Why would anyone want to overcome stage fear?It is something so natural,even the best speakers feel it just before delivering a speech. For thousands of years,people have been trying to overcome fear.They have failed,and rightly so.Our fear of public speaking keeps us on our toes,and helps us to channel our energies to deliver the best speech we possibly can,on a given day.
Statistics prove that the fear of public speaking is one of the greatest fears faced by people around the world,second only to the fear of death. In a way,public speaking feels a little like death.It puts you in a place of absolute un-predictability.You thought you could always live your boring,average life-fit in the crowd unnoticed,and now-suddenly,you have to take the stage,step up,and be awesome.No excuses. Acknowledging the fear building up in oneself,and tapping it to ones advantage is what separates the best speakers from the average ones.
Here are two amazing ways to acknowledge,accept and transcend your fear of public speaking for the best.
1.Breathing
The mind is an extension of the body.The body is a continuation of the mind.One cannot exist without the other. When you are happy,in love,or full of joy-your body is in it's peak state.Your breathing is more full,your body is straight,your shoulders relaxed. When you are sad,depressed or afraid,your breathing becomes shallow,faster,dis-continuous,more uneven.Your body becomes stiff,your jaws get tight. Have you felt this before? It happens all the time. All the evidence goes a long way to show that the mind and body are deeply inter-connected. Think of a sad incident,and the tear glands are activated.Think of fear-and the body contracts,adrenaline rises,lips get dry,bowel movement increases,breathing becomes rapid. What we are going to do is shift the body to shift the mind. Observe your breathing right now. Is it shallow or full?Slow or fast?Relaxed or forceful?
Stop reading and observe your breathing. No really! I 'll wait. Feel each in-breath and out-breath on the tip of your nose or against your belly.There is a tiny gap between each in-breath and out-breath.
Do you notice it? Now let's start. Breathe in slowly.... One...two...three...four
Hold....
One...two.... Breathe out real slow.... One...two...three...four...five...six
Repeat this 4-2-6 sequence for 4-5 minutes. The idea is to breathe out as slowly and gently as you can.The sound of your out-breath should not be audible to anyone,not even to yourself. Once you have mastered the extremely simple art of breathing out gently and slowly,the breathing in and holding of the breath will take place spontaneously. Once you try the 4-2-6 technique for a few times,it will be so natural to you.Then you can drop the technique completely and simply breathe gently. It is a very simple and scientific technique.Try it at-least once.
2.What can you give?
Our fears arise within us because of inferior thought patterns. We are so selfish,always thinking of ourselves. 'If I speak,what will they think about Me?' 'Do I have anything to say at all?' 'How will they judge me?' Notice how all our misery is created when we think about ourselves, 'Me and my problems','me and my little world'. We have become like beggars,walking around with cupped hands, asking passer-bys to give us appreciation,respect and approval. What if we deleted all the trash? The trash in our heads that says-I'm not good enough. What if we consciously select the spam mails in the inbox of our minds and replace them instead with superior thoughts?
What if we became selfless and said-
I am not here in this world to take or get.I want nothing. I am here to give,to serve,to love. The underlying rule here is: Don't wait for permission. I don't want your permission to live my life,and you don't need mine to live yours.
Say to yourself:
I don't need external respect,love and acknowledgement. I am grateful for all that I have,and I have so much to offer to every person I meet. I am so sure of myself-I don't seek for validation from anyone. The beauty or irony of it is- the less you seek for external validation,the more it comes to you. In the end,what you get is just a reflection of your state of mind.
So the next time you get up from your chair to give a speech,tell to yourself and the world-
I am here to give and to serve. How can I help them? How can I make their lives better? I am grateful to all these wonderful people who are spending their time listening to me.I want to help them,be one with them,give them my best. Shift from Get to Give,from Selfish to Selfless,from 'me' to 'them'. Your speech will never be the same again,nor will your life.
Why would anyone want to overcome stage fear?It is something so natural,even the best speakers feel it just before delivering a speech. For thousands of years,people have been trying to overcome fear.They have failed,and rightly so.Our fear of public speaking keeps us on our toes,and helps us to channel our energies to deliver the best speech we possibly can,on a given day.
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