Even the most self-confident actor can suffer from stage fright. It is a common fear that affects Broadway actors as well as professional presenters. If you are stage frightened, you may begin to shake, feel nervous, or even utterly debilitated at the thought of performing in front of an audience. Don't worry - you can overcome stage fright by training your body and mind to relax and trying a few tricks. If you want to know how, follow these simple steps.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Overcoming Stage Fear on Performance Day
Step 1. Relax your body
To overcome stage fright, you can do a few things to relax your body before you step on. Relieving tension can help you have a firmer voice and relax your mind. Repeat your part. If you make a mistake on stage, don't panic! Pretend it's all prepared. Here are some things you can do to relax before a performance:
- Hum to clear your throat.
- Eat a banana before the performance. You will avoid those feelings of an empty stomach or nausea without feeling too full.
- Chew gum. Chewing gum can relieve tension in the jaw. Don't chew it for too long or on an empty stomach or you may irritate your digestive system.
- Do some stretching. Stretching your arms, legs, back, and shoulders is a great way to reduce tension in the body.
- You pretend to play a different character. This could help you put the public pressure aside.
Step 2. Meditate
In the morning before the performance or even just an hour before, dedicate 15-20 minutes to meditation. Find a relatively quiet place where you can sit on the ground. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing, relaxing every part of your body.
- Place your hands on your lap and fold your legs.
- Try to reach a state where you don't think about anything other than relaxing your body, one part at a time - especially where you don't think about your performance.
Step 3. Avoid caffeine
Unless you normally have a caffeine addiction, don't drink too much on the day of the performance. You may think that you will be able to perform with more energy, but in fact you will just feel more nervous and irritable.
Step 4. Set a time to stop feeling anxious
On the day of the performance, tell yourself that you may be nervous for some time, but that after a certain hour - such as 3:00 pm - the anxiety will be pushed aside. Set this goal and making a promise to yourself will help you achieve your purpose.
Step 5. Get some physical activity
Physical activity relieves tension and stimulates the production of endorphins. Make time for at least thirty minutes of training on the day of the performance, or at least for a half-hour walk. This way you will prepare the body for a spectacular performance.
Step 6. Laugh as much as possible
Watch a comedy in the morning, your favorite YouTube video, or spend the afternoon with the funniest person in the company. Laughing will relax you and won't make you think about nervousness.
Step 7. Show up early
Show up at the performance venue before the audience. You will feel much more in control if the room fills up after you arrive. Introducing yourself early will also help calm your nerves because you won't feel the rush.
Step 8. Talk to audience members
Some people like to sit in the audience and start talking to feel comfortable. This will let you know that audience members are normal people like you and will help you manage expectations. You can also sit in the audience as the audience fills up without telling anyone who you are - this of course can only work if you're not wearing a stage costume.
Step 9. Imagine your favorite person in the audience
Instead of imagining every person in the audience in underwear - which can be weird - imagine that every row of the stalls is filled with clones of your favorite person. A person who loves you and will listen and approve of whatever you say or do. A person who will laugh at the right moments, encourage you and clap loudly at the end of the performance.
Step 10. Drink some citrus juice
Drinking citrus juice half an hour before a performance can lower your blood pressure and ease anxiety.
Step 11. Recite the words of your favorite song or poem
Following a comfortable pace will make you feel more at peace and in control. If you feel comfortable reciting the words of your favorite song, you will feel more comfortable reciting your lines.
Part 2 of 4: Overcoming Stage Fear for a Speech or Presentation
Step 1. Make your work interesting
This advice may seem trivial to you, but one cause of your fear is the worry that everyone thinks you are boring. You might be because maybe your material is boring. Even if you are presenting or talking about very dry material, think about ways to make it more accessible and engaging. You will be less concerned with the presentation if you know that the content is valid.
If that's the case, try to elicit a few laughs. Make a few jokes to relieve tension and relax the audience
Step 2. Consider the audience
When creating and testing your presentation, consider the needs, notions and expectations of the audience. If you're speaking to a young audience, adjust your content, voice, and speech accordingly. If the audience is older and more rigid, be more practical and logical. You'll be less nervous if you know you can get your message across to the public.
Step 3. Don't tell people you're nervous
Don't show up on stage making a joke about your nervousness. Everyone will think you are safe because you are on stage. Saying you're nervous might make you feel better, but it will make the audience lose confidence.
Step 4. Register
Movies during the presentation. Keep looking at yourself and making corrections until you can say "Wow, what a great presentation!". If you don't like how you look on video, you won't like it in person either. Continue until everything is as you wish. When you get on stage, just remember how wonderful you were in the video, and convince yourself that you can do even better.
Step 5. Move, but don't fidget nervously
You can ease your nervousness and get closer to the audience by moving back and forth on stage. If you move with energy and gesticulate with emphasis, you will be able to overcome the fear of the stage by moving. However, avoid fiddling with clasped hands, touching your hats, or nervously touching the microphone or the sheets of your speech.
Fiddling around will only raise the tension and convey your discomfort to the audience
Step 6. Slow down
Most public speakers express their fear by going too fast. You may be speaking fast because you are nervous and want to finish the speech or presentation quickly, but this will prevent you from better articulating your ideas and reaching the audience. People who speak too early often don't even notice they are speaking, so remember to pause for a second after each concept, and leave room for the audience to react after the main points.
- Slowing down will also reduce the likelihood of biting your words or making mistakes.
- Time your presentation. Get used to the pace you need to keep to finish your presentation on time. Have a watch on hand and check it from time to time to make sure you stay on schedule.
Step 7. Ask how it went
If you really want to improve your fear of the stage, you should ask the audience how it went after the presentation, by handing out polls, or by asking if colleagues can give you their honest opinion. Knowing what you did right will allow you to feel more confident and knowing how to improve will help you the next time you step on stage.
