In his life, almost every person is faced with the need to speak at an event that can positively affect his future, study or career. Confident and informative speech is the key to success. Some people are unable to pull themselves together and cope with fear. Therefore, information on how to overcome anxiety before a performance on your own remains relevant for people of different ages and specialties.

Why does fear appear?

Excitement and fear of performing on stage manifest themselves in varying degrees - some feel it to the point of nausea and dizziness, others have sweaty hands. To know which ways to overcome this problem to choose, you need to study the reasons for its occurrence:

fear of a large number of strangers and public places due to one’s own insecurity and unsociability;
fear of forgetting words, making a mistake, looking stupid;
the false belief that the public is determined to strictly evaluate the performer is biased towards him.

The formation of these factors occurs in childhood. In public places, you can often witness parents trying to calm down a loudly talking baby.

There may also be a reason such as a bad experience in the past. If a person has already had the opportunity to perform on stage, and it did not go as smoothly as expected, he is especially afraid of being in front of an audience again.

Whatever the cause of stage fright, there are a number of effective methods to overcome it.

Why you shouldn't be afraid to perform

When the reasons for panic in public speaking are known, it is much easier to overcome it, but initially we need to try to convince ourselves that we are worrying so much in vain.

The audience will not at all look for any shortcomings of the speaker. People want to gain information from or enjoy a speech. The musician should focus as much as possible on the instrument and try to convey to the viewer the emotional meaning of the composition. But a performer with a serious report or presentation needs to control the “meticulousness” of his story.

Whatever the topic is related to public speaking, it is important to remember its advantages:

improvement of skills during careful preparation;
a chance to be noticed by professionals;
gaining the experience necessary for future performances.

If anxiety and fear still persist, some tips will help.

Preparation and numerous rehearsals play an important role. Knowing your weaknesses makes it easy to understand what you need to work hard on. They can be identified by friends acting as listeners, or by a thorough analysis of your own program.
Looking at yourself from the outside is also the key to success. The viewer is an ordinary person who wants to have a good time and get positive emotions, relax mentally and physically. It is necessary to know the preferences and needs of the audience, then it will be easy to overcome anxious thoughts that they will not like the performance.
In literature and the Internet there are many special simple practices and exercises that will help you learn to communicate with the viewer and fight excessive isolation.
You need to imagine the ideal performance, “act out” it in advance, think about what things make the performance unforgettable. The viewer will remember good mood the speaker, his infectious smile, dialogue with the audience.
It is important to think over your appearance and do this not an hour before the event, but at least a day before. Clothing should be comfortable and not embarrassing, first of all, for the speaker himself. Comfortable does not mean homely; the dress code must correspond to the theme of the performance, create a certain mood, and be part of the performance.
The night before X-Day, you can take pills to relieve anxiety and stress, or drink herbal tea with lemon balm, mint or chamomile. Healthy sleep is the key to a successful day. Some effective drugs: Novo-Passit - medicine plant origin, normalizing work nervous system; Motherwort forte - gently relieves anxiety and has a beneficial effect on mood; Persen - copes well with insomnia and stress, maintains energy during the day.
Taking a bath with foam and oils. Warm water will relieve emotional and physical stress, help you calm down and find inner balance. While enjoying the procedure, you can mentally repeat the upcoming performance, because people are more courageous in private than in front of an audience.

What will help you calm down before a performance?

Famous musicians and speakers recommend several breathing exercises that will help you relax and overcome the fear of performing. Take a deep breath, count to three, and then exhale and repeat this 10 times. To get it out of my head unnecessary thoughts, it is worth thinking about what awaits the speaker after the event - applause, compliments, a delicious dinner, a relaxing bath.

This encourages and gives rise to the desire to perform rather than run from the stage. You will still have to have something light to eat; it is not recommended to perform on an empty stomach - usually malnutrition makes itself felt at the wrong time. This will make you nervous and want to satisfy the need rather than put all your effort into the performance.

Just before going on stage, do a few exercises to cope with anxiety:

Breathing exercises are very effective. First you need to take a few deep breaths, and then alternately close one nostril and breathe in the second. It is important to imagine that calm and confidence are entering your lungs with air, and tension and fear are being exhaled.
Warm-up of the whole body is useful. You need to take a deep breath and, as you exhale, straighten everything possible - your back, neck, arms, fingers. Be sure to stay in this position for a few minutes and then slowly sit down and relax.
So that people are not afraid of a too tight smile and tightening of the facial muscles, you can do this simple action: lower your head and gently shake it from side to side. After a couple of minutes, the facial muscles will relax.

