STRATEGIES FOR CONTROLLING STAGE FRIGHT AND TIPS

ON PREPARING VISUAL AIDS

A) STRATEGIES FOR CONTROLLING STAGE FRIGHT
I)

What is stage fright?

Stage fright or performance anxiety, is the fear or anxiety or nervousness aroused in
an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience. In context of
public speaking, this may precede or accompany any act of public self-presentation.

II)

Effects of stage fright

Stage fright has numerous manifestations. It can be either fluttering or pounding of
heart, tremor in hands and legs, dry mouth, tight throat, sweaty hands, cold hands,
shaky hands, trembling lips, trembling voice etc. Any out of the ordinary inward or
outward feeling manifesting before or during the performance can be considered as a
manifestation of stage fright.

III)

Sources of stage fright and solutions

According to Matt Abraham, professor of strategic communication at Stanford
University Graduate School of Business, there are mainly three reasons or sources of
stage fright.
a) SITUATION
The situation of our performance of public speaking can play an important role in
determining our experience as a whole. Most people are comfortable to speak in
small groups among familiar people, but they get nervous when they have to
confront a room or hall full of people of which they know only a few.
In such cases, the foremost thing to remember is that the reason we are
comfortable to speak in small groups is because we are having a conversation
with them. Whereas in the case of a larger group or hall of people we are
presenting an idea or topic which is a much informal interaction. A change in the
way of interaction creates anxiety in us.
The solution to deal with this case of anxiety is to see your presentation
as a conversation. When practicing your presentation, practice it as though it is a
conversation. Use conversational language. This will connect you with the
audience and use questions, can be rhetorical also, but this will invoke a
closeness to the audience making you comfortable.

b) AUDIENCE
The who is another big issue for many people. In front of whom they are
presenting, depending upon the audience or category of audience or some
selected people in the audience a person may experience stage fright.
The solution in this case visualisation. Visualise getting a positive feedback
from your audience for some time (days or weeks if possible) before your
presentation. It desensitises you because you have imagined the audience so
many times that you are used to seeing them by now.

c) GOAL
The third biggest source of worry for people before a presentation is their goals.
We are trying to achieve something, an idea, a purpose, through the presentation.
It ultimately has a goal. The goals are our future. And being worried about them,
we are concerned about the future.
The solution here is be present oriented. FOCUS. Be in the moment.
There are many ways to achieve that. Do some exercise.Listen to music.
Meditate. Read out some light material aloud. Chew some gum. Etc.

IV)

Speaking with confidence

By following five simple Ss we can improve our confidence while giving a
presentation. They are:
1) Stance
Have proper stance. Dont slouch or lean or cross your legs but stand straight
with proper distance between your legs.
2) Sound
Breathe diaphragmatically which you will be able to do if you have a proper
stance and modulate your voice as and when needed.
3) Smile
Have a comfortable smile across your face always. It makes you a comfortable
person to relate with.
4) Silence
Use pauses as and when required to give emphasis to certain points or time to
think about. Avoid filling up thinking gaps with words like ummm, I mean, I
think etc.
5) Sight
Look at the audience. Everyone in the audience, not just one or two people. Dont
stare down or at the wall.

V)

Conclusion
By identifying our source of anxiety and challenging ourselves to overcome them we
can become better speakers who do not tremble at the sight of a podium. But the most
important thing to keep in mind is that, how much ever we are ahead of our fears and
anxiety, a good presentation is always the result of thorough PRACTICE.

B) TIPS ON PREPARING VISUAL AIDS

I)

Why Visual Aids?

Visual aids are important tools for conveying your information to others. Some
people remember what they hear, some people remember what they see, but most

people remember best what they see and hear. Visual aids can assist your audience in
organization your verbal material and focus their attention in the direction you want.
Visuals make numerical tables simple and make new or complex ideas easier to
comprehend. Visual aids can also be used by the speaker as notes to keep a
presentation on track.

II)

Tips or guidelines to preparing visual aids

1) Plan your presentation before creating visual aids.
Know what you want to present and plan ahead the structure of your presentation.
Do not plan your presentation around an aid.
2) Use visual aids sparingly.
Use them to aid and support your ideas and key points. Do not sum your entire
presentation on visual aids.

3) Make them visible to the entire audience.

Be sure to stand properly so that audience can see them clearly and also make
sure that the aids are made on appropriate size compared to the size of the hall or
span of the audience and letters and pictures are big enough and of proper colour.

4) Talk to the audience.

Make sure to not read out the aid. Use the aid only to emphasise your point. And
always face the audience, do not turn yourself to the aid.

5) Explain the content of the aid.

Make sure to explain what is being expected to be achieved by showing the aid.
Graphs and charts etc. will not be understood unless its explained what they
stand for and what their relevance in your presentation is.

6) Limit the amount of material in one aid.

Make sure to project only one or two ideas in each aid. Do not clutter information
in a single aid.

7) BE PREAPARED TO GIVE YOUR PRESENTATION EVEN WITHOUT AIDS

Do not be utterly dependant on the aids. Be prepared to give the presentation
even without the aids. The aids should only be a helping tool to emphasise or
support your ideas and arguments.