So, you’ve spent the last several weeks crafting and learning your story, but now you find the thought of telling your story in front of people terrifying –and you’re actually thinking you may not tell your story.
Do me a favor: drop that thought! You can overcome that sense of terror and tell a great story!
Easier said than done, right? Because it’s not just a thought! You may actually experience physical symptoms: dry mouth, sweaty palms, faster heart rate, a stomach full of butterflies, a voice out of control with quivers! These are just some of the physical symptoms of ‘stage fright’ or ‘public speaking anxiety’ or ‘call it whatever you want, I’m not getting up there in front of those people’!
You’re not alone. Many people (including me) experience some level of anxiety when about to speak in front of people. Good company is nice, but even better –you can do something about it!
What can you do? Great question! Below are some practices that I find helpful for me –and a couple others that some great storytellers have shared with me that work for them. I hope that they may work for you, too.
PRIOR TO YOUR EVENT
Practice your story!
Yes. Practice. Data supports creating opportunity to practice. A study conducted involving first year university students found that students who took the opportunity to practice prior to a speaking engagement, ‘…experienced increased satisfaction and decreased fear, indecision and confusion in relation to public speaking…’ (Nash et al., 2016) As you practice, your perception of your ability to manage through public speaking engagements improves. You gain familiarity with your content and confidence in your ability to manage.
If you’re not ready to practice in front of one or two close friends, try telling your story out loud by yourself. Telling your story out loud helps you learn your story and gain a sense of how you feel during the delivery. When you know your story well, you are better able to interact with the audience during the performance.
Establish an Affirmative State of Mind.
Yup. It works. Students in a university setting were asked to recite a verbal statement of affirmation prior to giving a presentation and reported the experience of less anxiety. (Shadinger et al., 2020) For me, a storytelling mentor shared: Storytelling is about connection, not perfection. I remind myself before telling a story that my goal is to connect with the audience, not achieve perfection.
Additionally, establishing an affirmative state of mind is about recognizing the audience wants you to succeed –they’re rooting for you! Think about it, when have you ever sat in the audience and hoped the performance was a flop? Nope! You’re there to connect and have a positive experience!
AS YOU TAKE THE STAGE
Take a Breath.
Breathing patterns directly affect the autonomic nervous system, which directly impacts a body’s heart rate and ability to enter a resting state. (Bentley et al., 2023) Taking a breath and slowing your breathing right before you walk onto the stage or after you approach the microphone allows you the opportunity to manage many of the physical symptoms of public speaking anxiety.
- Anchor Yourself: I also use the few moments of breathing to ‘anchor’ myself on stage. While standing at the microphone taking a breath, I make eye contact with the audience to form an initial connection. In doing so, the audience is also having the opportunity to focus their attention on me, waiting for the first words of the story. I also feel my feet on the ground, taking a stable and balanced position to start the performance.
Harness the energy!
The beating in your chest and flutter in your stomach, that’s just your body expending energy! Harness that energy and put it into your delivery. You have energy, the audience has energy and the earth has energy. Visualize yourself taking in the energy from the earth and audience and then deliver that energy back to the audience through your story.
DURING YOUR PERFORMANCE
Know you can deal with a mistake (Packer, 2019).
If your anxiety is coming from the fear of forgetting part of your story or mixing pieces of it up, know that you can manage through it. If you realize you forgot to include an element of your story, weave it in later. You can say something along the lines, ‘What you should know about… is that…’ Or if you feel as though it’s appropriate to call the mistake out, you can say, “I made a mistake about…, let me tell you what really happened…” or “I forgot to tell you this…”
- Remember: If you make a mistake, it’s okay. You can manage it. Having made mistakes myself, I’m not sure the audience ever noticed it. And if they did, I’m still standing. Storytelling is about connection, not perfection!
Own the Pause.
Give your brain a moment to catch up. If you find yourself forgetting something or not sure where you want to go next, it’s okay to pause. The pause will likely feel longer to you than the two or three seconds you need. Take the pause, collect your thoughts and then keep going.
AFTER YOUR PERFORMANCE
Reflect on what you did well.
Find someone you trust and ask them what you did well while telling your story. Only affirmations –no critiques. Knowing what you did well will help build your confidence for future engagements. Additionally, knowing what you did well will help you craft future stories, as you will want to continue practicing and incorporating those techniques. There is value in affirmations –just try it.
Now, go tell that story!
Bryce is the youngest of five children, an identical twin, and the self-proclaimed favorite child. Bryce enjoys sharing stories about family and versions of traditional tales that you may not have yet heard. Bryce has been a featured storyteller for the Arizona Storytellers Project, ASU Kerr Cultural Center, and the Arizona Desert Botanical Garden. Bryce is an adjunct instructor for the South Mountain Community College Storytelling Institute.
Sources
Bentley TGK, D’Andrea-Penna G, Rakic M, Arce N, LaFaille M, Berman R, Cooley K, Sprimont P. (2023).
Breathing practices for stress and anxiety reduction: conceptual framework of implementation guidelines based on a systematic review of the published literature. Brain Sci. 2023 (Nov).
Nash, G., Crimmins, G., Oprescu, F. (2016). If first-year students are afraid of public speaking
assessments what can teachers do to alleviate such anxiety? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher
Education, 41 (4), 586-600.
Packer, L. (2019). From Audience to Zeal: The ABCs of Finding, Crafting and Telling a Great Story. The
Small-Tooth-Dog Publishing Group.
Shadinger, D., Katsion, J., Myllykangas, S., Case, D. (2020). The impact of a positive, self-talk statement
on public speaking anxiety. College Teaching, 68 (1), 5-11.
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