How to overcome stage anxiety

During the performance, the performer should look into the eyes of the audience. This will create the necessary contact, a special connection, and by the reaction of people you can understand what touches them most.

The pose should be confident and stable. Do not bend your legs, hide your hands in your pockets, pull on the sleeves of your clothes, etc.

If a mistake is made, it is important not to focus on it and continue to perform confidently - many spectators will not even notice it.

If you forget the words, you need to remember that the listeners are always on your side. They are all the same people, understanding and ready to support, so you can turn this situation into a joke or gesture to ask for applause.

It is necessary to understand: the audience does not know how the speaker feels at the moment. They are not going to look for flaws, and if they constantly think about the opposite, they will not be able to overcome anxiety.

The ability to perform beautifully and confidently does not come immediately, but with experience, so it is recommended to take advantage of every opportunity to participate in various events.

It is important to think not about the negative consequences of speaking, but about the positive ones. This is a real chance to express yourself, show your talent to the public, be remembered by a large number of people, gain experience and a great mood.

Most people of various ages and professions have to speak in front of an audience. You have to give a report in public both at school, at university, and at work. At the same time, a person often has a problem - how to overcome anxiety before a performance. IN educational institution Having to give a speech in front of classmates or fellow students often causes discomfort. But at work, the fear of speaking in front of unfamiliar professionals who critically evaluate you is sometimes so constraining that it does not allow you to demonstrate your knowledge and clearly convey information. Do you know the fear of public speaking? Then this article is for you!

Reasons for fear of public speaking

The main reason for fear of speaking in public is the fear of making a loud speech in front of an audience listening to you. This behavior begins in childhood, when parents silence a child who speaks loudly in a public place. In the future, such prohibitions can develop into a phobia, and subconsciously a person begins to be afraid to express his thoughts loudly in public. The speaker feels that his voice is being squeezed, begins to worry, is squeezed even more, he may feel panic and fear. The mocking, belittling attitude of teachers or classmates towards the relative failure of a performance also contributes to the development of such a feeling. Such a reaction from others hurts a person’s feelings and contributes to the development and consolidation of a fear of public speaking.

Source of fear

You are well prepared for the speech, you know exactly what you will talk about, you are ready to answer questions, but the fear of the audience does not leave you. So what is the reason for this? Fear can arise from uncertainty, the possibility of making a mistake, or causing ridicule or condemnation from listeners. Therefore, before performing, you need to think about the fact that the audience has gathered with the intention of listening to you, and not ridiculing or attacking you. Or maybe something else is bothering you? Understanding the source of fear is the first, very important step to solving the problem.

Prove yourself

People successfully cope with anxiety when they view their performance in front of an audience as an opportunity to express themselves, to show their knowledge, professional training, and their ability to command the attention of the audience. Before a public speech, it is this attitude that helps reduce anxiety.

Prepare to speak in public

To avoid disruptions in the speaking process that can cause increased anxiety, you need to carefully think through a detailed plan for your speech. It can be compiled on paper, providing the abstract of the speech, and, if necessary, graphs, illustrations, and other supporting materials. The plan should facilitate a smooth, logical transition from one part of the report to another and eliminate stops and hesitations when presenting the material of the speech.

Put yourself in the place of your listeners and try to understand whether the information you convey to the audience meets its expectations: whether it is clearly presented and whether it will be interesting to listen to you. Analyze the text and speech plan from this point of view.

Give a test speech in front of a mirror or a small audience in which you have confidence, and, if necessary, add to the content of the speech. You can record your performance on a video camera and watch it in search of the optimal presentation of the material, suitable gestures, facial expressions, etc. Rehearsing your speech in this way will help you feel confident and reduce anxiety.

Tune in for the performance

If you are anxiously awaiting an upcoming public speech, you may feel uncertainty about the successful outcome of the matter and tension, which provokes additional anxiety. Learn. Try to relax and relieve tension. To do this, you can do breathing exercises with holding your breath and taking slow, deep breaths in and out. Or walk down the hallway with firm, confident steps. Practice positive visualization exercises for your performance. Imagine how confident you will look and speak during your report, and how attentively they will listen to you. Feel satisfied with your performance.

