1. Or Don’t let stage fright get the best of you……

2. Famous People With Stage Fright Rod Stewart – rock musician Donny Osmond – pop singer, actor and Dancing With the Stars 2009 Champion Barbra Streisand – singer, actress, director, producer Andrea Bocelli – singer, performer Sir Winston Churchill – Prime Minister of England during WWII (many of his speeches are quoted) Scarlett Johansson - actress

3. These people suffer from performance anxiety:

4. Understanding Stage Fright Many people suffer from stage fright (performance anxiety). It begins with mental tension, then carries over to our body and creates physical tension. It occurs because: We want to perform well and make a good impression. We worry that we may not be successful.

5. Helpful or Harmful? The tension created gives you more energy. Use this extra energy to give a more dynamic presentation. Sometimes we focus too much on the physical symptoms (dry mouth, stomach butterflies) and allow them to snowball making our confidence decrease.

6. Remember…… Stage Fright feels worse than it looks. Most audiences can’t see “the fear” that you feel. Audiences want you to do well. They really do. Practice and prepare.

7. Positive versus Negative Self Talk “I can’t do this. This is going to be awful.” “I will look like a fool up there.” “Everyone is going to laugh at me.” Statements like these add to your fear and make the situation worse. Remember to put the situation into perspective. You are not performing brain surgery. The world will not end if you mess up. Life will go on.

8. Instead… Choose what you will think. Pick your thoughts like you would a good meal at a fancy restaurant. “I have what it takes to be a good speaker.” “I have practiced and prepared well for this presentation.” “The people in the audience are nice and will support me.” “ I will do a great job!”

9. Create a confidence resume Make a list of strengths that you have right now. Use positive and powerful descriptions Include specific accomplishments that make you proud. Include ways that you have overcome obstacles or challenges in your life.

10. Some ideas to include… You have been placed in charge of your siblings or entrusted as a babysitter. You got the highest grade in the class on a very hard test. You understood a difficult concept in science or math and were able to explain it to a peer. You were in a clutch situation in a sporting event and came through in a positive way. You helped someone in a medical crisis.

11. Sources Consulted Decker, Eric. "Stage Fright - Class Overheads." August 2004. Kevin Roby, PhD., MGCP. drkevinroby.com. August 2009. 5 February 2010. O'Connor, J. Regis. Speech: Exploring Communication. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1988.