The truth behind Stage fright and how to conquer it

Sweaty palms, a racing heart, and a stomach tied in knots - it's not a monster chasing you, but the terror of speaking in public, an ordeal some find even worse than death. When you're dead, you feel nothing; when you're at the podium, you feel the grip of stage fright.

But at some point, we've all had to address a crowd, so we must endeavor to conquer it. To begin, let's understand what stage fright truly is. We humans, being social creatures, are hardwired to fret about our reputation, and public speaking poses a direct threat to it. Before a speech, you may worry, "What if people think I'm terrible and a complete fool?" This fear of being seen as a terrible fool is a primal response from an ancient part of your brain that is notoriously difficult to control. It's the fight or flight instinct, a self-preservation mechanism present in a variety of animals, most of which don't engage in public speaking.

However, we have a wise ally in our exploration of this anxiety. Charles Darwin once tested the fight or flight response at the snake exhibit in the London Zoo. He noted in his diary, "My will and reason were powerless against the imagination of a danger which had never been experienced." He concluded that his reaction was an ancient response unaffected by the nuances of modern civilization. So, while your conscious mind interprets it as giving a speech, to the rest of your brain, honed by millennia of survival instincts, the possibility of dire consequences resulting from a poorly delivered speech signals a time to flee or stand and fight.

Your hypothalamus, a feature common to all vertebrates, triggers your pituitary gland to release the hormone ACTH, leading your adrenal gland to pump adrenaline into your bloodstream. Your neck and back tense up, your posture slumps, your legs and hands tremble as your muscles prepare for action. Sweat breaks out, your blood pressure soars, and your digestion slows down to optimize the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to your muscles and vital organs, resulting in a dry mouth and fluttering butterflies. Your pupils dilate, making it difficult to read anything up close, like your notes, but long-distance vision remains unaffected. This is how stage fright operates.

So, how do we combat it? Firstly, gain perspective. Understand that this isn't all in your head. It's a natural, hormonal, and full-body reaction triggered by an autonomic nervous system running on autopilot. Moreover, genetics play a significant role in social anxiety. Consider John Lennon, who performed live thousands of times and vomited before each performance. Some individuals are inherently more prone to fear when in the spotlight. Given that stage fright is natural and inevitable, focus on what you can control. Practice extensively, well in advance, in an environment resembling the actual performance setting. Practicing any task enhances your familiarity with it and reduces anxiety, ensuring that when it's time to speak in public, you exude confidence in both yourself and the task at hand.

Take Steve Jobs, for example, who rehearsed his legendary speeches for hundreds of hours, starting weeks ahead of time. If you know your material inside out, you'll draw energy from the audience rather than succumb to your hypothalamus's insistence that you're about to become prey for a pack of predators. But remember, the vertebrate hypothalamus has had countless more years of practice than you.

Just before you step onto the stage, resort to some unconventional tactics to outsmart your brain. Stretch your arms upward and take deep breaths. This triggers a relaxation response in your hypothalamus. Stage fright tends to peak right before a presentation, so take that final minute to stretch and breathe. As you approach the microphone, your voice is steady, your body relaxed. Your well-rehearsed speech convinces the lively audience that you're a charismatic genius. How did you achieve this? You didn't conquer stage fright; you adapted to it. You acknowledged that, no matter how sophisticated you appear, there's a part of your brain that remains primal - a profound, articulate, wild animal.