Performance Anxiety

[drivingblind]

I'm about to drive up to the University of Delaware to do a gig tonight as a guest speaker for the UD RPG club. Freaky! (And freaked-out. )No matter how much I do it, I am incapable of shaking my tendency to have a massive case of the heebies before speaking to a roomful of folks I don't know. Stupid introversion.

Comments

[gillan]

Imagine everyone in the room is naked.

[drivingblind]

That part's easy. But it doesn't do much for my nerves. :)

[mattcaron]

Depends.. given my experience w/ the gaming club at the University of Rhode Island, that would not be a good idea if you wished to keep your lunch down.

[macklinr]

You and me both.

[jimhenley]

It probably means I'm a psychopath, but it's been years since I suffered anything like stage fright. When I ask myself if there's anything I *do* to not have stage fright that might be useful the closest thing I can come to is, pick out three or for friendly-seeming faces right off the bat, and decide that, "I'm here to talk to YOU!" I mean, three or four people is no big deal, right?

[chadu]

give 'em hell!

;)

cu

[justinjacobson]

I say by way of my authority to speak on the matter and not to brag, but I've done a ton of public speaking. Nothing gets me nervous like making an argument before a three-judge appellate panel, with my client's fate hanging in the balance.

Here's the deal: You will get nervous. Everyone gets nervous because, at its foundation, public speaking involves putting yourself out for other people to judge in a real and immediate way (as opposed to, say, publishing a book, which results in delayed, studied review).

Forget the old saw about picturing people in the nude. That's a distraction technique, which doesn't really address the problem. So here's the trick: Memorize the first sentence of your speech, type out the first paragraph of your speech, and only outline the rest of your speech. In a very practical way, this ensures that you get through the opening of the speech smoothly, letting you get comfortable, at which point your genuine knowledge of the subject matter lets you speak naturally without reference to specific notes.

Good