October 14, 2022
Reframing Stage Fright (pt4)
And the replies just keep rolling in regarding stage fright... (shared with permission):
Alex DiVecchio
Love the simple reframe.
About 10 years ago, my girlfriend at the time told me this quote, and it was a game changer for me, because at the time I was doing an improv class and toastmasters.
“Fear [or nervousness in our case] is excitement without the breath.”
As I’ve gotten older, another thing that helped me is the “giving value / maturity” frame. If I think about how my speech is going to benefit the people in the audience, and how that’s an act of love, it becomes empowering for me and almost a spiritual act. On the flip side, I’ll also think about how it’s immature and selfish to think about myself and worry, when the point of the talk is to give value to others.
A good “toward” motivation and “away from” motivation 😎
Cheers,
Alex
Sean Boyce
What a great thread!
This reminds me of an event I was at years ago where someone was on stage giving a presentation and they started to really struggle. Instead of sitting silent or judging the person the crowd started to cheer them on and encourage them! It was really really cool. The encouragement made said individual feel more comfortable and the rest of the presentation went swimmingly. It was great to be a part of that experience.
Talk soon,
Sean
Kamran Ayub
On the first episode of my podcast, the guest shared that they would take a shot of whiskey before going on stage 🤘
Cheers,
Kamran
Paul Irwin
Hi Jonathan,
I’ve found that it’s just the initial minute I struggle with.
The awkward introduction and beginning of a call/meeting especially with a new client. It’s like there’s a huge build up of nervous energy/excitement/fear triggering a bit of fight or flight – but once that passes I’m completely fine.
I think some hints or tips on getting through that first 2mins would be helpful for your audience 😉
Some thing that works for me is quickly reflecting on past successes (INTERNALLY) and having a quick intro that FEELS NATURAL TO SAY (and even tailored for that particular client) ready for the inevitable “let’s do some quick introductions”
Also having that first sentence ready “Thanks for inviting me to work with you on this, I’m really excited to get started on the project. I’ve read the (etc etc) but perhaps it would be useful for you to give me a quick overview of the main reasons you are doing this etc etc” – also seems to settle me down.
Great emails as always and thanks for your discussion on this topic!
Best wishes,
Paul
Yours,
—J