Stage Fright Strategies
Stage fright Is Good and Makes You Better Looking Too!
Before you learn how to deliver your lines, it is important to be ready to deliver your lines. Stage fright is a phenomenon that you must learn to control. Actually, stage fright isn't the most accurate term for the nervousness that occurs when considering a speaking engagement. In fact, most of the fear occurs before you step on-stage. Once you're up there, it usually goes away. Try to think of stage fright in a positive way. Fear is your friend. It makes your reflexes sharper. It heightens your energy, adds a sparkle to your eye, and color to your cheeks. When you are nervous about speaking you are more conscious of your posture and breathing. With all those good side effects you will actually look healthier and more physically attractive.
Many of the top performers in the world get stage fright so you are in good company. Stage fright may come and go or diminish, but it usually does not vanish permanently. You must concentrate on getting the feeling out in the open, into perspective and under control.
Remember Nobody ever died from stage fright. But, according to surveys, many people would rather die than give a speech. If that applies to you, try out some of the strategies in this section to help get yourself under control. Realize that you may never overcome stage fright, but you can learn to control it, and use it to your advantage.
Symptoms of Stage fright
Dry mouth.
Tight throat.
Sweaty hands.
Cold hands.
Shaky hands.
Nausea.
Fast pulse.
Shaky knees.
Trembling lips.
Any out-of-the-ordinary outward or inward feeling or manifestation of a feeling occurring before, or during, the beginning of a presentation.
(Wow! What a dry mouthful!).
Here are some easy to implement strategies for reducing your stage fright. Not everyone reacts the same and there is no universal fix. Don't try to use all these fixes at once. Pick out items from this list and try them out until you find the right combination for you.
Visualization strategies that can be used anytime
Concentrate on how good you are.
Pretend you are just chatting with a group of friends.
Close your eyes and imagine the audience listening, laughing, and applauding.
Remember happy moments from your past.
Think about your love for and desire to help the audience.
Picture the audience in their underwear.
Strategies in advance of program
Be extremely well prepared.
Join or start a Toastmasters club for extra practice
Get individual or group presentation skills coaching.
Listen to music.
Read a poem.
Anticipate hard and easy questions.
Organize.
Absolutely memorize your opening statement so you can recite it on autopilot if you have to.
Practice, practice, practice. Especially practice bits so you can spit out a few minutes of your program no matter how nervous you are.
Get in shape. I don't know why it helps stage fright, but it does.
Strategies just before the program
Remember Stage fright usually goes away after you start. The tricky time is before you start.
Be in the room at least an hour early if possible to triple check everything. You can also schmooze with participants arriving early.
Notice and think about things around you.
Concentrate on searching for current and immediate things that are happening at the event that you can mention during your talk (especially in the opening).
Get into conversation with people near you. Be very intent on what they are saying.
Yawn to relax your throat.
Doodle.
Draw sketches of a new car you would like to have.
Look at your notes.
Put pictures of your kids/grandkids, dog, etc., in your notes.
Build a cushion of time in the day so you are not rushed but not too much time. You don't want to have extra time to worry.
If your legs are trembling, lean on a table, sit down, or shift your legs.
Take a quick walk.
Take quick drinks of tepid water.
Double check your A/V equipment.
Don't drink alcohol or coffee or tea with caffeine.
Concentrate on your ideas.
Hide notes around the stage area so you know you have a backup if you happen to draw a blank.
Concentrate on your audience.
Listen to music.
Read a poem.
Do isometrics that tighten and release muscles.
Shake hands and smile with attendees before the program.
Say something to someone to make sure your voice is ready to go.
Go somewhere private and warm up your voice, muscles, etc.
Use eye contact.
Go to a mirror and check out how you look.
Breathe deeply, evenly, and slowly for several minutes.
Don't eat if you don't want to and never take tranquilizers or other such drugs. You may think you will do better, but you will probably do worse and not know it.
Strategies when the program begins
If legs are trembling, lean on lectern /table or shift legs or move.
Try not to hold the microphone by hand in the first minute.
Don't hold notes. The audience can see them shake. Use three-by-five cards instead.
Take quick drinks of tepid water.
Use eye contact. It will make you feel less isolated.
Look at the friendliest faces in the audience.
Joke about your nervousness. "What's the right wine to go with fingernails?"
Remember nervousness doesn't show one-tenth as much as it feels.
Before each presentation make a short list of the items you think will make you feel better. Don't be afraid to experiment with different combinations. You never know which ones will work best until you try. Rewrite them on a separate sheet and keep the sheet with you at all times so you can refer to it quickly when the need arises.
Use these steps to control stage fright so it doesn't control you.
