5 TOP Tips on How to Deal with Stage Fright
While it may not seem intimidating to talk in front of a crowd, experienced speakers are well acquainted with the fear of the stage. We all strive for validation and love when people agree to what we have to say. Simultaneously, we are terrified of the idea that our speeches may not be welcomed by the audience. We are afraid of failure.
Every single little fear adds up. They build incredibly potent anxiety right before you are supposed to walk out on the stage. Legs turn to jelly, hands start shaking, and words that you repeated a thousand times in front of the mirror do not fly out as smoothly as you imagined.
While some people eventually get over these fears, many remain fearful and cannot find success when speaking publicly.
Why should you worry?
Have you seen recent events where people present new products or share their personal stories? Huge conferences with speakers, personal vlogs, and other forms of interactions between people are in essence close interactions with an audience.
Public speaking is a large part of modern marketing, personal branding, and day-to-day living. Having this irrational fear is quite problematic.
Most online events now incorporate some form of public speakers with over 78% of all attending visitors saying that both the expertise and confidence of speakers dramatically affect the viewing experience. If you are using MultiEvent to create conferences and webinars, you must not show any form of stage fright.
Some say that every single person is different. We have our own fears and anxieties. However, general tips that can help you perform better during public speeches exist. Below are five useful tips that will improve your public speaking abilities.
Tip #1. Improve your health
Most people are attracted to beautiful, healthy people. It is widely accepted that people who look healthy and fresh are more convincing. There are several ways you can achieve that look:
- Exercise regularly to keep your body in tonus;
- Drink and eat fruits and vegetables;
- Create a balanced sleep schedule.
When a speaker does not have sleepy, red eyes and expresses enthusiasm, they entertain their audience. Having better health also contributes to having a more dynamic speaking style. For example, you won’t have to catch your breath.
Tip #2. Do not think too much about upcoming speeches
Overthinking is a sure path to anxiety that cannot be dealt with. The more you think, the more minute issues you find in your speech and preparations. The only thing that matters during the speech is confidence.
What can you do to get rid of thoughts related to your upcoming speech?
- Listen to your favorite podcast or watch a speaker that inspires you. Remember speech patterns and jokes that make the speech more compelling. Try to incorporate these little tricks in your speech. Make it fun.
- Treat yourself to a snack before you go on the stage. Eating is the simplest way to release hormones that affect your mental state positively.
- Write down key points of your speech on paper. Doing so will help you build confidence and focus on the task at hand instead of overthinking what will happen after you go step in front of the microphone.
Tip #3. Preparations should be your main priority
Repetition creates success. If you want to make a statement with your speech and leave a long-lasting impression, studying the material and reading it aloud multiple times is a good exercise. Practice as much as possible. However, never practice at the last minute. It won’t help. Instead, focus on training regularly before the event.
There are many great techniques that will help you with memorization, visualization, and delivery of each line. Most of them can be found on the internet. Study them and incorporate them into your preparations.
Tip #4. Connect with the audience
When you make your first step on the stage, try to immediately establish a connection between you and your audience. Do not start with the speech immediately. Instead, smile at people, greet them with confidence and joy, use gestures and jokes to create a friendly atmosphere.
There are several other tricks that you can use:
- Find a couple of people in the audience and make eye contact with them while smiling. It will help you relax.
- If you are speaking to the audience via the internet, start with a joke, look directly into the camera, and smile.
- Choose a comfortable posture, but try to keep your back straight and hands open (do not put them in your pockets or cross them).
Tip #5. Don’t be afraid of mistakes
It is fine to make a mistake. Even the greatest speakers failed to convince their audiences many times in their lives. We all make mistakes and stumble when speaking. What you must do is turn every failure into a success. Every time you blunder, openly acknowledge it, and have a good fun together with your audience.
Think of funny excuses beforehand. Did your first words come out wrong? Did your voice crack? Well, remind everyone that karaoke is a good way to spend some time humiliating yourself in front of the audience and train for this fateful speech.
The main takeaway
Mark Twain once said that “you will never get over your public speaking anxiety”. He said that you can learn to cope and achieve success but only despite a “stampede of horses in your stomach”. It is true. Only some exceptional individuals managed to completely conquer their fears of failing in front of an audience.
What is great about modern times is that you can avoid personal contact. If you are making events using MultiEvent, you can easily set up meetings and conferences without the necessity to walk on the stage. It makes dealing with the stage fright slightly easier!
