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What's the best way to overcome stage fright?

Profile: anxietysurvivor7
anxietysurvivor7 on Dec 12, 2014
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By recognizing the feeling and do it anyways, even though it's hard. I just got up on that stage and to be honest, the fear wasn't that big anymore after a while.
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Profile: Anonymous
Anonymous on Dec 12, 2014
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Focus on yourself and all that pertains to you in the current situation, such as your lines. Don't give the crowd any thought; act as if you are in rehearsal.
Profile: RalphBG
RalphBG on Dec 13, 2014
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That is very difficult, but can be overcame, as I used to have it as well. What you need to do is something called 'self hypnosis'. It is when you tell yourself positive things, and you tell them to yourself so much, that it becomes true, and you believe it. It will only work if you believe. You should say things like, 'I like performing on the stage', avoid saying things like, 'I'm not scared of the stage', as 'not' is a negative word. Good luck! :)
Profile: Erynn
Erynn on Dec 13, 2014
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Being prepared helps a lot. Deep breaths and mentally telling yourself comforting statements like "I can do this" "It's okay" etc can help. You might google Grounding Techniques for ideas of how to reduce intense anxiety. Experience and practice. Practicing in front of small audiences and working up - yourself, your teddy bear, a mirror, a friend, three friends, etc... and having positive experiences to remember are important. If it's really really intense anxiety and also shows up in other parts of your life and is making daily life difficult, you may want to see a therapist or psychiatrist as well for further support and advice.
Profile: Anonymous
Anonymous on Dec 17, 2014
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Being really well prepared for a performance can help a lot. Taking deep breaths and thinking calm thoughts and images. Looking at a space on the wall above the audience rather than directly at them. I also know a person that claims having to pee helps with stage fright! They say that nervousness and having to pee feel similar so then all of it can just be dismissed as pee feelings. Haha, so whatever works for you, just be careful not to have accidents!
Profile: FeatherIce25
FeatherIce25 on May 13, 2015
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Practice.Best oraters are nervous before they get on the stage.The best way to minimise that is practice your content, know what you are speaking, be confident, speak in a loud ,clear voice and even if you fumble, don't panick.
Profile: CarefreeSoul
CarefreeSoul on Jul 19, 2016
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I personally would seek out someone in the audience - usually a friend - and use them as a focus point. I would sometimes scan over the audience but I would come back to that one person so that I felt like I was performing for just them.
Profile: TrannyNamedLuke
TrannyNamedLuke on Feb 20, 2017
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Practise in front of the mirror. So you know what to expect. Or perform in small groups of friends you can trust or family members. You also have to slowly build up your confidence.
Profile: Anonymous
Anonymous on Dec 12, 2014
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Pretend that you're performing in front of people who you don't care about. Practice. do things to loosen up and laugh just before you go on. Let go of your fears. S'all good.
Profile: Anonymous
Anonymous on Dec 12, 2014
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I've found that the best way to overcome stage fright is to look out over the heads of the crowd without focusing on anyone's faces. It helps me concentrate on my lines and I don't have someone to look at directly and have to gauge their expressions.
Profile: RobynCares
RobynCares on Dec 26, 2014
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The best way to overcome stage fright is to face it head on. Facing your fears is a terrifying task, but starting small, like with a close group of friends, or even practicing talking in front of a mirror or your pets can make you a bit more comfortable talking in front of crowds.
Profile: IvyRainGabriel
IvyRainGabriel on Dec 29, 2014
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For me personally, I preform a bit at school as a musician, and I used to get very shaky hands and that was almost the worst case scenario because I play piano. I overcame that fear bit by bit- before preformances, I'd practice and go over everything a few times to put myself more at ease knowing that I could pull it off. Backstage, I would fiddle with something to keep my hands busy. A pen, my hair, the hem of my dress. The thing that really helped me overcome stage fright was performing more though. I would preform (at school as a high school student) at about 20 venues a year, and gradually I got used to being on stage with numerous eyes following me. I still do make mistakes, and I can even make mistakes when there's only one person in the audience. However, I have become more at home on the stage and have developed a better stage presence that makes my performance more enjoyable for both myself and the audience.
Profile: Anonymous
Anonymous on Mar 18, 2015
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Look above the auidences heads, focus on something at the very back of the room, it's worked for me since I found out about it:)
Profile: Anonymous
Anonymous on Apr 23, 2015
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Try to remember that everyone has something they're afraid to do, and that many people do get anxiety when talking or performing in front of others. It's best to acknowledge your fears and accept them, but not let them hold you back.
Profile: alekplease
alekplease on Apr 26, 2015
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For me, I cannot simply brush off and forget that there's a room full of people watching me. It's harder to cope if you're constantly avoiding eye contact with the audience. In my opinion, scanning the room, getting an idea of what kind of audience you're dealing with, and establishing eye contact actually makes things less scary.
Profile: Anonymous
Anonymous on May 22, 2015
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Think positive, don't think that everything's gonna go wrong. Relax your body, have some confidence on yourself. Be prepared, exercise. If you got an audience think of them as friends, not as some people who will laugh at you. Read what you're gonna say out loud, read it to yourself. Allow yourself to make mistakes, give up the thought that everything's gotta be perfect.
Profile: Anonymous
Anonymous on Jun 5, 2015
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I think the best way is to practice. I used to have really bad stage fright and I still do to some degree but as I've grown older, I've been forced to do more public speaking and as a result, I've grown less scared.
Profile: Thinkitthrough
Thinkitthrough on Jun 17, 2015
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Deep breath, shoulders back and wing it. In the final analysis the only criticism that really counts is what we think of ourselves. Just do you best.
Profile: Anonymous
Anonymous on Jun 29, 2015
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For me, I overcame stage fright with practice. It was something I wanted to do, so the first time I was up there, I forced myself to do it. Whether it went well, or not. And over time, I got used to it. The anxiety still lingers, but I push myself forward, because I never know what opportunities it might open for me.
Profile: Anonymous
Anonymous on Sep 21, 2015
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Practice - know the piece or lines or steps inside and out. Be confident - you know this well, and can perform beautifully. Accept and move past your mistakes - if you become nervous and miss a note, that's okay. (In all likelyhood, no one noticed.) Try to practice this acceptance of mistakes beforehand, and assure yourself that no matter how this particular performance goes, you are still the same talented person that you are off the stage.
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