Speaking in public in front of groups of people you don’t know or even know can be more than nerve racking – it can be downright scary. For some the thought of having to do it is enough to make them self medicate to calm their nerves. Some people self medicate by what is thought of as liquid courage- alcohol. Others use a variety of drugs, some legal, some not. Both ways of alleviating the stress of public speaking can lead to abuse and later addiction.
If you stress out about speaking in front of groups, you are not alone. Most public speakers, even the experienced ones, are nervous on some level about making a mistake and/or being laughed at. Nervousness before a performance is your body’s way of making sure you do well. Adrenaline can actually help you focus.
Some people experience more severe worry and stress. They may feel cold or sweaty, get butterflies in their stomachs and feel like they can’t think straight. Rather than taking something to calm you down, whether it is a prescribed tranquilizer or something illegal, try some of the following techniques.
Be prepared. If you practice enough and know your material, you’ll do much better. If you can, practice in front of another person, if not, use a mirror. Think positive. Look yourself in the eye and say, “I can do this”, and believe it. Make sure you get plenty of sleep the night before and eat healthy. Feeling better physically, will help you psychologically.
Learn some relaxation techniques. Some people rely on yoga and deep breathing exercises. Some compile a list of soft listening music that puts them at ease. Some people need to be active to relax. If that sounds like you, take a nice long walk or a run, followed by a warm shower. Find out what works best for you and then use it.
Check on tips from the experts. There are DVD’s, CD’s, books and on-line information about how they deal with pre-performance jitters. Believe me, stage fright is not new and it is something that most speakers deal with constantly. Whether you are giving a talk in school in front of other students, at work in front of a group of your peers, or in a room full of strangers, you can do it. Not only can you do it, but you can do it without drugs.
If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow today. We are here to help.
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This describes me to a 'T'. I thought it would get easier since I have to speak in front of groups regularly. It hasn't gotten any easier in 2 1/2 years. I have made without the use of drugs but I can't tell you that it didn't cross my mind a time or two.
ReplyDeleteI could speak in public on a bet. I'm not even sure I could read in front of a crowd. My hats off to those who do it. School was a nightmare for me too. I got good grades but I could not answer in class or do presentations. It hasn't gotten much better with age.
ReplyDeleteI've tried all the tricks and I still hate going up to that podium to speak. I used to think about taking something to calm me down, but I never did. I don't think about that very often now. Maybe I have made progress.
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to people who use some kind of drug before speaking in public. I'm good at what I do and I'm OK once I get going, but the thought of walking up those stairs and getting started scares me to death. I hope it gets better soon.
ReplyDeleteI'm okay once I get on the stage, it's the days and hours and minutes before I get there that have a tendancy of undoing me. I have used a glass of wine more than once to calm the jitters, but that usually does it for me. I feel sorry for people who really have bad stage fright.
ReplyDeleteCollege speech class had to be the worst thing I ever lived through. The night before I had to give a talk I literally walked the floors. I'm sure I looked like hell every time too. It's hard to look your best when you are sleep deprived. I actually switched career paths so I don't have to do anything like that any more. I can relate to resorting to drugs.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking in public is the part of my job that I detest the most. I've been doing it for years but it just doesn't get any easier. I've never used drugs before a talk but I have had a glass of wine to settle the nerves.
ReplyDeleteI'm one of the lucky ones. Public speaking has never bothered me. I think in part, it was all of the family 'plays' where I always had speaking roles. Our friends and their parents were our audience. It was great fun and speaking to crowds is still child's play for me. Once a ham, always a ham?
ReplyDeleteI think I could talk in front of a group but I've never had to do it so I'm not 100% sure. I might get up there and choke.
ReplyDeleteI don't like to draw attention to myself, so I'm pretty sure I couldn't get up in front of a group and speak. I doubt it would matter what the subject matter was either. I think I'd rather take a beating.
ReplyDeletePublic speaking scares the spit out of most people. They're OK in front of a few, but get choked up in front of more than 10. I'm one of them. I really try to avoid situations like this. I've been tempted to try something to relax me, but I'm too afraid of getting hooked.
ReplyDelete