Speaking in public

You need to understand that the audience does not know that you may be nervous, and will not notice your nervousness unless you clearly show it yourself. Don't show your excitement to your listeners. Go out to the public confidently, stand freely, straight, straighten your shoulders. Speak slowly, calmly, if possible and if necessary, with expression and, if appropriate, smiling slightly.

Don't think about the audience

Try not to give of great importance what the audience is thinking about as you speak. Don’t try to peer into faces, analyze people’s facial expressions, or catch glances, because you may mistakenly mistake the listeners’ vague reaction for negative. Only if you yourself understand that you made a mistake, calmly correct your performance and continue further.

Take care of your appearance

Your appearance should not evoke feelings of irritation, pity or ridicule in your listeners. Try to make your clothes look neat, not too bright, give preference to the classic style. Hair and makeup should not be too flashy, and jewelry should take into account the social status of the audience.

Performers, especially beginners, often do not know how to overcome their anxiety before a performance. All artists differ from each other in character, temperament, level of motivation and strong-willed qualities.

These personality traits, of course, only partially influence the ability to adapt to public speaking. After all, a successful appearance on stage for everyone still depends, first of all, on the readiness and desire to play, and also on the strength of stage skills (in other words, experience).

Every artist needs to learn to prepare himself for a performance, to learn to easily enter into a state in which fear and anxiety do not spoil performances . They will help him with this long-term, permanent measures (for example, sports training), and specific local measures , which are resorted to immediately before going on stage (for example, a special regime of a concert day).

Physical activity for the general tone of the artist

In the process of professional development of a musician, it is important to maintain muscle tone in good shape. To do this you need: sports such as running and swimming are suitable. But with gymnastics and weightlifting, a musician needs to be careful and engage in such sports only with an experienced trainer, so as not to accidentally get any injuries or muscle strains.

Good health and performance, in other words, tone, allows you to quickly recreate a special feeling of kinship with the keyboard, bow, fretboard or mouthpiece and avoid any manifestations of lethargy during the playing process.

How to overcome anxiety before a performance?

Mental and emotional preparation for an upcoming concert helps a musician overcome anxiety before performing on stage in public. There are special psychological exercises - they are neither popular nor effective; among musicians they are considered too formal, however, they can help some, since they were developed by professional psychological trainers. Try it!

Exercise 1. Autogenic training in a relaxed state

This is almost like self-hypnosis; while doing this exercise you can have a good rest. You need to sit in a comfortable chair and completely relax (you should not be wearing any clothes, you should not be holding anything in your hands, it is recommended to take off heavy jewelry). Next, you need to try to free yourself from any thoughts and from the sense of time. This is the most difficult thing, but if you succeeded, well done! You will be rewarded with a buzz and wonderful relaxation for spirit and body.

If you have managed to free yourself from the thought and sensation of time, then sit as long as you can - during this time you will rest and you cannot even imagine how much!

Exercise 2. Role training

With this exercise, a musician, in order to overcome anxiety before a performance, can enter into the role of a known artist, confident in himself, who is at ease on stage. And in this role, mentally rehearse your act again (or directly go on stage). In some ways, this approach resembles a madhouse, but again: it helps someone! So try it!

Still, no matter what the suggestions are, they are artificial. And the artist should not deceive his viewer and listener. He must, first of all, fill your speech with meaning – dedication, preliminary congratulations, and explaining the concept of the work to the public can help with this. You can do without directly expressing all this: the main thing is that the meaning exists for the performer.

Often thought works, right set artistic tasks , attention to detail for some artists is simply leave no room for fear (there is no time to think about risks, no time to think about possible failures - there is time to think only about how to play better and how to more accurately convey your own and the composer’s ideas).

The behavior of a musician in the last hours before a concert is important: it does not predetermine the success of the performance, but it does influence it. comfort! Everyone knows that, first of all, it is necessary to fully get some sleep. It's important to plan diet in such a way as to have lunch in advance, because the feeling of fullness dulls the senses. On the other hand, a musician should not be exhausted, tired and hungry - the musician must be sober, active and receptive !

It is necessary to limit the time of the last training: the last technical work should be done not on the day of the concert, but “yesterday” or “the day before yesterday”. Why? Therefore, the result of a musician’s work appears only on the second or third day (the night must pass) after classes. Rehearsals on the day of the concert are possible, but not very labor-intensive. Rehearsing a performance in a new place is a must (especially for pianists).

