Stage Fright Category 1 - Stage Fright __ My knees shake, my palms sweat, my throat tightens, my face turns red and my heart pounds just thinking about speaking to a group. __ Im afraid of saying the wrong thing and looking stupid. __ Growing up I had to justify what I was thinking and feeling, so I clammed up and cannot find my voice. __ I feel disconnected from groups and from my brain when I am in front of a group. __ My eyes dart all over the place. __ Since childhood I always wondered who I was and that has hindered me from speaking out. __ I keep running an inner voice saying, You dont have anything of value to contribute; its already been said and done. __ I fear I will freeze if I am expected to speak in front of a group. __ I cant remember my lines even though Ive rehearsed a thousand times. __ Im afraid people will laugh at me. Category 1 - Stage Fright Youve got it bad! 8-13 You have garden variety stage fright. 1-7 All you have is standard performance anxiety. Glossophobia or speech anxiety is the fear of public speaking Stage Fright: Four Components Anticipation the nervous, negative, and largely unrealistic thoughts and mental images you experience Avoidance when you avoid performance situations because of fear, you unfortunately strengthen and maintain the stage fright. Stage Fright: Four Components Anxiety and Panic the fearful symptoms you experience during your performance before an audience. Appraisal the period after a performance, when you come to some conclusions about how you did. Speech Anxiety Controlling fear Physical manifestations Trembling, shortness of breath, dry mouth, quivering voice, perspiration, fear of forgetting, weak knees, tense muscles, clumsy movements, rapid heartbeat, fear of audience, fear of what others might say, unnatural sounding voice, blushing Your awareness of your speaking Interest in the topic Your preparation Nervousness compared to your classmates TIPS: How To Cope With Stage Fright PHYSICAL BREATHE diaphragmatic breathing: is the act of breathing deep into your lungs by flexing your diaphragm rather than breathing shallowly by flexing your rib cage Exercise it away Establish contact: eye contact, asking questions, the likes MENTAL Its not you but what you are going to say Visualize success Expect and accept anxiety, do not resist it Focus on what you intend to do Mental block: summarize the last point, this will give you the time and opportunity to remember the next point TIPS: How To Cope With Stage Fright BEHAVIORAL Rehearsal, practice Meet the audience first Do not increase the rate of delivery: do not say things too fast or cut ideas short to finish fast Limit the use of filling words Distractions: do not let them make you feel nervous CHEMICAL Watch your diet No caffeine, sugar make you jittery No milk create mucous and cause some problems in throat clearing No alcohol relaxes but takes away alertness Herbs Chamomile tea Poise and Peace In selecting a Queen for a special occasion, judges vote for different qualities; one looks for cheesecake, another for complexion; a third wont pass on the curves, and a fourth thinks rosy cheeks come by the bottle. In the final countdown, the winner is picked on an entirely different basis- the girl with the poise goes home with the crown. Poise and Peace ability to remain calm and full of composure shows the speaker to be dignified in his manner of speaking and his movement important in gaining the confidence of your audience as someone who knows what he is talking about How Can We Achieve Poise and Peace Stand Up Straight and Think Straight! Good posture is the backbone (pun intended) of a strong, confident speech maker. promotes better speech volume (your insides arent as squished) and a general leader appearance. lift your head until the underside of your chin is parallel with the floor raise your shoulders toward your ears pull your shoulders back, squeezing your shoulder blades toward one another still squeezing your shoulder blades, bring your shoulders down to a squared (but comfortable) position How Can We Achieve Poise and Peace Look Your Best never neglect personal appearance when preparing for a speech Look good feel good perform at the highest level Get a haircut. Shave (or trim) any facial hair. Buy a new outfit. Iron any wrinkles in your garments. Shine your shoes. Learn how to apply makeup (even if its just foundation/moisturizer and lip gloss.) Do whatever it takes to be able to feel physically secure in front of an audience. How Can We Achieve Poise and Peace Be Prepared Preparation brings confidence in you All you need to worry is how you will look in front of the audience Bring anything you think you might need cough drops, extension cords, facial tissues, pens, paper, safety pins, paper clips, masking tape, adhesive tape, band- aids, brush, comb, shoe polish cloths, hand wipes, scissors, and other seemingly random items It also helps if you have chosen the right subject How Can We Achieve Poise and Peace Practice Positive Self-Talk Youre your own worst enemy instill yourself with confidence by repeating to yourself dont mentally berate yourself; instead, move on and allow yourself to learn from your errors Body Language Dont be a yokel! Body Language non-verbal communication involving the use of stylized gestures, postures, and physiologic signs which act as cues to other people Examples list Put your hands on your knees: indicates readiness. Put your hands on your hips: indicates impatience.[2][2] Lock your hands behind your back: indicates self-control. Lock your hands behind your head: states confidence. Sitting putting a leg over the arm of the chair: suggests indifference. Legs and feet pointed to a particular direction: the direction where more interest is felt Crossed arms: indicates submissiveness. The Body: Public Speaking The head Eye contact Feet The body Hands and arms Body movements The Body: Public Speaking Weak body language Crossing one leg in front of the other Fidgeting Slumping in your seat Pacing back and forth Looking down at the floor Clasping your hands Arms folded in front of you may look defensive. Stone-faced The Body: Public Speaking Strong body language Stand tall Weight evenly distributed Focused movement. Walk, stop, talk. Make your point and then move on to another spot in the room. Expansive, open, above the waist gestures Smiling Facial expressions Gestures Help us in conveying ideas Natural and speakers should not be conscious when using them Meaningful Gestures: Kinds Emblems specific gestures with specific meaning that are consciously used and consciously understood used as substitutes for words and are close to sign language than everyday body language. Example: V sign for victory or peace When shoo somebody with your hands to indicate rude dismissal Gestures: Kinds Iconic illustrators closely related to speech by illustrating what is being said used to show physical, concrete items add detail to the mental image In an unconscious usage, the preparation for the gesture will start before the words are said, whilst in conscious usage there is a small lag between words and gesture (which can make the speaker appear manipulative) Example: When you imitate a painters action when you use the word painting or painter Gestures: Kinds Metaphoric Used when a concept is being explained used to shape and idea being explained Examples specific shapes such as finger pinches and physical shaping or more general waving of hands that symbolizes the complexity of what is being explained Gestures: Kinds Regulators used to control turn-taking in conversation Example: in the way that as a person completes what they are saying, they may drop their arms a person wanting to speak may raise an arm as if to grasp the way forward. Gestures: Kinds Affect Display used to display emotion Examples: tightening of a fist many forms of self-touching and holding the self covering or rubbing eyes, ears or mouth can say 'I do not want to see/hear/say this Holding hands or the whole body can indicate anxiety as the person literally holds themselves. Self-preening can show a desire to be liked and can indicate desire of another. Gestures: Kinds Beat Beating and repetition plays to primitive feelings of basic patterning, and can vary in sense according to the context. A beat is a staccato strike that creates emphasis and grabs attention. A short and single beat can mark an important point in a conversation, whilst repeated beats can hammer home a critical concept. Examples: rhythmic beating of a finger, hand or arm can be as short as a single beat or as long as needed to make a particular point Gestures: Kinds Deictic Gestures used to point or identify spatial locations Example: When you say this or that, you accompany it with a gesture that points to where this or that is Group Activity True art is power under control and used with ease. Even with the right of free speech, we still sometimes say the wrong things. Architecture has been described as frozen music. The greatest love of all is self-love. Men are by nature social animals. Success is relative.