Dealing with stage fright

At a certain point, we all come across a point in life where we've to make a public speech.

It could be a presentation at the office, remarks at a wedding or funeral, or at school.

Regardless of the place, we find ourselves in situations where you have to stand in front of a crowd and speak to them

However, speaking in public can some be nerve racking, especially if you are not used to having so much attention on you, or you are just not that social.

Having an audience isn't something that should scare you off, or rather make you uncomfortable. It's merely your body reacting to a certain situation.

When your brain receives impulses from your body, it activates your body's defensive mode.

Growing up, I always shied away from talking in public.

Little did I know that my actions would have an effect on my future life. They came a time when I was in my tenth grade, and I was selected to participate in a paper presentation at school. Well, it didn't seem like much until the time for rehearsals came. I stood in front of a team of teacher's as well as my peers. My blood boiled, in fact, my reaction was no less than that of one when they see something dangerous, and I couldn't understand it, thoughts of what they thought of me ran into my head. “ Well, go on !” one of the judges said. " Ahhhh mmm my”. We're the only words that could come out of my mouth. “ Go on, we don't have an entire day, you know”. A few sentences came to mind and that's what I could let out." MMH, well, not bad. You just have to practice harder and stop dancing without music, okay.”

It was at that point that I realized that I had to find a way to deal with my stage fright. I practised harder with each day that went, and in no time I was at least able to speak in front of my peers. On the day of the presentation, I sat down only thinking about my presentation being a hit. When it was my Time to go on stage, my blood started boiling, I could feel my feet getting lighter than ever. I didn't know what happened next, and then suddenly every one was clapping and cheering for me.

Even though I didn't come out as the best speaker, I got selected for the finals. As time went, I got more comfortable speaking in public. In fact, it became less to storytelling. You know you would tell the story and the audience would just be and even though at times they would boing or even make faces at me, that didn't really matter because I knew my thing. I was in control and at that moment, that's what really mattered.

How to deal with stage fright,

First of one's has to acknowledge the fact that they have a problem and must be willing to accept assistance.

Further, One can also try to talk to someone they trust, it could be your parents or just someone whose words carry positive effect on you.

In Comparison with other teachers, teachers of English often deal with public speeches, so definitely they would be of help not only would they be able to give you lessons on public speaking, but also lessons on grammar corrections.

Attend voice training lessons, well, it might sound expensive, but that has been made easier. These Days, speech coaches offer free training on YouTube, with quite a wide range of videos that only need to be downloaded or streamed. You will undoubtedly find some that will suit your grievances.

Try practising in front of those friends whose energy has a positive effect on you.

Don't take criticism to heart, at times when One is making a public speech, there's always been some people booing or rather making faces at the presenter. This is done only to make you uncomfortable and to make you lose focus no matter what.

If you're going to present in public, always be ready for criticism and how to deal with it. Of course, your performance may be outstanding, but they will always be someone out there who will leave no stone unturned to make you feel unconfident.

Make eye contact, one thing about is that it makes you look braver and more confident. Imagine talking to a friend, and they were constantly looking away or rather they were just gliding their eyes, you would definitely feel unconnected to that person. Hence, eye contact is cardinal.

Further, avoid looking down or up or over the audience s heads. If you do so at a point where your eyes meet with their eyes, your body will immediately go into its defensive mode and that will leave you looking rather anxious or rather scared, as if you don't know what you're doing.

Look for familiar faces in the audience. The moment you see them, you absolutely feel calmer.

One trick that worked for me best was imagining someone spacial was in the audience and I just wanted to make them proud .so certainly try to keep that in mind.

The five-second rule is a trick that works for many, before going on stage, try counting from five to zero and then imagine your presentation going well.

This will trick your mind into believing it's already going well.

No matter how good another presenter's presentation might be, don't get intimidated. Just do your thing and put your best out there and before going on stage take a few deep breaths.

Remember, you only lose when you fail to try!