Loading ...
How to Go From Stage Fright to Stage Delight
The ability to stand up and speak comfortably and effectively before audiences is a widely recognized leadership and success skill. And yet opinion polls tell us that many people rank public speaking as their number-one fear. Number two is death.
You can reduce your fear by changing how you think about public speaking. How can you make the shift from stage fright to stage delight? Try this three-step process:
1 Recognize
You recognize the fear and acknowledge it exists. Just admit it to yourself.
2 Reject
You reject the fear by making a conscious choice.
3 Replace
Finally, you replace stage fright with “stage delight.” That’s what executive speaking coach Matthew Cossolotto calls the feeling you get when you shift your focus away from your own selfconsciousness. He recommends you pay attention instead to the connection with your audience, the way you would in a one-to-one conversation.
Email This Post
Print This Post
TopTags: presentations, stage fright
Story Comments (2)
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
1. Fear is a reaction (and a natural one in many situations): Courage (the decision to proceed in spite of fear) is a choice, a deliberate decision. (much like your point 2)
2. Speak about things you know thoroughly: then you don't have to worry about remembering your points.
3. (Much like your point 3) Don't speak to (or react to) the group: speak to individuals IN the group. Select individuals throughout the group that you know or that react positively; look at them one by one; make eye contact and speak to each one.
I took that instruction and went from being unable to put together a coherent sentence to enjoying public speaking. Where did I get that instruction? From the U.S. Marines, in the 1960s. Still good advice.
I was able to "overcome" my public speaking anxiety by channelling my nervousness into excitement in my speach. There is a fine line in speaking nervously and speaking excitedly. If you are not excited about your presentation then don't expect your audience to be excited either. It takes some practice but you may be surprised how quickly it will come. After all, as I said earlier, there is a fine line so going from nervous to excited will be a short trip. And remember you are the expert. It is your meeting, your presentation. People are there to hear what you have to say. Not every meeting will be perfect, but that's OK too.