The cure for stage fright

I am often asked how a person can overcome stage fright.

How do you beat back the overwhelming fear of standing in front of an audience in order to tell a story, deliver a keynote, outline an investor pitch, offer a wedding toast, speak to a class, and the like?

First, and perhaps most important, is the knowledge that you are not alone in your fear. Most people – even the most seasoned, experienced speakers and performers – feel nervousness and even abject fear about public speaking. I have found myself in many green rooms over the years, sitting beside people who had been performing for decades, but still, they were nervous.

But even people like me, who almost never experience nervousness of any kind prior to or during a performance, can have our moments.

Earlier this year, I was hired to perform Jewish folktales in concert with a professional orchestra. I struggled mightily to pronounce some of the Yiddish words correctly, so this challenge, along with the composer and an orchestra of professional musicians who were counting on me to get it right, made me feel nervous in a way I had not felt in a long, long time.

The fact that I’m not Jewish probably played a role, too. I felt like a bit of an outsider, unable to pronounce words that others around me spoke with such ease.

Even with all of that weighing on my mind, my degree of nervousness was admittedly infinitesimal when compared with what most people face.

Sadly, there is no magic elixir to eliminate stage fright. No pill or potion that will suddenly fill you with courage.

When it comes to conquering stage fright, I feel like this video says it all.