What?
Do you have stage fright or performance anxiety?
- Thread starter Sibyl
- Start date
What?
I liked that you enjoyed your presentation despite of the fact that you felt rusty. I wish I could benefit myself more from positiv thinking like that.
It had nothing to do with feeling positive though, or having a positive mental attitude or some such as you implied with your comment.
I just got on with it and was aware that as it's been a while since I had done a presentation like the one I did, I was aware I was rusty in presenting what I needed too.
Presentations and speaking in front of groups doesn't really bother me and I do it fairly frequently. I taught college for close to a decade--if you want a tough audience, boy, there you go.
I had to work to improve and I still put in work to prepare, however, which is key for me. Here is what helps me, maybe you will find something in this that will be helpful to you.
I don't think about the fact that it's me doing it, I think about the content I am conveying. People are looking at me, yes, but not because they really know me or are excited to see me. They're only looking at me because I happen to be the vehicle of information at that moment. That takes a lot of the pressure off.
I try to be genuine and sincere about whatever I am conveying. Unless you can act (and I can't) people can tell when you're unenthusiastic or faking it. If you are nervous about a presentation, sit down beforehand and write out what you are genuinely interested in getting across to the audience, or what it is about the subject that excites you.
I practice a LOT. I am NOT a person who can give a flawless performance the first tome around, so I practice as many times as I need to. I write myself a lot of notes. I practice and look for my crutches (I say "um" a lot so I work to recognize where I say that and then remove it).
Once I've done this homework, I feel like I have made my best effort to be prepared, and no matter what happens during the speech or presentation I give myself a break. Anyone who's ever given a speech or made a presentation knows what you're going through and unless they're a jerk, will empathize.
As for hating your voice or video/pictures of yourself, that is pretty common. Some of it has to do with how unfamiliar your recorded self looks and sounds compared to your embodied self. Start recording and even if you hate it and erase it, keep going. Eventually it will become familiar enough that you can get past the awkwardness you feel right now.
I had to work to improve and I still put in work to prepare, however, which is key for me. Here is what helps me, maybe you will find something in this that will be helpful to you.
I don't think about the fact that it's me doing it, I think about the content I am conveying. People are looking at me, yes, but not because they really know me or are excited to see me. They're only looking at me because I happen to be the vehicle of information at that moment. That takes a lot of the pressure off.
I try to be genuine and sincere about whatever I am conveying. Unless you can act (and I can't) people can tell when you're unenthusiastic or faking it. If you are nervous about a presentation, sit down beforehand and write out what you are genuinely interested in getting across to the audience, or what it is about the subject that excites you.
I practice a LOT. I am NOT a person who can give a flawless performance the first tome around, so I practice as many times as I need to. I write myself a lot of notes. I practice and look for my crutches (I say "um" a lot so I work to recognize where I say that and then remove it).
Once I've done this homework, I feel like I have made my best effort to be prepared, and no matter what happens during the speech or presentation I give myself a break. Anyone who's ever given a speech or made a presentation knows what you're going through and unless they're a jerk, will empathize.
As for hating your voice or video/pictures of yourself, that is pretty common. Some of it has to do with how unfamiliar your recorded self looks and sounds compared to your embodied self. Start recording and even if you hate it and erase it, keep going. Eventually it will become familiar enough that you can get past the awkwardness you feel right now.
Please forgive me for digging this up again.
I've noticed a not-so-subtle difference in myself lately. Before a few weeks ago you wouldn't catch me dead speaking in front of a group of people or even raising my voice to be heard in a circle of people. The last few weeks I've been attending a support group and talking people's ears off, actually speaking aloud in front of 15-20 people. It's weird and disconcerting to suddenly see a line of heads across the tables from you turn in unison as soon as you begin to speak, but I went forth, anyway, and continued to do so.
I've even been taking a series of *gasp!* selfies and have shared a few with some people I know. I've even posted a few publicly online!
I'm still losing all confidence as soon as I hover my mouse above the "record" button in my audio app even after having all the confidence in the world on my way there. Even still, I've done it a couple of times. I hope repetition will be my key.
I've noticed a not-so-subtle difference in myself lately. Before a few weeks ago you wouldn't catch me dead speaking in front of a group of people or even raising my voice to be heard in a circle of people. The last few weeks I've been attending a support group and talking people's ears off, actually speaking aloud in front of 15-20 people. It's weird and disconcerting to suddenly see a line of heads across the tables from you turn in unison as soon as you begin to speak, but I went forth, anyway, and continued to do so.
I've even been taking a series of *gasp!* selfies and have shared a few with some people I know. I've even posted a few publicly online!
I'm still losing all confidence as soon as I hover my mouse above the "record" button in my audio app even after having all the confidence in the world on my way there. Even still, I've done it a couple of times. I hope repetition will be my key.
I’m glad that you brought it up. My attitude has changed drastically over the last six months and I’ve shifted from avoiding it at all cost or just getting it over with if it has to be done to something I wouldn’t have ever dreamed of. A YouTube channel, that I’m in, though I do need something to hold in the beer gut.
I saw the pic you posted of yourself recently, too. I'm imagining that's something you wouldn't have done, previously?