What to do immediately before going on stage?

Need to get rid of any discomfort (warm up, go to the toilet, wipe off sweat, etc.). A must free yourself : relax (relax your body and face), lower your shoulders, then straighten your posture . Before this, it was necessary to check whether everything was in order with the concert costume and hairstyle (you never know - something came unfastened).

When you are announced, you need light up a smile and look ! Now look around to see if there are any obstacles (steps, ceiling, etc.), and go out to your audience easily and simply! She's already been waiting for you! Walk to the edge of the stage, once boldly look into the hall, smile at the audience just once, try to look at someone . Now sit (or stand) comfortably, imagine the key bars (to get the right tempo), get your hands ready and begin... good luck to you!

Stage fright has it too positive side, anxiety indicates that the musician has an important result of his playing. Already awareness of this fact helps many young talents to behave with dignity.

“How to stop being afraid of public speaking?” - a relevant question for people of all ages and professions. For the first time we are faced with the need to speak in front of a serious public already at the institute or at work. And if at school speaking in front of your classmates made you feel uncomfortable, and you caught yourself thinking, “I’m afraid to do this,” then work assignments where you need to convey certain information to professionals most likely terrify you.

But all this fear of public speaking is only in our heads, so you can easily get rid of it by first explaining to yourself how it arises and what ways to overcome it exist.

The anxiety before performing on stage can be different, but we feel the same state, which is extremely difficult to overcome: our hands and knees are shaking, our mouth is dry, our voice sounds as if from the outside, the audience turns into one frightening mass. To understand why fear controls us so much and how we can cope with it, let’s find out its causes.

Perhaps the first and most underestimated cause of fear of public speaking begins in childhood. When Small child speaks loudly for the first time in a public place, the parent will silence him. Subsequently, this will be the explanation of why a person has a phobia of expressing thoughts loudly in front of an audience.

When the voice is suppressed, it leads to anxiety, and ultimately to fear. Of course, school teachers who belittle abilities and classmates who can hurt feelings without thinking about the consequences will not forget to add fuel to the fire. These moments are the causes of social phobias, including those that provoke fear of public speaking.

The second reason why fearless public speaking eludes us has to do with the psychological component of fear. Fear used to be synonymous with the word danger. I felt cold - I tried to warm up faster, went to the edge of the abyss - I was afraid of heights and walked away. Under the influence of everyday stress: work, study, economic and political changes in society, the instinct of self-preservation has undergone changes. As a result, we begin to worry in unjustified situations, including before performing on stage.

The reasons that awaken this fear in us are the following: Fear of people as such due to low.
social activity
Fear of saying something stupid or slipping up.

Constantly telling yourself that the listeners are negatively disposed towards you and will closely evaluate your performance.

Another reason is not having the information necessary for the presentation. And the last one is agoraphobia or fear of crowds. Unlike the fear of people described above, this fear is deeper, and people do not even realize that they are afraid of large crowds of people and suffer from this type of phobia.

Why you shouldn't be afraid to perform on stage

Having understood the sources of the formation of a phobia for stage performances, you must first of all convince yourself that this fear does not exist, that we are starting to worry in vain. on the way to overcoming fear, which needs to be realized and felt - public speaking is an opportunity to show your best side and evaluate your skills in working with an audience. This is important because every day, at work or school, we communicate with people, and when this brings us discomfort, our productivity drops, our mood worsens, etc.

Fearless public speaking is the key to your self-confidence. By training skills by presenting information in front of other people, you bring actions to automatic execution, and over time you will no longer feel discomfort when communicating with people. Let's summarize the useful aspects that can be gained from performing on stage:

Experience communicating with large audiences to help develop communication skills.
In the process of preparation, you will deepen your knowledge related to the topic of the speech.
At work conferences or student summits, your speech will be noticed by influential figures, which can benefit you in the future.
With proper preparation for reports, your speech will soon become more competent.

