until you teach it that there is
nothing to protect you from.

Next, I will go over some strategies you can use to overcome that fear. In the videos that follow
we will be exploring additional tools and methods.

Acceptance: The more we resist something the worst it will feel. In other words, accept that it is
normal to feel this way and that it is not something wrong with you.

Know your WHY and remind yourself of it: So why do you want to speak to people? In what
way do you want to help others? If you have a big enough reason why it will help reduce anxiety.

Visualize success: When you visualize, your mind does not know the difference between what is
happening in your reality in the now and what you are creating in your imagination. Therefore,
picture yourself being feeling confident as you walk onto the stage, enjoying giving the
presentation, and people being blown away by what you have shared. You can imagine a
standing ovation, picture the smiles on the audience members' faces, and hear how others are
sharing with you what an amazing job you did. The mores you visualize that outcome the more
the brain will try to reproduce it because it will see that as a reality. Then, when it comes time to
actually give your presentation, your mind will feel more confident, as it will recognize what
you’re doing as an action that has already done many times in the mind. This is why it’s
important to visualize the best possible outcome instead of worrying over the worst-case
scenario. Many people, from speakers or performers, to professional athletes, use visualization.
As you get closer to the day of the event, visualize it every night before you go to bed and when
you get up in the morning. This will help create the routine and solidify in your mind the success
you will have.

Create a ritual: We are creatures of habits, and we can use habits or rituals to get us in the right
state of mind. For example, if you have a ritual before you go to bed than your body recognizes
that it is time to sleep so when you lay down your body will be ready. In fact, rituals give us
comfort and help the body and mind feel at ease to deal with uncertainty. Rituals serve as
triggers to get you in an emotional state and to help you remember things. Therefore, you can do
the same thing to prepare for your presentation. For example, you can play a song every time
right before you practice your presentation, and then play this song again before you do the
actual presentation. Alternatively, you could do a quick meditation or have a piece of jewelry
that you put on every time you practice, and so on. You can then use your ritual on the day of
your presentation to get your mind and body ready to give an amazing presentation.

Get into character: One tool that some presenters use is to create a character that they “play”
during their presentation, and so when they are going to do a presentation they “get into
character”. This character may have a nickname and it has the characteristics you want to have,
that would make you feel confident. What would be this character’s actions, thoughts, and
mannerisms? Once you determine your character, embody him or her whenever you practice;
that way it is easier to become that character when you have to perform.