Why is public speaking feared more than death? Why do some people fail a test even when they know the answers? And why do I play my guitar better alone than when I am on stage? To answer these questions (and attempt to remedy these situations), I put together modern research from a variety of backgrounds (sports, music, academics) and paired it with actionable advice to beat performance anxiety.
The goal of this lesson is to:
- Increase focus and concentration
- Prevent that embarrassing feeling when your mind goes blank
- Replace the fear of failure
- Harness both sides of the brain for ultimate execution
- Lower stress and anxiety
The exercises below work together to provide a foundational base to increase confidence, conquer the jitters, and hopefully pull off a performance just as good – if not better – than what can be pulled off in private practice. However, for students facing significant anxiety or other mental health challenges, seeking professional therapy or counseling provides additional valuable support in addressing underlying issues and enhancing overall well-being.
In my experience (and I’ve been on a lot of stages even though it doesn’t align with my personality) the key seems to be knowing the mental state you are going for (often called psychological flow). Then, be aware it will take time, practice, awareness, and training to get there.
Individuals who are intellectually driven are often highly sensitive. Getting high sensitivity to work for you and not against you can be quite a learning curve in high performance situations.
Here are 10 Places to Start
- Learn about deliberate practice. Before you even step on a stage, build high quality mental representations with concrete visualizations and rehearsal. Deliberate practice involves finding a great coach for scaffolding and holding you accountable as you work toward your goal.
- Anxious? Self-conscious? Redirect your “locus of focus” and find “flow.” When you are the center of attention, let YOUR center of attention be on something other than you. Instead of worrying about how you’re being perceived, direct your attention to the process of what you’re doing. If you’re performing, concentrate on the rhythm, the texture of the music, or the motions of your body. If you’re speaking, focus on the words, the message, or the connection with your audience rather than how you look or sound. Take a moment to remind yourself why you enjoy the activity in the first place.
- Focus on one person (HINT: it’s not you) to build empathy. Flexing the mental muscle of empathy unfreezes the brain’s stress response. By shifting focus from self to others, empathy activates regions of the brain associated with emotional regulation, reducing anxiety and promoting a sense of connection. This helps alleviate the pressure of performance and encourages a more relaxed, present state of mind. Place your attention in the OUTER environment. Connect with your audience. Smile or make eye contact. Find a friendly face to focus on. Imagine a face if the lights are too bright.
- Experiment with the power of dressing up. There’s a reason performers and athletes dress up—it’s not just superficial. Research shows that clothing affects our mindset and performance through “enclothed cognition,” the psychological impact of what we wear. Dressing in attire associated with power or competence can boost confidence and focus. Coaches often ask teams to dress up on game day, knowing it triggers a psychological shift that improves performance. However, comfort is key. Studies show that discomfort—like wearing swimsuits during a math test—can impair cognitive function. The right attire helps you feel confident, but it’s crucial that it also allows you to focus.
- Turn humans back into humans (not the monsters in your head) with anonymous practice. Discuss: Do you have a specific person or competitor that is making you nervous? Are you projecting them onto EVERYONE else?Are you MORE nervous in front of friends than strangers? Or less? Why do you think that is? How can you set up situations for anonymous practice (low stakes situations where no one knows who you are)? One student once shared the story of playing a piano in a hotel lobby.
- Work with your whole body in mind. Under pressure, your brain engages both hemispheres to process the situation. In addition, the sympathetic nervous system triggers the “fight or flight” response, preparing your body for action. The parasympathetic nervous system works to help calm your body once the pressure has passed.If you process the situation as a threat (even if it is something you love to do – like performing), consider “bilateral coordination exercises” that can help you center yourself. Do this before going on stage of course.
- Recognize the signs of the “fight or flight” response—such as dry mouth, trembling, nausea, and a racing pulse—and learn strategies to manage them. This may include relaxation techniques like deep breathing or grounding exercises. Additionally, be mindful of what you eat before a performance: Limit caffeine and sugar, eat a sensible meal a few hours before (don’t be hungry = extra shaky), and consider low fat meals with complex carbs (bean and rice, lentils, yogurt, whole grains, etc.) as they work well for physical activities.
- Made a mistake? Turns out appropriate laughter is the best medicine. When the audience can see you are comfortable with your small mistake, it will make THEM more comfortable having seen you go through it. Be gracious for their sake. They are wishing you the best. Very few people want to see anyone fail. Option 1: Move on without any acknowledgement of the mistake (musicians do this all the time). Option 2: Gently acknowledge the mistake but KEEP GOING. Option 3: Gently laugh at yourself. Laughter increases endorphins, combating cortisol and stress.
- Made a BIG mistake? Super nervous? Try adhoc EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing – a fancy phrase for scanning the environment). The theory is that this is the brain’s way of accurately assessing the feeling of fear, then sending a signal to your brain to chill out (no predators present). Fun fact: Greek Tragedies did this (looking side to side across a large stage while processing bizarre fears and conducting past emotional review). It worked for both the performers and for the audience. They obviously had no idea they were engaging in what we now call EDMR (read Wonderworks by Dr. Agnus Fletcher for more cool facts like this).
- Biofeedback (and other relaxation techniques)
- Relaxation is a skill
- Learn how to relax when you DON’T need it, so you can call upon it at the times you DO
- Learn about the power of meditation, mindfulness, and biofeedback. When does your heart race?(Apple watches can tell you.) You might be surprised just how much your heartbeat changes throughout the day.
If you are interested in high performance, you are guaranteed to be pushed outside your comfort zone on a regular basis. It is worth taking time to learn the science behind holding it together. Good luck testing out these tips!
Go Deeper/Resources
- Book – Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
- Book – Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
- Quick article: https://positivepsychology.com/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-father-of-flow/
- Hyperfocus/ADHD/Flow: https://www.additudemag.com/flow-state-vs-hyperfocus-adhd/
- Biofeedback and Gifted Children: An Initial Investigation https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.2466/pms.1985.61.1.179
- Bilateral Coordination Exercises: https://www.theottoolbox.com/cross-crawl-exercises/
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