How to overcome stage fright

If it is too late to apply the above tips - the performance is already on your way, and the phobia haunts you, and you cannot get rid of it, then use the following techniques:

Relax. When the body is tense, you involuntarily want to shrink and not be the center of attention. Relax your body so as not to reinforce psychological discomfort with physical tension.
Your posture on stage should be confident: both feet are on the ground, your arms are not in a closed position, your back is straight. Place your supporting leg forward for stability. This will allow your blood to circulate better, deliver more oxygen to your brain cells, and you will worry less.
It is important to normalize breathing so that the body is not stressed. To do this, inhale, count to 4, then exhale sharply. Repeat 10 times.
If you feel that your voice is breaking from excitement, do speech gymnastics in advance. Tell your speech without opening your mouth. Pronounce the letters as clearly and expressively as possible. This exercise will relax the muscles of the face and larynx and help cope with anxiety. Take water with you, otherwise at the wrong moment you will lose your voice and have to interrupt the performance.
If fearless public speaking suddenly causes your knees to tremble, try mentally directing your attention to them. Or trick your brain and consciously make your knees shake. After this, the trembling often stops.
Make eye contact with your listeners to maintain contact with them. This will show that the performance is aimed at their interest and impact.
If you made a mistake, the right decision would be not to focus attention on it and continue speaking. In addition to the task of presenting information, it is important to be able to concentrate on the main thing. Therefore, if you succinctly omit the error, none of the listeners will even notice it.

The recommendations in this article will help you overcome fear, and fearless public speaking will become a constant companion to your stage performances. You will never say, “I’m afraid to perform on stage, I won’t be able to cope with it.” Having felt confident in front of the public for the first time, you will realize that in life you have become much more liberated, and the phobia that haunts you has receded.

Remember yourself a few years ago?

Almost everyone at school or university, during an exam or a simple lesson, had this situation: you sit, trembling like an aspen leaf or a kitten caught in the rain, and suddenly you hear your name coming from somewhere far away, as if through a layer of cotton wool: “Sidoro -o-ov (Sinitsyna, Yablochkin - underline as necessary), to the board! It is impossible to forget the fear of a teacher, but could we then imagine that teachers are sometimes no less afraid of us?

“I just look like an adult. In fact, it's the other way around."
Bel Kaufman

Now we have grown up and stand on the other side of the barricades, and fear of students is one of our pressing problems. Entering the classroom, especially for the first time, some people experience only slight excitement, some get cold hands, and there are also teachers whose throat tightens and their legs give way. Before my first lesson, I felt like I was standing on the edge of an abyss: opening the door to the classroom seemed tantamount to stepping into emptiness and the unknown.

An extreme degree of anxiety does not affect the productivity of a lesson. in the best possible way Moreover, experiencing constant stress is not only unpleasant, but also harmful.

To defeat the enemy, that is, fear, you need to look him in the face. I’m not encouraging you to play staring contest with your students right now (although why not?), but it’s simply necessary to understand the reason for the jitters! Aware means armed.

Fear of performances - ancient fear based on the instinct of self-preservation. It is common for people to be part of a society (read: a tribe); during the mammoth hunt, this guaranteed survival: people got food together, arranged their lives, and defended themselves from enemies. Standing out from the crowd meant challenging, changing the usual course of things, taking responsibility for the actions of others.

So, the fear of speaking is, first of all, the fear of the unknown; we are afraid of what might happen in class, of condemnation and mistakes. They won't listen to you? Or will they ask a difficult or awkward question? Or will the technology suddenly fail?

Before class, think through possible troubles, live through them, mentally find ways to solve problems and forgive yourself for mistakes.

Method number 1. Breathe

The simplest thing you can do is not stop breathing.

Your cold body is unlikely to please the students and administration, but breathing will help you calm down and come to your senses. Breathe deeply and evenly, inhale for four counts and exhale for the same number of counts. You will be surprised, but you will soon feel much better.

Method number 2. Play sports

Regular exercise reduces anxiety and overall stress levels. Even if you are far from sports, just walk briskly before class or do 10 squats - this will help take your mind off anxious thoughts and redirect your energy. The main thing is not to overdo it; a out of breath teacher looks a little ridiculous.

Stress leads to atrophy of brain neurons and disrupts neural connections. This affects intellectual potential and the ability to find a way out of difficult situations. With the help of physical activity, the level of the neuropeptide galanin increases in the brain, which protects neural connections from the destructive effects of stress.

Method number 3. Deceive the audience and yourself

When a teacher enters the classroom, it is not written on him whether he is worried or calm as a boa constrictor. Now is the time to take advantage of this advantage! Straighten your shoulders, straighten your back, move slowly around the class, show with all your appearance that you are confident in yourself. Then you will be able to deceive not only the audience, but also yourself: your brain will calm down, following your body.