Stage Fright-Presentations
Stage fright, also known as performance anxiety is an unpleasant term most of the people get to experience in their lifetime. People feel sick to the stomach, their hands and knees shake and the voice completely changes. These are all very common symptoms and many have faced them at least once, when giving a speech in front of a large crowd. It is not easy to overcome such symptoms and be a successful orator, however there are certain techniques in order to reduce the anxiety.
The first technique is to transform stress and nervousness to excitement. As strange as it sounds, it might actually help one to overcome stage fright and perform greatly in front of the people. While there is no practical way to get rid of emotions and stay calm, while giving a speech, the technique suggests transforming one’s emotions into something that would benefit the speaker – excitement. Human’s body releases adrenalin when it feels it is in danger and there has to be a way to use that adrenaline for better cause. By getting more excited than nervous, one could create “a framework to manage your emotions”(Scalco, 2017).
Research suggests that the first five minutes of any presentation, whether in front of ten or hundred of people are the most stressful (Scalco, 2017). The idea is that a person is extremely worried at the beginning of his speech as he does not know how it is going to go and if he is going to excite the public or not. After the first five minutes, there is going to be a certain reaction, nonverbal feedback from the crowd (usually positive) and the person is going to get somewhat comfortable and continue sharing his ideas and thoughts without much stress. The key is to thoroughly prepare the first five minutes of the presentation and make sure that every detail is taken into account (Scalco, 2017).
Our own brain could work against us in some cases. When giving a speech, the brain could transform and upgrade any nonverbal signs from the audience to catastrophe. A simple yawn or uninterested look could mean everything to the orator and ruin the whole presentation for him. The issue is that the brain creates an image how one must look in front of the audience and if that image is not matched with the reality, it creates a certain level of anxiety. One way to approach such problem is to focus on the material and not how people perceive one’s presentation. The audience comes to gain something new, something they have not heard before and not to see the presenter, the way he looks or presents his speech (Scalco, 2017).
A truly great technique is to visualize the worst possible outcome of a potential failure. People get so paranoid and stressed about their appearance or the way they present their speech that they get lost in the actual material and could experience high level of anxiety. By avoiding their fears, most people actually …
