How To Manage Your Stage Fright

"I have big, big stage fright!" - Andrea Bocelli

Do you get really nervous if you need to present something for a small or a large audience? Do you say "No" or find other ways to prevent having to present something on stage when your being invited for it? All quite normal; many people have stage fright! It even happens to the best and most famous! So how to overcome it?

Fellow Sydney based Evolutionary Coach Angela Heise used to suffer from the most crippling stage fright. Giving a presentation in front of hundreds or thousands of people now is a breeze for her! So what happened and how did she coach herself to succeed? This is her story:

It was just before her oral exam and Angela was throwing up in the bathroom – for the third time. “It was a subject that I loved,” she said. “But I had the usual stage fright symptoms: dry mouth, sweaty hands and heart palpitations. My knees were shaking so badly I thought that my legs were going to give out. There were only three people on the assessment panel.”

Angela explained that stage fright isn’t limited to large group situations. “It can happen in front of one person; on a date, for example. It’s about presenting ourselves, or a part of ourselves, to others.” Using Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) cured Angela Heise’s stage fright a long time ago. She now uses NLP tools to help many of her clients around the world.

Her top tips for managing stage fright using NLP:
1. Expect to succeed - Imagine that you have already concluded the whole exercise successfully.
2. Build rapport with people before your presentation - Go out and meet some of the audience - find out things about them so you have some faces you can relate to.
3. Look at your self-talk - If what you’re saying to yourself isn’t working for you - especially if it is someone else’s voice (e.g. what a parent or teacher might have said once)
4. Check your belief - If, for example, you really believe you’re not good enough, work on that belief because otherwise it will trip you up.

One more tip: Say, for example, someone in the audience is raising an eyebrow at what you are presenting. You might normally think this means they disapprove (because your mother always raised her eyebrow when she was mad at you). Don’t assume what they are thinking. Instead, imagine what an independent ’curious observer’ would perceive. This will reduce the chance of judging yourself too harshly!

"To be happy is to be able to become aware of oneself without fright." - Walter Benjamin

Make this a Positive & Fruitful day....unless you have other plans!

Thanks, warm regards & success,

Patrick Driessen