When your knees are shaking before the lecture

Are you also one of those people who feel completely different from stage fright just at the thought of expressing themselves publicly? Who already break out in a sweat at the idea of giving a speech or presentation in front of an audience?

If so, they are not alone. The so unnecessary "disease" stage fright has very, very many people in its grip.

Also accomplished speakers or presenters , even acts, many of them are shaken by stage fright before every performance. But, these professionals have instruments and techniques at hand that help reduce stage fright to a tolerable level. A certain performance nervousness is even very important in order to really be able to perform at your best. But if this excitement goes so far that your legs visibly shake, your brain feels empty, you can't think rationally and, above all, your voice trembles audibly – then action is needed to get your stage fright under control.

Talk and present better with these 9 laws of rhetoric

The effects of stage fright

What exactly is it that inhibits people in front of an audience? What does competent, self-confident people turn into a pile of misery within a few seconds when they step in front of colleagues or contractual partners to speak to them? These people are totally fit in their knowledge and know their topic. In one-on-one conversations, they can express themselves elegantly, and are usually also charming and spontaneous. But then, in the midst of an audience, you seem like anxious children, insecure, in need of protection and clearly show that they actually just want to escape. Her whole body betrays tension. Their suddenly timid voice and the tight gestures they show make them seem small. Many people who present something under such an attack of stage fright keep their elbows close to the chest, as if direct contact with the ribs could protect them. This is exactly what constricts, prevents inviting gestures and, above all, hinders breathing. This attitude is pure poison for the voice!

Where does stage fright come from?

People who are so over-nervous are about to perform, are under extreme pressure to perform, which they have imposed on themselves. They want to be perfect. This then leads to excessive self-control. They also want to be perfect at overcoming these inhibitions in a few seconds before public speaking and tense up even more. Inner voices suddenly whisper to them:

"They're watching you! And it was very precise." And:
"They ask themselves: Are you good enough?" Or:
"Others may be much better than you ..." .

That can be enough to freak out for good and no longer be the master of the Voice and rhetoric ... These thoughts very often come from childhood, where we were always admonished not to be too present, not to be too loud and always to pay attention to what others think of us. Spontaneity was not so welcome, parents and grandparents urged restraint. These patterns are still the enemies of every lecturer today. Before every performance, be aware: There is an audience out there that wants to hear you, that is waiting for your knowledge and your impulses and ideas. You may, indeed you must, be louder and more visible. They are waiting for you!

And pretending to be dead doesn't help either ...

You often hear: Allow your creativity during performances, don't suppress it. For our creativity to live, it needs joy, curiosity, space. Creativity resides in the limbic brain, where feelings and relationships connect. But that's not so easy on stage. If you do not succeed in getting to this region of inspiration, then your body is under stress.

Her brain pumps an overdose of adrenaline into her veins.
Everything they try to think or say is flooded with fear.

That's how you sound. And you radiate your stage fright from every pore. You reflect stage fright into your audience, which no longer feels comfortable either. You feel shame on stage because you know how you look or don't seem at the moment. This shame is transported to the viewers, who are ashamed of you. No one in the hall is in its midst. And now you feel only one wish: escape! Her brain stem wants to protect her and get her off this stage as quickly as possible. Since this is not possible, many mega nervous speakers then fall into the old reflex of pretending to be dead or its possible variants on stage: Small gestures, all movements freeze, the voice dies in the truest sense of the word. There are also no longer any facial expressions worth mentioning.

When the voice exposes your stage fright

And then you might hide even your hands behind your back when they are shaking with nervousness. Or you have rehearsed certain greeting gestures that are supposed to make you look confident. But when you open your mouth and the first note becomes audible, the cruel truth can no longer be denied: you stand there vocally naked. Pure. Genuine. Your voice is the clear indicator for your audience. You could also say that the voice is the unmistakable traitor par excellence of what it really looks like inside you. However impressive your first sentence may be in terms of content, when the voice flutters, you are exposed!

If that's the case, it's time to tear down these inhibiting barriers in your head and actively work on eliminating your stage fright. However, before you get to know the important tools for this, some reflective thoughts are in order, to which I would like to invite you.

For you, stage fright only has to do with performances in front of numerous people, on big stages? And do you perhaps not feel affected because there are no such situations in your life?
Think about the everyday moments in which you delay certain conversations or confrontations because you don't feel comfortable with them and would prefer not to have these conversations at all. For example, asking the boss for a salary increase, the deep inner tension before a delicate customer meeting, the clarifying conversation with a colleague that is long overdue ...
All this and much more are moments when stage fright aspects may occur before you speak.

The effect of stage fright is also and especially rampant in our everyday lives! That's why it's such an important topic that everyone should really deal with, for more persuasiveness in life.

During the next few days and weeks, observe for yourself which reaction applies to you in exactly which situations, what the trigger is and what symptoms you can note.

In second part of this article I accompany you in applying five highly effective strategies against tension, fear of speaking and stage fright.

You

Arno Fischbacher

I look forward to your comments and thoughts:

Welche Erlebnisse verbinden Sie mit dem Thema Lampenfieber? Haben Sie selbst Lampenfieber? Was ist Ihr bestes “Rezept” gegen Lampenfieber? Schreiben Sie Ihre Gedanken und Erlebnisse als Kommentar!

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The author:

Arno Fischbacher is a business voice coach and rhetoric expert, speaker and author. He prepares executives and employees of the top companies in Germany and Austria for negotiations, presentations and media appearances. Fischbacher is the author of several books, past president of the German Speakers Association (GSA) Austria, chairman of the European Network of Voice Experts, stimme.at.

If you would like to learn more about specific training opportunities with Arno Fischbacher, make an appointment here free information talk.

How to get your stage fright under control – Part 1

When your knees are shaking before the lecture