Tips To Overcome Stage Fright

Fear of speaking before an audience plagues many of us. It certainly held me captive for a few years in my early legal career. Yet, whether standing on stage to deliver an extemporaneous speech or before your boss and co-workers when you give a presentation, or in front of assembled family members or friends, the ability to get past stage fright is a useful skill to master. Here are some suggestions shared by 12 of my students when they were given a homework related to tips on overcoming stage fright:

BE PREPARED

Preparation is the key to a successful speech so whenever you are about to give a speech, you should prepare your materials in advance by doing research or discuss with someone who has knowledge in that particular subject. - Nurul Izzah

Choose a topic that is very close to our hearts and that we can relate to. The topic should have an impact on us, so much that we want to share it with others and hope they will gain benefit from our knowledge and experience in return. This tip will also allow our personality to come through during our speech. If our personality shines through, the audience will trust what we say because they see us as a credible person. - Sufi Nerina

Nervousness is normal, but excessive nervousness can affect our public speaking. So it is very important for us to be well-prepared and keep on practicing before we do public speaking. For instance, we can make a video and record ourselves while doing our speech. Then, listen and watch the recording and make some notes on how we could make it better. Pay attention to your body movements and facial expressions. - Nurul 'Izzah

CALM DOWN AND RELAX 

Learn your anxiety triggers, look for patterns and find a way to work around it. - Syaqirah

Practise speaking in front of the mirror at least 30 minutes a day. It might seem weird at first but eventually your stuttering and anxiety will be gone eventually. - Sharifah Sherlene Ameena

By practicing calming breath methods, we will provide sufficient amount of oxygen to our body. This will ease down the panic attack. We will fidget less and be calmer. - Siti Sabina

When stuttering occurs, the solution is to slow down. Pause your speech for a few seconds to allow your brain to catch up with your thoughts. Moreover, try singing or reading aloud to practice pronouncing particular words that sound similar. This practice will help you to pronounce the words correctly. - Amalia Filzah

BE POSITIVE ABOUT YOURSELF

Have a good sense of self-confidence and a positive mindset. One must get rid of and avoid any negative perceptions, thoughts, scenarios, and predictions related to the outcome and the backlash of the given speech. - Nurin Kamilia

When it comes to public speaking, some of us tend to kick ourselves over every little perceived mistake we make. The truth is even the most experienced speakers make many mistakes. The audience will never know most of your mistakes, unless you confess them.  Carry on with poise.  Give yourself permission not to be perfect. Keep going gracefully, and all is well. - Quratul Huda

CONTROL YOUR NERVES 

Rushing is an obvious sign of nervousness. Do not rush when speaking as it would also make others feel uncomfortable as they cannot grasp the points in our speech. Most of the time, those who rush their speech tend to stumble upon their words. Therefore, speak in slow pace to make your points clear to enable others understand easily. - Wan Nurazimah

Exercise is also the most important tool for reducing nervousness. This is because, exercising increases production of relaxing neurotransmitters. Meanwhile, the hormones caused by stress and tiring muscles are simultaneously burned which make the symptoms less severe. - Nurin Khairina

Regarding the issue with the constant use of vocal fillers - an example for this is ‘uh’ and ‘hmm’. This will cause audience to feel uncomfortable and bored. By slowing down speech tempo, we can control this problem. It is okay to pause for a moment during speech. Monotonous speech can be prevented by playing with our voice intonation, for instance raising our tone when emphasizing an important point. - Syed Luqmanulhakim