How To Overcome Stage Fright

There is nothing wrong with you if you have stage fright, it is completely normal. Most people, even famous musicians, never completely eliminate stage fright - they just learn how to control it. Overcoming stage fright is a process that will take some will-power, but if you can face your fears then you will be able to face your audience... free of stage fright! Lets start with three simple things that will mentally prepare you to overcome stage fright.

1. The audience is supportive, they want you to do good!

For some reason, people with stage fright think that the audience is the enemy, but you are presenting to them and they are most likely friendly. Everybody thinks, "they won't like me, they will laugh if I mess up, oh no." When you watch someone do you sit there and think, "Mess up! I can't wait to laugh at your mistakes...MESS UP!" No, you want them to do good. Realizing this will help you overcome stage fright. It is all in your mind, there is no real danger to fear.

Put yourself in their spot.

Thats what I used to do. When I was sitting in class on presentation day, I would just sit quietly and relaxed as I listen to everybody else. But then as soon as my name was called, it was all of a sudden time to freak out. There is nothing different between myself and the previous presenters, so why worry? I don't, not anymore. I now realize that the audience is just as relaxed and calm as I was 5 seconds ago (before my name was called). That was a very easy way to overcome stage fright once I really thought about it. Again, it is all in your mind.

You're too hard on yourself.

If you stuttered during your presentation (or vocal performance, etc) then you will be thinking about it all day long, and it may be forever burned in your mind. Do you know how long the audience will be thinking about it? Probably about 5 seconds. Nobody is as hard on you as yourself.

2. PREPARE!

Yes, it sounds like a no-brainer, but this is so true and so overlooked. I would say that half of stage fright is created when people worry about messing up; it scares them. You don't have to worry about messing up if you have gone through the process 1,000 times before. If you get on stage and think, "will I be able to hit that note? Will I be able to do this right?" then you haven't practiced enough. If you have hit that note 1,000 times before the performance then you won't need to worry about if you will hit it or not. If you have played that guitar melody 1,000 times before then you won't have to worry about getting it wrong. The pro's make it look so easy, and it is easy after they have done it every single day for the past so many years. "Practice makes perfect" is such an overlooked statement, but it is very true. Thorough preparation will go a long way and help you overcome stage fright by easing the thought of messing up. Proper preparation will make you more confident in your abilities.

3. You can't overcome stage fright without going through it, so just do it!

You will never overcome stage fright with time if you do nothing about it, it isn't like that (unless you do the following). Time heals a lot of scars, but time doesn't heal stage fright unless you go through it! You can't just sit on the sideline and wait for it to go away, you have to learn to control it if you want to overcome stage fright. You have to face your fears. It will be hard at first, I'm not going to lie. It does work though. You just have to deal with it and get it over with. When I used to get stage fright I just went for it, and the first few times were awkward and I felt a little odd, but that fear slowly faded. You can overcome stage fright too, you just have to step up and do it.

Don't forget, it is all in your head. People will NEVER know how nervous you are unless you show them.

From now on, whenever you are put in a position where stage fright starts to kick in, just do it. It might be hard the first few times, but I promise you will start to overcome it with time. I can also promise you that you will NOT overcome stage fright with time if you just sit around and wait for it to go away. It won't go away unless you kill it!

If you can overcome stage fright, then the benefits will make you a brand new person; a person with more confidence who isn't afraid to step up and do what they want. You will no longer have that stage fright holding you back.

Other Singing Help Articles:

How To Sing High Notes
How The Vocal Cords and Larynx Work
Is Singing a Natural Talent
How To Sing Better