How to Overcome Stage Fright and be Stage Ready ?
Glossophobia (uneasiness due to public oratory) is a universal fear affecting around 75% of the population. Fright of death comes next. Oratory students know that preparing for it takes much more than just having good content.
At the same time, when addressing the viewers, even those who have years of experience in speech-making can feel anxious and nervous while going on stage. Due to a lack of proper scientific education on the critical topic of rhetoric and given little professional help and expert guidance, some people resort to the trial and error method. However, the good news is that with the help of specific tips and guidelines, speech-making can turn from Stage Fright to Stage Ready experience.
When preparing a speech it is best to make it simple. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Say less, but say it well. That should be the key to an effective presentation. Cut down on anything irrelevant or offensive from your speech. Brevity is the soul of wit. There is no point in talking about everything under the sun. Winston Churchill once said, “A good speech is like a woman’s skirt: Long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest.” Long-winded descriptions lead the speakers to nowhere. The natural substance of your speech should be only dwelling upon what is innovative and novel. That is how the audience will remember your address for a long time and appreciate it as well.
Don’t utter anything irrelevant or offensive. Don’t try to make others fool by saying anything that may seem funny to you, but has no relevance to what you’re supposed to speak. Come up with relevant examples or share your personal experiences. Keep in mind that a good speaker can interest people with his words so that they’re bound to listen.
It is well-advised not to lose your individuality while you make a speech. You may be an energetic speaker or flamboyant introvert or extraordinarily extrovert, or even have a combination of different styles. If you stick to your core individuality, if you stick to being yourself, the audience will lap it up and love it. There is room for every style.
When we talk about style, we talk about charisma. You can be charismatic by what you do and how you do it and are willing to learn and make extra efforts for it rather than what you are. You can boost your style or charisma by following these ten simple steps.
1. Plan your speech well in advance: Write it down beforehand. Start talking to yourself in a loud voice for two days. Repeat this (I am a strong speaker).
2. Practice the speech in front of a mirror and by heart. Improve your body language and confidence. It could show your level of confidence. Face yourself by the mirror and keep talking with a loud voice for two days — repeat (I am a strong speaker, and I can be whatever I want).
3. Pay attention to body language by keeping your back straight and looking in the eyes of the audience.
4. Making eye contact or looking towards the crowd will indeed show you as a good speaker, even if you have to read out some script or speak from some “learned by heart speech.”
5. If possible, walk on the stage while talking. Remember, if you’re not confident, the audience will know it before you.
6. Put others’ needs above your fears: If you’ve practised well, surely nothing can go wrong. Take deep breaths just before the event. Remember, when you’re speaking in front of an audience, you’re educating them on that topic. So, put their needs above your fear.
7. Do not fear being laughed at; if things do not go as anticipated, then the possibility is that your fear may overwhelm your confidence.
8. There is nothing wrong with accepting that a few knowledgeable people in the audience or something may go wrong somewhere, but it hardly matters. Nonetheless, most genuine people will always support your earnest efforts, and a few people who are not public speakers themselves will doubt you. In such a scenario, you should not care as much as no one bothers.
9. Never underestimate yourself and never overestimate the audience. And remember, there is always next time. On a bad day, learn from your mistake and prepare well for your speech and come out as a winner.
10. Watch recordings of speeches: Watch famous Ted Talks. Watching recordings of some talks of your niche will help you articulate your tone well. Record a video of yourself while talking about random topics every day for two days and observe and improve upon the shortcomings.
Here’s a list of ten things that we should consciously avoid while delivering the speech. The results will follow:
1. Do not attempt too many tricks as it can detract you from the point you’re trying to get across to your audience.
2. Do not be emotional as it may show you as someone who isn’t open to others’ points of view.
3. Do not stray from the central theme, as chances are, you may forget where you started.
4. Do not make up your statistics. There is always a possibility of someone from the audience catching you on the wrong foot.
5. Do not bash individuals or organizations during a speech. You may entertain the audience, but you could never become a good speaker. Do not test the audience’s tolerance levels by dragging on and on with your speech.
6. Do not speak in a monotone or be dominating. Learn to break the monotony. Learn to listen to the audience and answer questions.
7. Never tell your audience that you are boring. It ranks number one on putting yourself down in front of an audience. Do not generalize: Be specific. By generalization, you let people know how ignorant you are of the given topic.
8. Do not make it oblivious to the audience that you are the last-minute replacement for a speaker. Please do not make the audience wonder why they had to sit through that.
9. Do not give clichéd quotes: Come up with something light, new, and yet innovative stories. Do not read from a prepared text on the stage. Instead, remember the key points. Do not tell about your personal life as it interests no one but you. Keep the family stories out of the speech unless relevant to the given topic.
10. Similarly, your achievements are significant to no one but you. Refrain from highlighting yourself. Be modest. Do not give just a regular speech and nothing remarkable which would make people forget it immediately. A typical address would mean you’ve failed to create an impact on the audience. Do not fail to get quality feedback from someone you think will review your content and suggest changes. Never give an “It’s not my day” excuse for a poor speech. Everyone has a bad day. Learning from your mistakes and evolving decides how good a speaker you are.
These tips and regular practice will help you transfer from feeling frightened at the very thought of making public speeches to gradually making you confident and stage-ready.
Hope you liked this article!
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