Absolutely, there was no way I was putting out a picture of myself. My self esteem was so low, my insecurities ran so deep, and I said some very mean things about Ronald D Moore after the BSG finale, and I didn’t want him to know what I look like
.
Absolutely, there was no way I was putting out a picture of myself. My self esteem was so low, my insecurities ran so deep, and I said some very mean things about Ronald D Moore after the BSG finale, and I didn’t want him to know what I look like
Seriously, though, good for you. I'm glad you're finding your confidence.
Ditto. I'm more introvert than extrovert yet have performed on stage and appeared on TV and radio. Despite innate shyness and speech impediment. I now teach undergrads which involves 3hr lecture sessions.
Best advice I've received: go into perfomer mode. If you genuinely know your subject, and can communicate your area of expertise with passion and humour, audience/students will follow. Don't bs or fake - they will always sense that. Speak slowly and clearly. And most important: lower pitch and register (which links to speaking slower).
I wonder if Brian Blessed felt silly stomping around a soundstage yelling, "QUINTILIUS VARUS, WHERE ARE MY EAGLES!!!!"?
Mind you, I'd pay attention if he just sat there and read the phone book.
It was the Grade 5/6 teacher who did that to me, openly in front of the other teachers and kids. She had this pathological need to ridicule me for transferring in from a county school (for rural kids) and seemed to think that all we learned about was farm stuff.
So I showed her: First in the class, and first in the higher-average group of Grade 6 students she had the following year. She might have considered me a country hick, but I was determined to show her that I was a smart country hick, reading at a high school level at age 10.
No teacher has the right to ridicule students, for any reason. My grandfather deprived himself of the pleasure of a lifetime of singing because one of his teachers in Sweden told him "You sing like a horse." My grandfather was so humiliated that he never sang again... until one night when I showed him one of my music books with songs in various languages. One was in Swedish, and I asked him what the words meant. He started to read them, and then he started to sing them. Turns out he had a very good singing voice, and as soon as I pointed that out, he shut up and refused to sing anymore. If I had a time machine, one of the things I'd do would be to go back to pre-WWI Sweden and kick that teacher's <anatomy>.
Funny you should mention Brian, he’s from my neck of the woods, we played the same cobbles, but, unfortunately I sound nothing like him.
Fresh horses,
Scribble and Butters, I'm really glad to hear that you are both taking the plunge and doing some public speaking, in whatever format. Thank you both for giving us an update too--I was wondering and it's nice to hear things are going well! I can tell from your posts that these are things that you have wanted to do, and that's the key thing. There's no reason not to enjoy reaching out to a larger audience to talk about things that are important to you (and to them)! Round of applause for everyone! *claps in circle*
I used to love public speaking as a kid (my elementary school teacher even put me in charge of hosting the graduation ceremony). A lot of people said "this kid is going to end up on television one day". I even wanted to become an entertainer.
I can't even imagine this anymore today, I've become extremely shy and introverted (didn't exactly have a nice childhood/adolescence, it involved a LOT of "you're no good" messages directed at me). But I can still do it somehow - a few years ago I agreed to talk about my job at a school I used to go to (as a personal favor to my favorite teacher there), and I don't remember ANYTHING. It's all blank from the moment I got up on the stage until the moment I was done and everyone was applauding. My teacher said I'd done "brilliantly" and "everybody loved it", but I don't even remember what I said, I only remember having a small note with me with a few words to use. It's like as if someone else took over, a former self or something. I also had the heaviest migraine attack I've EVER had when I got home aftwards, though, so I guess it came with some kind of price.
So, I'd love to give advice and/or tips but I don't remember. One thing I do remember tho, something a teacher told me once: "Just look at a point directly above the audience when you give a speech. Don't look down."
I can't even imagine this anymore today, I've become extremely shy and introverted (didn't exactly have a nice childhood/adolescence, it involved a LOT of "you're no good" messages directed at me). But I can still do it somehow - a few years ago I agreed to talk about my job at a school I used to go to (as a personal favor to my favorite teacher there), and I don't remember ANYTHING. It's all blank from the moment I got up on the stage until the moment I was done and everyone was applauding. My teacher said I'd done "brilliantly" and "everybody loved it", but I don't even remember what I said, I only remember having a small note with me with a few words to use. It's like as if someone else took over, a former self or something. I also had the heaviest migraine attack I've EVER had when I got home aftwards, though, so I guess it came with some kind of price.
So, I'd love to give advice and/or tips but I don't remember. One thing I do remember tho, something a teacher told me once: "Just look at a point directly above the audience when you give a speech. Don't look down."
I literally failed a college class (well, got a D, but same thing) because the final was an oral presentation. I ended up "sick" that day. My instructor offered for me to make up by presenting to a different class, but I never responded.
That's anxiety for you.
I think I passed that portion because while I was ill on the day, my resit ended up with only the instructor and one other person present.
(I also knew that the other person present had the same issue).
Apparently, I'm ok when training/teaching other people, but I really don't like doing presentations (or even being the person that the presentation is about in the case of awards etc)
Ohhhhh, I hate accepting anything resembling an award, and that includes compliments.
Similar threads