- by Tom Antion
Before you learn how to deliver your lines, it is important to be ready to deliver your lines. Stage fright is a phenomenon that you must learn to control. Actually, stage fright isn't the most accurate term for the nervousness that occurs when considering a speaking engagement. In fact, most of the fear occurs before you step on-stage. Once you're up there, it usually goes away. Try to think of stage fright in a positive way. Fear is your friend. It makes your reflexes sharper. It heightens your energy, adds a sparkle to your eye, and color to your cheeks. When you are nervous about speaking you are more conscious of your posture and breathing. With all those good side effects you will actually look healthier and more physically attractive.
Many of the top performers in the world get stage fright so you are in good company. Stage fright may come and go or diminish, but it usually does not vanish permanently. You must concentrate on getting the feeling out in the open, into perspective and under control.
Remember Nobody ever died from stage fright. But, according to surveys, many people would rather die than give a speech. If that applies to you, try out some of the strategies in this section to help get yourself under control. Realize that you may never overcome stage fright, but you can learn to control it, and use it to your advantage.
Symptoms of Stage fright
Dry mouth.
Tight throat.
Sweaty hands.
Cold hands.
Shaky hands.
Nausea.
Fast pulse.
Shaky knees.
Trembling lips.
Any out-of-the-ordinary outward or inward feeling or manifestation of a feeling occurring before, or during, the beginning of a presentation.
(Wow! What a dry mouthful!).
Here are some easy to implement strategies for reducing your stage fright. Not everyone reacts the same and there is no universal fix. Don't try to use all these fixes at once. Pick out items from this list and try them out until you find the right combination for you.
Visualization strategies that can be used anytime
Concentrate on how good you are.
Pretend you are just chatting with a group of friends.
Close your eyes and imagine the audience listening, laughing, and applauding.
Remember happy moments from your past.
Think about your love for and desire to help the audience.
Picture the audience in their underwear.
Strategies in advance of program
Be extremely well prepared.
Join or start a Toastmasters club for extra practice
Get individual or group presentation skills coaching.
Listen to music.
Read a poem.
Anticipate hard and easy questions.
Organize.
Absolutely memorize your opening statement so you can recite it on autopilot if you have to.
Practice, practice, practice. Especially practice bits so you can spit out a few minutes of your program no matter how nervous you are.
Get in shape. I don't know why it helps stage fright, but it does.
Strategies just before the program
Remember Stage fright usually goes away after you start. The tricky time is before you start.
Be in the room at least an hour early if possible to triple check everything. You can also schmooze with participants arriving early.
Notice and think about things around you.
Concentrate on searching for current and immediate things that are happening at the event that you can mention during your talk (especially in the opening).
Get into conversation with people near you. Be very intent on what they are saying.
Yawn to relax your throat.
Doodle.
Draw sketches of a new car you would like to have.
Look at your notes.
Put pictures of your kids/grandkids, dog, etc., in your notes.
Build a cushion of time in the day so you are not rushed but not too much time. You don't want to have extra time to worry.
If your legs are trembling, lean on a table, sit down, or shift your legs.
Take a quick walk.
Take quick drinks of tepid water.
Double check your A/V equipment.
Don't drink alcohol or coffee or tea with caffeine.
Concentrate on your ideas.
Hide notes around the stage area so you know you have a backup if you happen to draw a blank.
Concentrate on your audience.
Listen to music.
Read a poem.
Do isometrics that tighten and release muscles.
Shake hands and smile with attendees before the program.
Say something to someone to make sure your voice is ready to go.
Go somewhere private and warm up your voice, muscles, etc.
Use eye contact.
Go to a mirror and check out how you look.
Breathe deeply, evenly, and slowly for several minutes.
Don't eat if you don't want to and never take tranquilizers or other such drugs. You may think you will do better, but you will probably do worse and not know it.
Strategies when the program begins
If legs are trembling, lean on lectern /table or shift legs or move.
Try not to hold the microphone by hand in the first minute.
Don't hold notes. The audience can see them shake. Use three-by-five cards instead.
Take quick drinks of tepid water.
Use eye contact. It will make you feel less isolated.
Look at the friendliest faces in the audience.
Joke about your nervousness. "What's the right wine to go with fingernails?"
Remember nervousness doesn't show one-tenth as much as it feels.
Before each presentation make a short list of the items you think will make you feel better. Don't be afraid to experiment with different combinations. You never know which ones will work best until you try. Rewrite them on a separate sheet and keep the sheet with you at all times so you can refer to it quickly when the need arises.
Use these steps to control stage fright so it doesn't control you.
- by Tom Antion
Something Good to Know
STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters... S.T.R.
