The science of stage fright (and how to overcome it) - Mikael Cho

Heart racing, palms sweating, labored breathing? No, you're not having a heart attack -- it's stage fright! If speaking in public makes you feel like you're fighting for your life, you're not alone. But the better you understand your body's reaction, the more likely you are to overcome it. Mikael Cho advises how to trick your brain and steal the show.

Lesson by Mikael Cho, animation by KAWPA Studioworks.

[liyahStarlight]

I had anxiety just watching this and thinking about it 😥

[giboi]

My guide to overcoming stage fright (of the 1st & 2nd degree):
1. Have confidence in your stupidity and idiocy.
2. Practice in private.
3. Think of the audience's boredom. (They're surely not interested anyways.)
4. Think of either "wow-ing" or traumatizing your audience.
5. If you have fans/supporters/friends who call out your name, have humility (and childish pride, probably).
6. Look in the direction of the audience, and blur your sight so you don't look directly into their evil, judgemental stares.
7. Just do the darn thing you're gonna do. It's not like that'll last a lifetime, right?

[Shadow-Walker-]

Fear has two meanings. 1. Forget everything And Run. 2. Face Everything And Rise.

[LiveLaughLove]

It's hard when you're already insecure

[tosinoyebiyi]

when i present my hands or voice always shakes like omg its so embarrassing

[zachcate]

Whenever I have to speak in public my palms are sweaty, my knees are weak, and my arms are heavy. Sometimes there's vomit on my sweater already!! Moms spaghetti!!!!

[Lee-vvhy]

I don’t think teachers realize how terrifying it is when you have to present to the class when you have stage fright and your already insecure... I cried about having to present and in the 4th grade I passed out... because of a nervous breakdown I had...

[treddanDC]

I can really relate to this video. When i step up infront of an audience it's like something takes the control away from me. I can't speak correctly, my vision gets blurry, my whole body is tingling and my hands can't even for a moment try to stay still.
And after I've struggled through those few minutes and my speech is done, I sit down in my seat, and I can't even remember what i just did.

It is truly an awful feeling, to not have control. But this video made me determined to tame the animal inside of me. 

[JaguarRawr]

While I do usually like the teded animations, this one is a major step above the others. It's beautiful and matches the subject of fear very well.

[tomspence]

Is it just me who loves being on the stage? The adrenaline rush, the ability to be in control of what YOU do?
If you’re scared of speaking or performing (for me I love performing but hate speaking in like a class presentation) then just remember that it is inevitable that you are going to have to get on that stage, the best thing for me is not caring, the less you care, the less you overthink, another thing i do (for performing) is create a character out of myself, the person I am on stage is so much different than the person I am off the stage, if you create a character that is confident and doesn’t care, then it will trick your brain into being confident in yourself.

And most importantly, know you aren’t along, everyone deals with some sort of stage fright, you don’t need to do it yourself, speak about your performance or speech to become more affiliated with it.

[fictionista]

Last time I had to do a presentation my fight or flight response was to shake of the nerves, speak clearly, make eye contact, etc. all were positive reactions. Normally fight or flight responses are to run away from trouble, and during my presentation I wanted to run away from all the negative reactions I usually have by acting normally. My grade was on the line and I saw performing normally as my only way out. Not to mention all the odds were against me, I was unbearably hungry and sleepy, yet I kept it together. God is so good, I believe my strength comes from him, especially during presentations! 

[rajniangirishi]

I used to have performance anxiety but now I am literally known in my school for my public speakig skills.
During practice instead of acting consciously I imagine a different more carefree and perfect version of me performing on the stage .
So during the actual performance I just let the perfect imaginative version free and loose myself in acting that out which helps me maintain eye contact and confidence with the audience while blurs them in my mind.

