You’re standing at the podium, facing an agitated crowd. Do you even remember what you were going to say? Your palms sweat and your knees feel like they are about to buckle. Your heart pounds and you breathe shallow breaths. Your throat feels constricted.
Your body is shaking with stage fright, and it is too late to turn back. You don’t have time to calm yourself down, and the clock is ticking. What can you do?
“Use your mind to trick your body,” says international mentalist, Nick Compise. Take a moment to convince yourself that you are not nervous, but excited. Because nervousness and excitement cause the same reactions in your body (increased heart rate, sweating, weakness in the knees, lightheadedness, etc.), changing your state of mind can turn crippling stage fright into charisma.
In order for this to work, you must take a leap of faith and allow yourself to truly believe you are excited, not afraid. Then you can use the physical symptoms of stage fright to your advantage.
If you’re terrified to face a crowd, challenge yourself to try using this mind trick in the next couple of days. Speak at Toastmasters, sing karaoke, or make a simple presentation at work. If you are successful, you will have the confidence to take on a greater challenge the next time you try.
If you can beat your stage fright, you will have the power to reach out to people on a larger scale than ever before. What do you want to share? A song? A lesson? Improv Comedy? The world is waiting to hear from you!
*Mentalism is the art of appearing to have supernatural powers. This is done through observation, the power of suggestion, and showmanship. Mentalists must rigorously study psychology and the mind in order to succeed as performers. Expert Nick Compise is from New York, and has performed in the United States and abroad.
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