12 Secrets For Overcoming Stage Fright

Being on stage or having to speak in front of a large audience is many people’s worst nightmare.

We refer to this feeling as stage fright, which is the legitimate fear of being in front of other people and having to perform in some way. This could be giving a speech, playing music, or showcasing one’s abilities in some way.

Stage fright is one of the most common fears and yet we all typically have to face it at one point or another.

It’s pretty hard to avoid never having to get up in front of others at school or at work. I know I’ve had my fair share of presentations in front of my colleagues and bosses – not to mention performing magic acts when I was younger.

While it does get easier after time, that’s not much help if you’re new at this, so I have some strategies to overcome the anxiety it can produce.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Being as mentally and intellectually prepared as you can be will be so helpful.

You do not need to memorize your content in any way because it is never great to be robotic, but you should be very familiar with it.

And the practice itself consists of many elements:

• Practise what it will be like to stand and speak.
• Practise any activities you may have.
• Practise with your props or your videos – which is technically more like a rehearsal.
• Practise in front of a smaller audience who know you. (This can be a double-edged sword of cause. I used to dislike intensely performing in front of family, friends, or colleagues.)
• Practise as much as you can so that you know how to manage your way through any bumps in the road with ease.

There’s a useful adage amongst performers: Amateurs practise until they get it right, professional practise until they cannot get it wrong.

Have A Back-Up Plan For The Bumps

If something in your presentation goes wrong, have a Plan B that you know is feasible and easy to implement.

Planning for crisis will always help prevent crisis, as well as reducing any anxiety that may arise from the fear of crisis or failure.

I’ve seen professional magicians who leave absolutely nothing to change – and you can tell in many cases that they came up with a particular solution to a potential problem because they encountered it previously and do not want to have a recurrence.

Dress To Impress

Much like the phrase “fake it till you make it”, dressing to impress always reduces stage fright.

If you look like you have it all together, you might feel like you have it all together and thus have less anxiety.

Personally, the minute I put on my performing outfit (e.g. a dinner jacket, or tux), it was like I was a different, less anxious person.

Take A Few Deep Breaths

Stage fright can prompt symptoms of a panic attack such as racing heart, shortness of breath, and warmer body temperatures.

Begin to slow the physiological responses by taking a few deep and intentional breaths.

If you are a spiritual person, it might help you to say a prayer or engage in some kind of ritualistic behavior that makes you feel better.

Welcome The Fear

Embracing fear around being on stage may be your ultimate step in reducing it.

Realizing that fear is often related to caring deeply about something can help you to understand its existence. And when you understand something, it tends to be less painful.

Remember that the fear is there because you are committed and interested in what is going on while you are on that stage and that’s a great thing.

It is said that the best way to guarantee a poor performance is not to have butterflies first.

It means you are alive and engaged! Remind yourself of this.

Drink Water, Not Energy Drinks

Try not to drink too much caffeine, because this can get the jitters going even more.

If you are hoping for something warm and soothing, you might try herbal tea but you should skip the energy drinks and the coffee.

Drink water as much as you can – it helps the body to regulate itself so it will try to return the body to its normal state instead of being anxious.

Needless to say though, don’t drink so much that you’ll need to use the bathroom in the middle of your presentation or performance.

Say A Mantra To Yourself

Whatever you need to tell yourself to feel okay about going on stage, you should do so!

It could literally be anything. Examples include, “I am worthy”, “I am capable”, and “I am smart”.

Whatever you say to yourself, make sure that it feels profound enough to make you willing to go on stage and face your fear.

Listen To Music

Listening to your favorite music, or even podcast, might be just what the doctor ordered for reducing your anxiety. Many people feel instantly calm by listening to music.

You should try listening to something empowering and uplifting. Something that will get you excited about what you are about to do.

Additionally, putting in headphones may help you to tune out the stimulation of the world around you and help you get connected with yourself, which will be very important before you go on stage.

It isn’t helpful to sit and stare out at a big crowd before you go stand in front of it.

Reflect inward on why you are going on stage and what you are about to do. Let the music get you ready and prepared.

Use The Restroom

Never forget to use the restroom soon before you go on stage – especially if you have been drinking water to try to calm yourself down.

You never want to be up there feeling like you might need to run off and go to the restroom. Try to avoid that by being responsible and using the facilities first.

You might also verify that you look your best by checking yourself out in the mirror. You might even practise repeating those mantras to yourself since you are looking at yourself.

Remember That Nobody Knows How Nervous You Are

You are going to be the only person to know how afraid you are of this presentation.

Remember that most people are not even thinking about how you will be feeling and are simply ready to listen to what you have to say.

Unless you tell people, which won’t be helpful might I add, then nobody will know how afraid you are.

And knowing that it is your secret, might reduce it. Remember, you are prepared and you are smart. It will be okay.

Get Sleep The Night Before And Do Not Forget To Eat

Taking care of your body as you prepare for this event will be really important, so do not forget to eat and sleep well.

Fuel your body because even just a half hour or an hour on stage may be emotionally taxing and that takes a toll on our physical health as well.

Additionally, you want to be as bright and as well rested as you can so that you’re making connections and understanding all of your material as best as possible.

Getting a good night’s sleep and having properly eaten will help reduce your body’s anxious state.

Do The Very Best That You Can

Remember, you have prepared, you have slept, you have said your mantras, and you have planned for anything that could go wrong. You are ready for getting on this stage. At this point, just know that you will do the very best that you can and remind yourself that your best is good enough.

Conclusion

This is the point where you should simply enjoy the process and the end result. You cannot go back and start over but maybe you will learn something that you want to do different for next time. If so, that’s great.

Good luck on your journey on stage and know that feeling anxiety is normal and okay.

Preparing for it will help to reduce it to ensure that you have your very best presentation.

Additional Resources

These are suggestions for those who wish to delve deeper into any of the above:

1. Conquering Stage Fright
2. Motivational Videos