Even the biggest music, political and business stars feel performance anxiety before stepping on stage or at the start of a debate. Even Warren Buffett says that he had enormous stage fright at the beginning of his career. Hip Hop star Jay Z says he felt the same. You definitely aren’t the only person who suffers when you are about to speak in front of people, according to the presentationmagazine.com website.
There are two factors that form performance anxiety. Psychological triggers (what you think) and physiological reactions (how your body reacts).
When the brain perceives an opportunity as a threat
Before major presentations, we tend to start worrying that we won't be prepared properly and that there is no time left to practice the presentation. Our thoughts start to run along the lines of, "This is going to look terrible, I’m going to be terrible," breathing gets shallow and we feel awful. The heart rate accelerates and a flood of hormones is released. There is a series of physiological responses. The muscles of the neck and back contract, hands and legs might shake and palms get sweaty. The body is preparing to resist an attack, and that is performance anxiety. When it gets you, don’t talk faster and don’t lose eye contact with your audience. Do your best to just get through it. Breath deep, take a short break and get yourself some water.
Other hormones will calm you
You can’t control the triggering mechanism that starts with the amygdala identifying your speech as a threat. You can control what happens next. There are two groups of hormones: one is bad for you, the other is not. Get your brain to release three helpful hormones: endorphins, dopamine, and serotonin. They help you feel better and more confident. There are behaviors designed to release those good hormones. You have to find the ones that work for you.
Read more articles:
- Jack Welch: Every presentation can be fun
- Great speakers fall from the sky and other myths about public speaking
- First time before an audience? 8 tips for success
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