Not everyone can comfortably speak or perform in front of a lot of people. For some, it can even be a frightening experience which is to be avoided at all costs. Performance anxiety, also known as a stage fright, is characterized by an intense anxiety and paranoia that occurs before, during, and after a performance.
Even professional and experienced speakers can suffer from anxiety including business speakers and motivational speakers. Some find it easier to remain calm even when they are stressed however most of us will fall into a state of panic as we think about the negative aspects of public speaking.
The fear that people feel before a performance may rely on the context of the speaking role. The size of the audience, being alone on stage, the importance of the evaluation; all these factors can change the level of anxiety experienced by the speaker. The larger the number of people watching you, the more nervous you may become. During interviews, the interviewees tend to get more nervous with the general manager than the secretary.
Anxiety And Its Manifestations.
1. Commonly experienced by most people is intense, but transient anxious, fluttery sensations, that typically precede a performance, but disappear shortly after the performance begins. This built up energy can make performers better.
2. Reactive anxiety is something which happens when the speaker or performer is not prepared enough or they do not have any public speaking skills. With more and more events and public speaking this type of anxiety should go away. Business speakers get better in this way.
3. The hallmark of performance anxiety is usually associated with signs of physical and emotional discomfort such as sweating, shaking, voice quivering, rapid heart beating, feelings of fear, and panic. What causes the speaker’s anxiety is the belief that he or she is being negatively evaluated.
Positive thinking is a way that the anxiety can be alleviated as they no longer think their performance will be bad. A performer can learn to overcome the triggers of anxiety by accepting fear, breathing calmly and practising in front of people as much as possible. You may discover that fear still remains, but you notice that you can handle it, as you are beginning to get the sense of enjoyment from your performance and from connecting with others.