Part 3 of 4: General Strategies for Overcoming Stage Fear
Step 1. Pretend security
Even if you tremble all over and your heart is pounding, act like the calmest person in the world. Walk with your head held high and with a bright smile, without telling anyone how nervous you are. Maintain this posture when you step on stage and you will start to feel really confident.
- Look straight ahead and not at the ground.
- Don't bend your back forward.
Step 2. Create a ritual
Come up with a foolproof ritual for the day of the performance. You can go for a three mile run on the morning of a performance, eat the same "last meal", or maybe sing a specific song in the shower or put on your lucky socks. Do what you have to do to achieve success.
A good luck charm is a very important component of a ritual. You can use a piece of jewelry that is important to you, or a stuffed animal to cheer for you from the dressing room
Step 3. Think positive
Focus on success and don't think about everything that can go wrong. Fight every negative thought with five positives. Keep a card with motivational phrases in your pocket, or do what you have to do to focus on what you will gain from the performance instead of focusing on the fears and anxieties you feel.
Step 4. Listen to the advice of the professionals
If you have a friend who is highly skilled on stage, ask for their advice. You may learn new tricks and be comforted that almost everyone suffers from stage fright, no matter how confident they are.
Part 4 of 4: Overcoming Stage Fear for an Acting Performance
Step 1. Visualize success
Before you go on stage, imagine that you perform perfectly. Imagine a standing ovation, with the whole audience smiling and hearing the voices of colleagues and the director praising you for your outstanding work. The more you focus on the best possible outcome instead of worrying about the worst case scenario, the more likely you are to be successful. Imagine being wonderful on stage from an audience point of view.
- Start well in advance. Start visualizing your success from the moment you get hired for the part. Get into the habit of imagining your great job.
- As the show's start date approaches, you can work harder to visualize your success by imagining your great work every night before bed and every morning when you wake up.
Step 2. Practice as much as possible
Do this until you memorize your part. Remember the words of the person speaking before you, so you can know when it's your time to step on the scene. Practice in front of family, friends, or even stuffed animals or empty chairs to get used to performing in front of people.
- Part of the stage fright comes from the thought of forgetting your lines and not knowing what to do. The best way to avoid forgetting is to become as familiar as possible with what you have to say.
- Practicing in front of other people will help you get used to the fact that you won't be reciting your lines by yourself. Sure, you might know them perfectly well when you are alone in your room, but everything will be different in front of the audience.
Step 3. Get into character
If you really want to get over the stage fright, commit to really getting into your character's actions, thoughts and concerns. The more in tune you are with the character you are portraying, the more likely it is to forget your fears. Imagine that you are really that person instead of being a nervous actor trying to play them.
Step 4. Observe your performance
Gain confidence by reciting your lines in front of the mirror. You can even video record your performance to see how good you are, and look for parts to improve. If you keep filming and watching yourself for perfection, you will be much more likely to be successful on stage.
- By looking back on yourself you can also overcome your fear of the unknown. If you know exactly what impression you make, you will feel more comfortable on stage.
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Watch your body language and see how you move your hands when you speak.
Note: This advice may not work for everyone. This trick may make some people worry even more, that they will think too much about how they move. If looking at yourself makes you feel more nervous, avoid this advice
Step 5. Learn to improvise
Improvisation is a skill that all good actors should master. Improvising will help you prepare for the unexpected on stage. Many actors are so worried about forgetting lines or making mistakes that they often fail to realize that this is just as likely to happen to their colleagues; knowing how to improvise will help you feel comfortable with having to come up with something in the moment and prepare for whatever happens.
- Improvising will also help you understand that you can't control every aspect of your performance. It's not about being perfect - it's about being able to react to every situation.
- Don't look lost or surprised if something unexpected happens. Remember that the audience does not have the script with them and that they will understand that you made a mistake only if you make it obvious.
Step 6. Move your body
Start keeping yourself physically active before and during the performance to relieve tension and keep the audience's attention. Of course, you should only move when your character should, but make the most of every movement and gesture to relax your body through the activity.
Step 7. Turn off your mind
When on stage, focus only on your words, your body and your facial expressions. Don't waste time thinking and asking yourself unnecessary questions. Start enjoying the performance and living in the moment, whether you need to sing, dance or recite lines. If you learn to turn your mind off and get into the part completely, the audience will notice.
Advice
- If you are afraid of eye contact with the audience, stare at the wall or a light during the performance.
- Some of the greatest actors or dancers are afraid of the stage. Don't think you are the only one. Throw yourself in and soon you will be so involved that you will forget you are on stage.
- Remember, the public will not eat you! Relax and enjoy. Acting is serious, but you can still have fun.
- Imagine you are at home rehearsing or with your friends.
- Practice in front of family first and then friends and you'll soon have the audience cheering!
- Practice with small groups of people first before moving on to large ones.
- If your first performance goes well, you will likely be less afraid in the future.
- If you make a mistake, who cares! You will laugh at it in the future.
- Don't be ashamed to try in front of your family first.
- Pretend you are alone and no one is looking at you.
Warnings
- Go to the bathroom before you perform!
- Don't overeat before a performance, it could make you nauseous. You will be able to eat as much as you like after the performance.
- Unless you have to wear a stage costume, put on something that makes you feel comfortable and comfortable. This way you won't have to worry about your appearance when on stage. Make sure you are not wearing anything too low-cut, and that what you are wearing is suitable for your performance.
- Prepare yourself best. Exercise is key, and the more you practice, the more confident you will feel. This way you will also improve the quality of your performance.
- Remember your attack! One of the most common mistakes leading players make is knowing their side, but not knowing when to attack. You could cause very embarrassing silences if you don't remember your attacks.