[Anonymous-keef]

I experienced stage fright when i was in my elementary days, as well as introducing my name, or in recitations. I am an insecure person. I am an anti-social, and very shy talking to other people. Until we had a story telling on English. You have to memorize a whole short story and will call one by one by draw lots. I was so scared, so nervous, super shy... my friends said that I was so red when I was performing and I kept on forgeting lines. After performing, my teacher told me that I need more practice, understand the story and not memorize the script, gestures, and eye contact. I felt so terrible hearing all of those. So from now on, I always do my best in school. And if you're reading this, you should too! Regrets are always in the end. Be more positive and always practice to have a good impression, or else you'll look awkward, trust me. Good luck!

[viktorpaliy]

The music, the sounds, animations, so beautiful! Especially the ending!

[zayleedunlap]

I'm auditioning for Americas got talent and every time I sing in front of someone I start to cry and almost black out. Holy crap what do I do😭

[raysmetaltracks]

Oh yes, fear of speaking. My old friend. I have been in the consulting industry for around 25 years, mostly within the big 4 firms. One thing that is consistent, I'm always nervous. Sometimes so nervous that my heart is racing so fast that my breathing is too shallow to sustain o2 to my brain AND the ability to speak one full sentence, never mind deliver and hour long presentation. Over the years, I've learned some techniques to battle this fear - both the psychological and the physiological as well. 👍 Hang in there, there is hope my friends...
1. Breathe. Repeat. Deep breaths before you go on, several breaths, fill your lungs. Almost to the point where you are light headed. Remember, your heart is racing, and it needs oxygen. This will help calm your nerves a bit and enable you to have a little extra o2 on hand when you need it when you begin to speak. I find this also helps calm me.
2. You are anxious, you probably want to get this overwith as fast as possible. Your blood pressure is rocketing, your natural tendency is to slam into your presentation. Go easy. Pace yourself. Take it once concept/page at a time. Dont get ahead of yourself in your own thoughts, thinking about the next page, next topic, or an area that you may stumble with. And breathe.
3. Know your content. Practice it until you know your stuff backwards and forwards. If you realize on slide 2 that something is not clear in your head, this can cause additional anxiety and potentially make things a bit more challenging as you are trying to calm yourself.
4. Visualize yourself delivering the speech comfortably, and see the audience engaged and eager to hear what you have to say. Remember, nobody is there to see you fail. Only YOU know what you are going to say. The audience has no idea, so they will have NO idea if you miss something. You can always come back and add it if you need to. Remember that there is an end to this, and it will all be over soon - envision yourself enjoying the discussion.
5. Remember - what is the WORST thing that could happen? I mean really? Nobody will die, the police wont put you in cuffs, and nobody is going to stand-up and point and laugh at you. You were most likely hand picked for this task because of what you know and for being good at this. Try your best to remember these facts.
6. Just get the first 20 seconds out. The first 20 seconds is the hardest part, then its all down hill. Your brain (as much as we feel it betrays us in this situation by not listening to us when we tell it to be calm) does in fact "learn" that hey, its okay! I'm doing it! Your begin to get a rhythm and flow - your brain, realizing there is NO real emergency, cancels the alarm. Your heart rate begins to drop, blood pressure returns, and your adrenaline wears off. Its going to be okay.
BONUS TIP: If you have faith in a higher power, God in my case, ask for help. I do before each presentation - I ask Him to take over. Knowing you are NOT alone, and have the Almighty by your side can bring an incredible sense of calming and strength.

Sorry this is so long, but I know how it feels to be terrified. I hope these tips help. And remember, you got this!!!

[LemuriaGames]

Absolutely true. I've given many public speeches, from small rooms to hundreds of people. You NEVER lose stage fright, but you can get used to it and control it. And the best way to do so is to stop fighting a pointless fight, accept that it's there, but don't let it overpower you. And take a deep breath.

[AbhipshaSahuCoPrezIOFA]

Me: Yeah, I think I'm over my stage frig-
*has to give a speech*
Me: what are words

[alexanderivarson]

This is one of my favorite ones so far.

[ashswift]

AHHHH
I can't overcome my stage fear
It's freaking hard