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I’m standing in a conference room with twenty pairs of eyes in front of me. Your hands get clammy, your heart races, and you get a fishy feeling in your stomach. If only this mouth wouldn’t do this! Everything I had meant to say seemed to fall out of my mind. Can I do this?
I am sure that no matter how experienced a performer you are, these feelings and reactions will be familiar. The body is sending signals that a perceived dangerous situation is in front of you and that you need to take action.
It’s a stress response that kicks in automatically, and while it’s fun, it can’t be permanently turned off, nor does it have to be. But you might ask, if stress makes me worry and sometimes paralyzes me, then what good is it for me?
A reasonable level of stress (because it’s your body’s way of expressing its stress response before a performance) is necessary to perform well. It’s true that severe performance anxiety requires intervention, but generally speaking, few of us have extreme performance anxiety. The good news is that none of us are born with excessive performance anxiety, just like none of us are born perfect performers. The good news is that fear can be controlled through conscious action, and training and developing your performance skills.
The responsibility lies on your shoulders
Performance situations surround us every day, some of which we understand better (such as a presentation to management) and some of which we don’t (such as a spontaneous speech in a meeting). It is also important to be balanced, well prepared, and professional in all of them.
Shorter performances are also a good opportunity to practice in order to feel more confident for longer performances. This is where the first tip for managing performance anxiety comes in – practice consciously! Awareness requires you to develop the main themes for yourself, think about your positions and “clarify” them for yourself. Then look for opportunities to try out the performances. As mentioned above, smaller performance situations can be found in large numbers, for example in meetings.
Understand your fears
To better manage my anxiety, I should first try to understand what I fear most. Is it failure? A large group of people? Forgotten text messages? Fear of being in an awkward situation or embarrassment? Or rather, not being able to cope with questions? Hostility from the audience or something else?
In addition to thorough preparation, self-analysis can also be helpful. Think about what happens in your mind, body, and feelings when you experience fear. How have you been able to overcome this problem so far? What methods have you used? Which of these methods helped you cope and which did not? Then focus on activities that support you in coping with anxiety. During the analysis, you can notice that anxiety is usually short-lived and that the tension has subsided after the initial anxious moment has passed.
Find a method that works for you to manage your anxiety
Generally speaking, performance anxiety management techniques fall into three categories.
First, techniques for managing nerves before a performance (e.g., preparation, practice, “rehearsal” of situations, self-analysis, thought management, etc.).
Second, techniques for managing anxiety during performance (e.g., breathing exercises, intentional engagement with the audience).
Third, activities to relieve tension after the performance (breathing exercises, physical activities, self-analysis, etc.).
Just as we all experience performance anxiety in different ways, there are also different techniques that help people manage nervousness. Thought management (e.g., asking what is the worst that could happen to me during this performance? How realistic is that scenario?) may work for one person, but not at all for another. That’s why it’s important to try different techniques and try to find what works for you and “works.”
Voting successfully and taking action
In my years of coaching, I have heard from many people that the number one factor that helped them overcome their fear was proper preparation. By preparation, I don’t mean preparing a speech and creating some slides. That is also part of preparation, but most importantly, preparation focuses on honing the message and delivery of the presentation. I would also add here the success of self-pacing and the actual practice of presenting. These three are key skills to help you achieve outstanding performance and overcome performance anxiety.
But like everything in life, nothing happens naturally. To control performance anxiety, you have to do all these activities, and just thinking I can try something, the performance anxiety is not going to decrease.
Tips to overcome fear of speaking:
Practice your performance for real and over and over again!
Be fully prepared and, if possible, familiarize yourself with the performance venue and equipment in advance.
Be passionate, see the challenges and opportunities in performing, and the people who come to hear you speak want you to do well.
Take a moment to listen before the show.
Focus on coping, build on your strengths and use self-talk that supports coping.
Use self-regulation techniques that work for you to manage your thoughts and focus on success.
Before you walk up to people, take a few slow, deep breaths and look at your audience.
Avoid stimulating drinks containing caffeine, and if your mouth is prone to dryness, water is the best treatment.
Make eye contact with participants, look them in the eye, keep your body language open, and smile!
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