How to deal with stage fright

When I was in my first year of university, I temporarily joined the debating club. I didn’t spend any time preparing what I was going to say, so when I had to present, I just drew a massive blank. It was the first time I’d ever gotten stage fright and it was a big hit to my confidence.

I didn’t stick with debating after that. Looking back on it, I do wonder if maybe I should have. I could have probably pushed through my nerves if I set my mind to it. In the midst of the business of life though, I didn’t feel I had the mental energy to direct at this. I also really didn’t want to be in that situation ever again.

I think this experience spilled over into other situations, affecting my confidence speaking out. In tutorials I found that I commonly thought things that were much more intelligent than I felt comfortable articulating. While I was talking I would start overthinking and worrying that no one would understand what I had to say. It was commonly a self-fulfilling prophecy.

It took me a little while to accept that getting nervous when public speaking is completely normal, and the best way to get better is through practice. I started putting myself out there more. I would ask questions even when I might look stupid, I began running classes for the university, and took part in mock trials. I ended up coming up with a bit of a mantra to say when I felt really nervous, reminding myself to be “confident, calm, collected”.

I don’t get stage fright anymore. I still get nervous, and I still say stupid things from time to time. The positive is that I know I am better at speaking than I was before.

So, if I could tell first year “stage fright” me one thing, it would be to just take a few deep breaths, relax, and start talking.