5 ways to reduce stage fear

Speaking on stage in front of my teachers, classmates has always been my interest area. Any topic which involved coming in front and addressing/speaking in the class used to be my favorite, provided I did my homework :) but because I was an introvert child, I couldn't get much chance to showcase this skill of mine. 

As soon as I entered college, I decided to come out and let myself work on my area of interest and it was public speaking. Right from then my journey of being on stage began. I used to do anchoring, debates, extempore etc. and today I volunteer and give soft skill trainings to students. This journey of mine taught me how to be fearless on stage which I want to share with you all.

5 ways to reduce stage fear are as below:-

1. Be Prepared with the content - You should be well prepared with the content/subject you are presenting. This step will reduce 50% of your fear as you will be the master of the subject and no one can break you down. Your expertise on the subject will make you confident and stand high in front of all.

2. Rehearse - You should be well rehearsed before coming on the stage and the best way you can do that is by speaking in front of the mirror again and again. Make mistakes, note them and work on it in the next attempt. Doing this everyday till the D-day will keep on building confidence in you, make you near to perfect in your content and you know what mistakes can probably happen and how to rectify them.

3. No negative thoughts  -  Please stop doubting yourself. You are prepared and rehearsed and nothing can stop you. Only positive thoughts of your powerful content and applause should be coming to your mind. You are the best and no one else sitting in the audience knows anything about this content. This thought can be temporary as it will keep you away from negative thoughts.

4. Take pauses and breathe - You can take a pause for an inhale and exhale. This will lessen your fear and help you to gather yourself if you are trembling at any point of time while speaking. Infact you can exercise deep breathing before coming on stage. This helps a lot.

5. Choose your Spot - Once you are on the stage find out where you should be looking. Find a spot, one on the extreme right and one on the extreme left, where your audience is. And keep moving your head while looking at these points one after the other, obviously with pauses. Or you can also choose 2 people from the audience itself to focus yourself on. You should make this choice immediately once you are on the stage. This way you are not looking at everyone all the time and thus help you to remain calm and focused while speaking.

Try these steps and you will definitely see a change in yourself. You will be less fearful and more confident.

Thanks.
Shweta

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

                

 

5 reasons why you should have a mentor

                                                 

Do you often struggle with your mind and yourself?

From whom do you seek professional or personal suggestions?

Do you often feel the need of validation?

And my last, but not the least, question is  

DO YOU HAVE A MENTOR?

In one of my conversations with my bestie, we discussed on having a mentor. I never had one in my life, not somebody who is the ONLY one I reach out to. My mentor changes with my organization. I think most of you out there have the same definition of a mentor – somebody you can seek help from when you are stuck working on a project, no matter if he/she actually wants to help or have an intent to provide support actually needed. Over the time I have realized it’s not about having somebody with a designation as a MENTOR but somebody who can be in your shoes, analyze your problem as his own and then provides solution to it.

 Even after quite a good professional & personal experiences, I often find myself stuck at a particular point. When your heart says something and your head something else. This is when we feel the need of that one person who can guide you, show you the ray of hope and support you wholeheartedly. Below are 5 reasons why you should have a MENTOR.

 

1.      Mentor tells you, your Blindspot – Well yes, mentor is one person who would not leave a single blindspot in your life. He is the one who would not hesitate to point out your bad habits or spot your good one.  

 

2.      Mentor acts as a guide – Whether you are in a crucial project or in a middle of major life decision, trust me, mentor will help you to get through it by showing you the best way. He will guide you with his best suggestion on it, however the decision is entirely on you to implement it.

 

3.      Mentors are trustworthy – Your mentor will never break your trust. Whatever personal/professional exigencies you may have, he will help you with a wise suggestions and not spread it in the world. He is a complete third party person in your life.

 

4.      Mentors are teachers – Yes, they are your teachers for life. They will teach you the right thing to do at any point of time. They will motivate you to come out to the world and shine.

 

5.      Mentors are true leaders – Mentor will help you to identify attainable goals by identifying your caliber and help you achieve it. My blog on ‘5 steps to choosing your career’ talks about career goals and mentor can help you identify the same. They are the ones who create leaders.  

 

Please note here, I am not talking about your mentor with a designation but your Life Mentor who finds missing pieces in your life and puts them at right place. They are not your 2:00am or 5:00 am friends with whom you discuss everything about your life but those who provide you with good and satisfactory to-dos of life.

 

Author
Shweta Sharma

Image by http://www.freepik.com Designed by brgfx / Freepik