Stage Fright

It is generally agreed that we all prone stage fright.  That it has an impact on us is clear. We have a tendency to rank it very high among life's concerns.  Yet, without clearly coordinated efforts people accomplish so much less.  Human beings have been able to accomplish so much because they have found ways to work together. One of the best methods for us to join forces with one another is through spoken communication.  Speeches are common, because the message is delivered to many at one time, and they can be powerful.  Here are a few links that may be useful to you.

First, a short, helpful and clear article by Olivia Mitchell about "5 tips for overcoming stage fright."
Mitchell points out that the point of the speech is the audience.  The sooner we learn and practice that the better off we will be. 

Second, a Forbes article written for those in the business community who also experience stage fright.  The title, "How can I get over stage fright," should assure you that this is something that we all have in common.

Third, a slightly longer piece that looks at stage fright from a different point of view.  Gary Guwe points out that we all want to be over those elements of stage fright that make us less effective in the world we live in.  The article, "Fear Busters--10 Tips to Overcome Stage Fright," won't take much time and it will add to your understanding that stage fright is common and folk just like us learn ways to overcome its problems.


Here is another point of view to aid you in working through stage fright. Imagine that you are a missionary.  You have a message to deliver and you are absolutely convinced that this message is of great importance to others as it has been to you.  You are willing to risk everything to get that message to those people.  It never occurs to you that you might make a mistake in the process or even die. The message is so important that everything else fades in comparison.  How you look, grammatical errors that you make, mispronunciations or any other mistake you might make are clearly unimportant.  All that is important is the message you are compelled to share. 

If you have the mind set of the missionary, there won't be much concern for yourself and a huge concern for the audience.  That is a very strong position to have when you are standing up in front of an audience.