professional rapport is plain old stage fright. People will consistently name
public speaking as their number one fear—right up there ahead of spiders
and death (Wallechinsky, 1977 ), but communication apprehension is just as
strong—stronger for some people—in the impromptu elevator chat or during
the first line of a phone call.
Because they fear the experience, they procrastinate about preparation, and
then they become more fearful because they know they are not well
prepared! Giving eloquent presentations, then, requires a bit of attention to
the dynamics and management of stage fright.
Other individuals will realize that it doesn’t take a large audience to cause
them concern. These people might be equally concerned about talking to a
stranger on an airplane, about speaking up in a meeting, or even about
leaving a voice mail message. Sometimes people just consider themselves
“shy” about talking to others. When the fear is a generalized reaction to
interaction with others, it is usually called “communication apprehension.”
If you were to name the cause of stage fright, the rather obvious answer—
being on stage—is obviously a bit simplistic. The real question is, why are so
many people afraid of public speaking? It certainly isn’t as dangerous as
sky-diving, but more people are afraid of it. The symptoms aren’t as severe
as having the flu, but most people would opt for the flu.
Causes
One suggestion is that most people simply haven’t had much practice at it.
Any unfamiliar activity creates some stress; add the normal “first time”
jitters to the unfamiliar territory of a management performance review or a
client’s office, and you’re guaranteed to feel some symptoms.
Symptoms
Tight throat.
Sweaty hands.
Cold hands.
Shaky hands.
Nausea.
Fast pulse.
Shaky knees.
Trembling lips.
Regardless of its cause, your stage fright symptoms are part of the body’s
Primary Threat Response, which you might know as the “fight or flight
syndrome.” This is a set of healthy physiological responses that allow a
human being to take effective action—running away or fighting—when
attacked. Most speaking engagements don’t require you to do anything
physical, but your body doesn’t know that. It perceives the adrenaline
signals, assumes that some sort of attack is possible, and simply prepares
you for the worst. So, thank your body for doing a few very sensible things:
• Muscles contract throughout your body. Your body is now
prepared to spring into action with a burst of energy. In
particular, the neck muscles contract, pulling the head
down and the shoulders up, while the back muscles draw
the spine into a concave curve. This, in turn, pushes the
pelvis forward and pulls the genitalia up, slumping the
body into a classic fetal position. Your body has done all
the right things to protect your vital organs from saber-
toothed tigers, but there’s not a wild animal in sight.
Instead, you stand still and straight in front of the
audience. Your muscles, still contracted, begin to tremble.
And the harder you try to hold contracted muscles still, the
more they tremble! Your neck, shoulder and back
muscles, in particular, begin to fatigue, while your lungs
and diaphragm are constricted in the body’s attempt to
maintain a fetal position. As you continue to hold your
head up in an effort to make eye contact, your vocal cords
are stretched and your voice tightens, and a moderate to
severe headache can set in.
Maintain sugar levels. Because you are under stress, the body is using up
its high-energy sugar reserves, but you will not feel the normal hunger
pangs. You have no desire to eat—the thought of food might even make you
“feel sick”—but you nevertheless can begin to feel the effects of low blood
sugar: depression, anxiety, irritability, lack of concentration, forgetfulness,
confusion, headache, body tremors, cold hands and feet. My, don’t those all
sound like “stage fright” symptoms!
Eat sensibly. Protein increases energy and alertness, but takes a very long
time to digest (about twelve hours). Fats will slow digestion even further.
Eating a big T-bone before you speak is not going to help the situation a bit.
You’ll just wind up with that lump of meat in your stomach, creating cramps
or nausea. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are "comfort" foods because
they trigger the release of serotonin and are best without protein, which
lowers the levels of tryptophan, its amino acid building-block (Wurtman).
Your best bet is to eat a low-fat meal of complex carbohydrates a couple of
hours before the presentation. Pasta, pizza, bean burritos, or rice dishes are
all good choices. Sugary cereal for breakfast is not.
Avoid a sugar high. Often when you are rushing around before a
presentation, sitting down for a decent meal is the last thing on your mind.
Be careful, though, that you don’t substitute a quick candy bar. That sugar
fix will make you feel better for a few moments, but the body uses that form
of energy almost immediately, leaving nothing for the presentation. What’s
more, overall blood sugar levels drop even farther after the candy’s artificial
peak. If you do need to snack, grab popcorn, pretzels, a banana or apple, or
sugar-free yogurt.
Avoid alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. All stimulate the adrenal glands
and increase stress symptoms. On the other hand, if you are a smoker this
is probably not a good day to quit.
• Exercise. Most stage fright victims swear this is the best
solution of all. Not only does exercise reduce stress and
help aleviate those large muscle contractions, it also
produces endorphins. Regular excercise is best, of course,
but even a workout the night before or morning of a big
speech will help you stay relaxed.
You won't have much luck telling yourself not to be afraid when the source of
the problem is low blood sugar. On the other hand, you can do a few things
to help your brain help itself.
• Some people swear by imagining the audience naked--or
any other trick that allows you to relax about all those eyes
staring at you.
• Eat happy foods. For the same reason, you can trigger a
dose of pleasure with the endorphins that are triggered by
certain foods. Women respond well to fat/sugar
combinations (chocolate, ice cream, cake), while men tend
toward fat/protein or fat/salt snacks (chips, french fries,
pizza). Be careful with the timing to avoid a sugar high or
a protein lump in the digestive system.