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Tested tips and tricks on feeling less anxious before and during a performance
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Dry mouth, nausea, clammy and shaking hands. Are you sick? Not exactly. You have stage fright. Performing in front of an audience can be scary. Whether you’re acting in a play, giving a speech, or presenting a slide show, the pre-performance jitters can creep up on you. But you’re not alone. Every performer experiences stage fright at least once in their lives, and they’ve come up with plenty of tips and tricks to help you overcome it. After reading our article, you’ll know how to get in front of that audience feeling a million times better!
Things You Should Know
- Move your body to shake off those nerves by going for a walk, dancing around, or shimming your body before you step on stage.
- Make time in your performance day routine to relax and sit with your thoughts.
- Kick the fear of failure to the curb by practicing every day by yourself or in front of a rehearsal audience.
Steps
Expert Q&A
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QuestionI'm worried that everyone will know I'm nervous. What should I do?Ben Whitehair is a Social Media Expert and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of TSMA Consulting. With over a decade of experience in the social media space, he specializes in leveraging social media for business and building relationships. He also focuses on social media’s impact on the entertainment industry. Ben graduated summa cum laude from The University of Colorado at Boulder with BAs in Theatre and Political Science as well as a Leadership Certificate. In addition to his work as CIO, Ben is a certified business and mindset coach and Executive Vice President of SAG-AFTRA. He is also a successful entrepreneur as the Co-Founder of Working.Actor, the premier business academy and coaching community for actors.Bill Hader talks about how he used to be so nervous he would throw up every single time before he went on Saturday Night Live. But if you watch him, you don't think, "Oh, I bet he was so nervous." It's actually possible to feel nervous and have the audience not experience that. They might see you as very confident, even if inside you're freaking out.
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QuestionWhat can I do before an acting performance to calm down?Ben Whitehair is a Social Media Expert and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of TSMA Consulting. With over a decade of experience in the social media space, he specializes in leveraging social media for business and building relationships. He also focuses on social media’s impact on the entertainment industry. Ben graduated summa cum laude from The University of Colorado at Boulder with BAs in Theatre and Political Science as well as a Leadership Certificate. In addition to his work as CIO, Ben is a certified business and mindset coach and Executive Vice President of SAG-AFTRA. He is also a successful entrepreneur as the Co-Founder of Working.Actor, the premier business academy and coaching community for actors.I'm a big fan of mantras for meditation. The exact mantra will be based on the individual, but having a personal mantra that you can repeat to yourself before going on stage or camera can be really helpful.
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QuestionHow can I make my nerves completely go away before going on stage?Ben Whitehair is a Social Media Expert and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of TSMA Consulting. With over a decade of experience in the social media space, he specializes in leveraging social media for business and building relationships. He also focuses on social media’s impact on the entertainment industry. Ben graduated summa cum laude from The University of Colorado at Boulder with BAs in Theatre and Political Science as well as a Leadership Certificate. In addition to his work as CIO, Ben is a certified business and mindset coach and Executive Vice President of SAG-AFTRA. He is also a successful entrepreneur as the Co-Founder of Working.Actor, the premier business academy and coaching community for actors.See if you can channel that nervous energy somewhere as opposed to trying to make it go away, which generally doesn't work. What we resist persists. If you're just trying to make your nerves go away, that may not be as effective as embracing your nervousness and channeling it into your performance.
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Tips
- Everyone wants you to succeed. No one is out to get you—they’re rooting for you! [14] X Research sourceThanks
- Fake confidence is still confidence. If all else fails, put on the persona of the most confident person in the world.Thanks
- Ask a seasoned performer or presenter for advice to see if they have any helpful tricks. Everyone deals with stage fright at some point, even the pros!Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- If you're a musician, make sure you have a section of your music that you can go back to automatically if you lose your place. And remember that the audience will likely not know if you make a mistake, so just go with it!
- If you're performing in front of people you know, focus on the person in the crowd that you trust the most and can be most yourself in front of.
- Imagine that all the audience members are clones of you favorite person. If that doesn't work, then pick any random spot and stare at it.
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References
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/exercise-and-stress/art-20044469
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456
- ↑ https://operationmeditation.com/discover/four-ways-how-to-overcome-stage-fright/
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6366876/
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-science-willpower/200910/change-your-posture
- ↑ https://www.helpguide.org/articles/anxiety/how-to-stop-worrying.htm
- ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/nerves.html
- ↑ https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/performance-anxiety
- ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4814782/
- ↑ https://nationalsocialanxietycenter.com/social-anxiety/public-speaking-anxiety/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/UfLLm-TR_fM?t=102
- ↑ https://www.fords.org/blog/post/strategies-for-students-overcome-stage-fright-in-public-speaking-or-performance/
- ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/specific-phobias/expert-answers/fear-of-public-speaking/faq-20058416
- ↑ https://youtu.be/yYkwSJsyo2s?t=64
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Reader Success Stories
- "I'm a student in the theater program at my school. Now, this one girl who is very, very shy, but super sweet. I am am trying to help her overcome her stage fright. This was a very helpful article and I cannot wait to use some of the methods." ..." more
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"I'm a student in the theater program at my school. Now, this one girl who is very, very shy, but super sweet. I am am trying to help her overcome her stage fright. This was a very helpful article and I cannot wait to use some of the methods."
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"I'm going to be trying out for a musical in a couple of weeks, but I am scared of messing up in front of people so I get stage fright. Now when I go into my audition I'll try to remember these steps."
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"It helps me because I am having a talent show. I am in music class and there will be about 400 eyes staring at me, so I will imagine my BFF will be there. I am so excited I can hardly wait!"
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"The presentation is lively. I liked tips: recording my voice, exercise, and believing in what I am saying, making others know what they must know about the subject. Thank you."
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"I really liked how the guide gave tips like exercising and turning off your mind for the performance so you can enjoy it instead of being nervous."
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