We’ve all been there. 5-10 minutes before you have to get in front of an audience and suddenly your already present anxiety about speaking in public morphs into a full blown stage fright. This is the danger zone. Your body starts shaking. Your palms become as clammy as the shore at low tide. Your mind is racing at all of the possible worst case scenarios. You worry about being embarrassed. You’re concerned about being judged. You wish you could just run away and hide in the comfort of your home, far from this presentation. This can be one of the most terrifying moments for many people.
But how do we overcome this? Surely, we do not have to be at the mercy of this fear forever. There has to be something we can do.
I certainly believe there are many things we can do to overcome this fear. These last 5-10 minutes before your name is announced can be some of most pivotal episodes in your life. How so? You have the opportunity to overcome a potentially paralyzing fear, you have a strong chance of growing personally, and there is a great likelihood of developing a deep sense of self-respect for having gone through with it. Doesn’t that sound awesome? Now let’s break it down on how to get to a point where you thrive in the danger zone rather than crumble underneath its pressure.
First, we must put this anxiety into the proper context. Why is your body reacting this way? What’s going on? To make a long story short, this is your fight or flight response kicking in and your body is reacting accordingly due to this perceived threat. All of your physical responses are perfectly normal and in fact, quite important for your success. This is how your body is preparing you to face this challenge. Your adrenaline is surging through you. This will help your mind move faster. You’ll be able to process information quicker. Your senses are heightened.
Next, it’s understanding where this fear originates from. The fear of public speaking touches on a much deeper rooted fear that can be traced back thousands of years ago. Sure, we’re afraid of being judged or making a mistake in front of people but behind this is an unconscious terror of experiencing social ostracism. We’re afraid of being rejected from our group because way back when that could have meant a foreseeable death. It’s much difficult to survive on your own compared to being with your village/clan/tribe. Despite our relatively recent plunge into modernity–way before iPhones and waiting on Frank Ocean’s album to drop–our biology is still hardwired from these primordial experiences. This won’t remove your fear but it can help you better understand and respect it, which is key to overcoming it and experiencing the glory of a temporary immortality when you walk off that stage.
But now what can we do to transmute this fear into golden bricks of self-confidence?
Well that starts way before you even enter the danger zone. One of the best ways to keep your stage fright under control is by a thorough preparation. You must practice. I’d recommend you rehearse your talk/presentation/speech multiple times throughout your day. There’s no way of getting around this. Practice when you wake up in the morning. Practice on your lunch break. Practice right before you go to sleep. Ideally, dedicate a month at the most and 2 weeks at the least to practice. You can record yourself and study your talk like game film. Analyze your body language. Are your movements demonstrating self-assurance? Are you moving with certainty or is your body language expressing apprehension? Listen to the tone of your voice. Is it too quiet? Does it have variety? Be mindful that before you start recording yourself, that you should be comfortable with your talk to the point that it’s 95% memorized, that way you can really focus on delivering it. If you record yourself from the onset, the added pressure of being filmed may distract you. This could lead to more mistakes which just adds more stress to an already stressful situation.
Furthermore, visualization is integral to your public speaking success. The more you envision within your mind’s eye going through your talk from beginning to end, the more comfortable you’ll be when you’re standing at the threshold of the danger zone. Imagine as much as you can and include as many of your senses within your visualization. Add the scent of your cologne or perfume that you’ll wear the day of your presentation. Incorporate the ambient sounds within the room. Imagine touching the lectern or podium. But most importantly, go over your talk with the end result always being the same– you hitting it out of the park. This is key. Visualize you doing your absolute best every single time.
Lastly, the best way to get control of yourself when entering into the danger zone is by total acceptance of the moment. Don’t resist it. Don’t avoid it. Just simply be in it. There’s no turning around. There’s no running away. You cannot hide. You are here, so be completely present. I always tell people to think about the scene from the Lion King where Mufasa meets his untimely death. Imagine the huge stampede of wildebeest racing towards you and instead of trying to escape the inevitable, you stand perfectly still. This is the way you gain courage in the face of your fear. It’s sitting in this fire where you transform. If you’ve thoroughly practiced and visualized, then you can bring that knowledge with you as you embrace the danger zone. Consider it your armor.
The fear will always be present, coming to terms with it, and knowing that you’ve done everything possible to prepare for it can give you an edge over your fear. Find confidence that you went above and beyond in your preparation. This is half of the battle.
Practice.
Visualize.
Accept.
These three things can help you overcome your stage fright and thrive in your moment in front of your audience.