How To Overcome Stage Fright

Let me tell you: Good preparation and planning will help you to reduce stage fright massively. But, getting it is normal. The more you practice and speak in front of people, the easier it gets. And remember: People are there to listen to what you have to say. There are many ways to decrease your stage fright and I will go into some of them. See what works for you.

REHEARSE OUT LOUD

Rehearsing your entire presentation out loud will help you to be better prepared. If you can rehearse in front of people that know the topic, and also people that know nothing about it. And as mentioned before, film yourself on your phone to see what you sound like.

BREATHE

Taking deep belly breaths will help to calm the nerves. Take at least 5 before going on stage.

AUDIENCE

Think the audience smaller but smaller. Close your eyes and literally shrink them in your head.

SELF-MOTIVATION

Self-motivational talk can help. Stand in front of a mirror and talk positively to yourself. Things like “I am a very good presenter. I am prepared.”

THE TIME AFTER

If you are really nervous, thinking about the time after might help. What will it feel like once you have finished? What will you think, see, feel and hear?

SUPPORTERS

Bring supporters with you. That can be a person that you know that will sit in the audience or it can be your lucky charm. You can also look for supporters in the audience. There are always people that nod to the things you are saying. Just ensure you are not only looking at them and ignoring the other ones.

RANKING

Realise your excitement and rank it on a scale from 1-10. Then take deep belly breaths and see if the number comes down. Repeat until you feel calmer and have a rank of 3 or less.

SUPERMAN

For some people the superman pose or similar in front of a mirror works. Whatever it takes for you, do it. There is nothing wrong about it.

If you want to learn more about how to become a better presenter and get into public speaking, check out my book ‘The Public Speaking Formula’.