4 MORE Tricks to help you manage stage fright

And (just because I love you)…here’s 4 Bonus Tricks to help you kick stage fright for good.

Bonus Trick #4: Stare it down.

I’m convinced that handling stage fright is all about playing a strong mental game. When we re-frame stage fright, we de-mystify it. And one of the easiest ways to do that?  Face your stage fright head on. 

You’ll never eliminate your nervous reactions completely (because it’s just our brain reacting to a new, stressful situation). But facing your fears directly can be surprisingly effective. Challenge yourself to rehearse, show up and face every audience with a spark of bravado and spirit. By forcing yourself to stand tall, act confident, and look at the audience directly, you’ll be facing your demons head-on. Get ready for a little extra surge of adrenaline to help keep you going!

Oddly enough, some researchers believe that simply adjusting your POSTURE can actually improve your confidence. Practice altering your body stance in different situations and see how you feel.

Trick #5: Breathe through it.

When you’re struggling with stage fright (and our body’s nervous reactions), it’s hard to catch your breath. Rapid heart rate, stress and anxiety causes us to breathe quickly and shallowly.

To tackle this, remember to practice your breathing while you’re rehearsing.

With every practice session, check your breathing. Speak slowly and deliberately, and you’ll be able to notice how to breathe naturally and not panic when you have to swallow or pause.

In your rehearsals, elevate your stress a little with an audience (friends, family, neighbours). Time your talk, and act “as if” you’re on stage. It will never quite resemble the real thing, but it will start to tell your brain how to react when you’re in the hot seat. 

To calm your nervous system when you’re giving a talk, calm breathing is an important tool to use. Slow, measured breathing is a proven technique to calm your nervous system in high-stress situations (used by US Navy Seals and doctors on the job).

Sounds like magic, but there’s actually some science behind it. A few breaths won’t completely counteract surges of speech-time adrenaline, but “tactical breathing” (or “box breathing) can help kick your brain away from an automatic “fight or flight” nervous response, and help you reassert some calming control. 

Trick #6: Embrace it.

If stage fright continues to be a struggle, stop the battle. All those tension is probably making you even more fearful and frustrated.  Instead of tensing up, let your body surf those stress waves, riding that electricity to keep you inspired and alert in front of an audience. 

And this doesn’t mean succumbing to your fears and letting them rule the day. Definitely remember that YOU are in charge, and you’ve got a talk or performance to give that you’re determined to rock.  

So, the next time you’re in front of a crowd, enjoy the moment. It’s a privilege to share your story, so use those jitters to help you deliver a great talk. Be passionate, do your best work, and ENJOY THE BUZZ. 

Trick #7: Fake it ‘til you make it.

If you’re rattled by an upcoming event, sometimes the best way to handle it is to find your inner FAKE. I don’t mean delivering an inauthentic message or artificial emotion, but pushing forward just a little “act as if” confidence. 

The whole trick of “acting as if” means that you act as if you’re a little more confident and self-assured that you really are in that moment. And this is really a trick for your brain, because our minds love to cut us down to size and inflate our fears. 

By tapping into a little fake confidence, you can project a little strength and calm authority that can go a long way in making your talk a success. You probably don’t feel confident on the inside, but go ahead and show up as a confident gal (or guy) anyway. 

I actually visualize it like a switch in my brain that I can flip on and off. If I need that little boost of self-confidence, I can mentally flip that “switch”. With that switch, I send my brain a message that I am self-confident, and voilà! I stand a little straighter and look people in the eye.