10 Steps to Overcome Stage Fright

Nicholas Ho | Mar 04, 2009 | Comments 68

Over the years, I have been asked many times by my downlines and distributors this question – “How do you manage to be able to stand in front of thousands of people and present so effectively?”

Boy with stage fright

I realized that there are too many people in our industry whom are afraid of speaking or presenting themselves in public. Stage fright is very common. In fact, I remembered someone ever told me that public speaking was even more frightening than death. Well, the key to overcome it is learn to mange it and turn it to your advantage. Having said that, I came up with this few pointers to help those in need for a solution.

These are the steps you can use the next time you are feeling the heat when on stage:

Step 1: Breathe Smoothly

It is common practice that when we are under stress, we halt our breathing for a few seconds. We will start take deep breath and hold it. That’s a wrong way to relieve stress as halting our breath greatly reduces the amount of oxygen to our brain and thus creating more anxiety and tension. The next time you are feeling the tension on stage, try to breath smoothly and slowly, and learn to establish control over your breathing.

Step 2: Smile

Research has shown that when you smile, it automatically increases the flow of blood to your brain which will prevent your nervous system from suffering from negative stress. So the next time you are on stage giving a presentation, smile more. Learning to smile in moments of stress can be great tactics to overcome challenging times.

Step 3: Maintain an Upright Posture

It is also common that when we are under stress, we tend to slouch, tighten or collapse our chest. That will significantly decrease blood flow and oxygen to our nervous system and we will not only react much slower, we will also get more tense and nervous. You should learn to stand up straight in an upright position and breath deeply and smoothly. It will relieve a great deal of stress. Try it now if you don’t believe.

Step 4: Sweep Away Tension

Sometimes, when you are feeling stress or nervous, you tend to feel that something is “hugging” you. You feel uneasy. You feel uncomfortable. What you can do is look into the mirror, scan yourself from head to toe quickly and tel yourself to remove all the tension. Close your eyes and imagine yourself standing under a huge waterfall and it washes the tension off from you.

Step 5: Face Reality

The last way to actually really make yourself a good presenter is to admit your problems. In order to avoid any form of mental paralysis, you must first acknowledge that you have a problem with public speaking and must learn to calmly accept it and face it with courage. Most good presenters started started off not knowing how to speak well too, but they have learnt how to handle stress, and have readily accept the things beyond their control. Good presenters focus on their own behaviors. In that case, what could possible be a negative stress can be transformed into a motivating and engaging experience.

Step 6: Dress Comfortably

One good way to overcome stage fright is to make sure you feel confident about yourself. Make sure when you are on stage presenting, wear your best. Wear what you are most comfortable with. You don’t have to squeeze into a tight-fit shirt just to look slim on stage, because all you are doing is making yourself feel uncomfortable and lack of confidence. Present to the audience with the real you.

Step 7: Know Your Story

Knowing your story from start to end, A-Z, is also another good way to eliminate stage fright. You will feel much more at ease when you know that you are well prepared to give the presentation. What most beginners did wrong is to not prepare sufficiently for the presentation, which makes them even more fearful of the stage. The important action here is to be prepared.

Step 8: Ensure that Everything Is Ready

One of the best way to make you feel good about the presentation and reduces your stage fright is when you know that everything is ready for your presentation. Whether it is the presentation slides, lightings, microphone, audiences or whatever, make sure that everything is in place and YOU KNOW IT. That will boost the confidence level in you and it will definitely reduce much tension from you.

Step 9: Talk to People Listening to You

When we speak on stage, there are bound to be people listening to you, and of course, people who are dosing or talking away. You have to learn how to focus on the people who are listening to you. When you scan through the audience, don’t be nervous just because a few people in the audience aren’t listening to you. Don’t be bothered about them. One way is to identify those people actively listening to you and deliver what you are presenting to them You will feel more confident and less tension on yourself. Never ever let a few black sheep amongst the audience to spoil the whole presentation.

Step 10: Talk Even Before You Take The Stage

Well, this is the most effective way for me. I recommend you to try it too. When I have any mass presentation, I will start talking the moment I see somebody. I will talk nonstop until the time of my presentation. This will greatly reduce my tension level. Most of the time, I will laugh and joke with fellow presenters and make myself feel at ease. When it comes to my turn to speak, I will feel when warmed up and ready to talk and the fear just gradually subsided. This has worked very well for me which I recommend you try it too.

I know that this 10 steps may not be all the ways, means and steps to help you overcome stage fright. But I am very sure that when you apply any of these steps, it will definitely help you in a small way or another. Just bear in mind that you can gain control of your stage fright. No one has ever died of stage fright so I am very sure that you won’t be the first. All you need is to practice, practice and practice and I am sure that with adequate preparation, you will be able to overcome your greatest fear.

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Filed Under: Featured • Presentation

Tags: overcoming stage fright • Presentation • public speakiing fears • stage fright

About the Author: Nicholas founded MLM Absolute in 2008 and have since scale the website to new heights. Being a network marketer for 10 years and an avid internet marketer for 5 years, Nicholas is proficient with all marketing strategies both offline and online. Nicholas overseas the whole management of the whole website.