I have been encouraged to post this and spread the word.
If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some lives...
Seriously...
Please read:
I have been encouraged to post this and spread the word.
If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some lives...
Seriously...
Please read:
STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) .....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.
They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.
Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.
Some don't die.... they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue
NOTE: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.
A cardiologist says if everyone who reads this informs 1 to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) .....she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.
They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.
Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.
Some don't die.... they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke .
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)
(i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
New Sign of a Stroke -------- Stick out Your Tongue
NOTE: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other , that is also an indication of a stroke.
A cardiologist says if everyone who reads this informs 1 to 10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.
Story Telling Treasure...
In his workshop, "Using stories to get your message across", Dunstan Chan, DTM, mentioned that internet is an avenue for you to find stories you can use...
I have a treasure to share with you - not only there are the stories, but you can LISTEN TO as well as read them!
It is a free online collection of stories and poems in Mp3 (audiobook) format. You can:
* Download the files to your Mp3 player and listen on the go,
* Listen to the Mp3 files on your computer,
* View the text on a webpage and read along as you listen,
* Print out the stories and poems to make your own book.
There are four ways to get started:
1. Browse by Author. You can pick your stories by the author's last name.
2. Browse by Title. You can pick your stories by title.
3. Search Database. You can search the collection by title, author, keywords or reading level.
An abstract, citation, playing time, and word count are given for each of the passages. Many of the passages also have a related reading strategy identified. Each reading passage can also be downloaded as a PDF and printed for use as a read-along or as supplemental reading material for your classroom.
4. Launch iTunes. If you have iTunes software installed on your computer, you can download many of the selections directly into your iTunes library. The free iTunes application for either Macintosh or Windows computers may be downloaded directly from Apple, Inc.
I hope you will find this site very helpful, specially if you are doing the StoryTelling / Advanced Manuals. You will certainly find the audio files very helpful to master the art of vocal varieties...
Even if you are not you might just enjoy listening to them, or prefer to keep themas a collection...
You never know when you will become a grandfather and need to tell stories to your grandchildren...
Have Fun...
The site to visit is:
http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/index.htm
I have a treasure to share with you - not only there are the stories, but you can LISTEN TO as well as read them!
It is a free online collection of stories and poems in Mp3 (audiobook) format. You can:
* Download the files to your Mp3 player and listen on the go,
* Listen to the Mp3 files on your computer,
* View the text on a webpage and read along as you listen,
* Print out the stories and poems to make your own book.
There are four ways to get started:
1. Browse by Author. You can pick your stories by the author's last name.
2. Browse by Title. You can pick your stories by title.
3. Search Database. You can search the collection by title, author, keywords or reading level.
An abstract, citation, playing time, and word count are given for each of the passages. Many of the passages also have a related reading strategy identified. Each reading passage can also be downloaded as a PDF and printed for use as a read-along or as supplemental reading material for your classroom.
4. Launch iTunes. If you have iTunes software installed on your computer, you can download many of the selections directly into your iTunes library. The free iTunes application for either Macintosh or Windows computers may be downloaded directly from Apple, Inc.
I hope you will find this site very helpful, specially if you are doing the StoryTelling / Advanced Manuals. You will certainly find the audio files very helpful to master the art of vocal varieties...
Even if you are not you might just enjoy listening to them, or prefer to keep themas a collection...
You never know when you will become a grandfather and need to tell stories to your grandchildren...
Have Fun...
The site to visit is:
http://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/index.htm
Luck...
Jack worked hard through school. He studied every night, did his assignments on time, and did extra credit assignments when possible. He applied to 14 of the top colleges and was accepted to two of them. Jack chose Yale where he worked feverishly for another four years. During that time he applied for dozens of internships and made many connections in the business world. Upon graduation, he interviewed for almost 50 jobs and out of his four job offers, he accepted a very attractive position as a high-level manager for a respectable company. When Jack's friends learned of his success, they would say, "Boy, is he lucky!"
How much of success is actually luck? Is the reason that you are not successful because you tend to have bad luck whereas others who are successful only have good luck? What is luck anyway? I am not going to say, "I don't believe in luck" or "luck is for losers". Luck is very real. However, I believe luck is something over which we all have a strong influence.
Luck is defined as, "the chance happening of fortunate or adverse events". The keyword here is "chance". This is important because to improve our luck, all we need to do is improve our chances. Luck is nothing more than the application of the law of probability. The person who is most likely to be "lucky" at winning the lottery is the person who buys more tickets. Of course, there are those one-in-a-billion chances we hear about where one-time ticket buyers win the jackpot, but not only is that extremely rare, it is also NOT success. By now you should realize that success cannot be achieved by one fortunate chance in life, or even several. Success is achieved within us and is a result of our own continual personal development.
Each of us has the ability to create our own good luck - or bad luck for that matter. First of all, you must BELIEVE that you control your destiny. The luck you have experienced in your life and the luck you will experience has much to do with you. Although we cannot have good luck all the time, using the laws of averages and probability, we can certainly tip the scale of good luck and fortune on our side. You can have more doors opened for you, and experience more of the things that everybody refers to as “luck.”
Here are some suggestions on how you can make your own good luck.
- Be in the right place at the right time. Although most people see this is as pure chance, it is vision, proper planning, and calculated risk taking that puts most successful people in the right place at the right time.
- Create the circumstances in your life that lead you to good luck. This can also be referred to as sowing and reaping. In our opening example, Jack was "lucky" to get such a great job because of everything he did in his life up to that point. He chose to work hard and apply for so many jobs. Had he not created these circumstances, his luck would no doubt be different.
- Increase your probabilities. The more chances you have at good luck, the more likely you are to experience good luck. Too many people go about their normal, uneventful lives just waiting for something great to happen to them without doing anything to increase their chances. Some excellent ways to increase your probability for fortunate chances are by working on your personal development, making more contacts or networking, and becoming involved in new opportunities, just to name a few.
- Take more calculated risks. Those who avoid risk are almost always doomed to a life of failure and bad luck. The more you can limit your chance of loss and increase your chance of gain, the better off you will be.
- Apply the principles of success and personal achievement. There are thousands of these, most of which are revealed in this course. Being successful, you will not be able to stop good luck and good fortune from coming your way even if you wanted to!
Then there is the law of attraction. As you start to create good luck in your life, you will experience even more good luck as a result of your existing good luck. The door of opportunity and good fortune usually opens to several more doors.
Unfortunate events or chance will come your way from time to time and despite all your efforts they cannot be avoided. However, you CAN control your response to this "bad luck". As a positive thinker and one who looks for opportunity in problems, each instance of "bad luck" will be replaced with "minor set backs" or even "new opportunities". Luck, as we know it, is all about perception.
When you understand that you create your own luck, you no longer live with insecurity--thinking that some unfortunate chance will take away your success. It is true that some unfortunate chance may take away your money or your business, but it can only take away your success if you let it.
Good luck does exist, and it is something each of us has the power to influence. What most people refer to as bad luck is generally referred to as "minor setbacks" or "new opportunities" by successful individuals. Follow the suggestions above for creating your own good luck and you too will find yourself becoming increasingly "lucky".
...extract from "Year To Success"
Goal Setting...
Goal setting is an important way in attaining success in life. It gives the motivation you need to become successful at the same time; goal setting can provide the right driving force you need to improve your self-esteem and confidence every time you accomplish something.
Stephen Covey once said, “Goal setting is obviously a powerful process… the manifestation of creative imagination and independent will. It’s the practicality of… translating vision into achievable, actionable doing.” “Visualizing something organizes one’s ability to accomplish it.”
Think about what you want to accomplish as a Toastmaster and record your goals. In setting goals, make them specific, measurable and achievable. Keep this with your TM materials and use it as a reminder to reach your goals. By sharing your goals with other members, they can encourage you on your achievements.
SMART Goals:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable / Attainable
- Realistic
- Time Specific / Sensitive Deadline
My long-term objectives as a Toastmaster are:
i) Accomplish my CC by September, 2007
ii) Speak to at least 500 people in 2007
iii) Accomplish my CL by January 2008
Some of my intermediate goals are:
i) Give a manual speech once a month
ii) Sign-up for at least 4 roles in next 2 months
One of the reasons you set goals is to be successful in life. You also think about the benefits that goals will bring when you achieve them. Once you have achieved a short-term goal in your list, treat yourself because you have done something significant in your life. Use the goal setting skills you have gained and apply them to the next goals on your list. Absorb the consequences of the goal achievement, and observe the progress you have made towards other goals.
Don't get discouraged if you are unable to achieve a goal that you set in a given time. Just make it a challenge for you in the next goal and learn the mistakes that you have done. Failure to meet goals does not matter as long as you learn from it. Don't give up all your goals just because you have made a mistake. To avoid these disappointments, review all your goals setting skills and remember that you still have a bigger lifetime goal that needs to be achieved.
If you feel down because of failure, go back to your plans and goals to make sure they are realistic and that you can attain them.
Decide that you'll never give up, even when times get tough, until your most important goal is reached.
Contributed b by: Kumar Kolaganti (VPE), Art Of Speaking
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