Stage Fright and My First Public Speaking Engagement

Overcoming Stage Fright > Public Speaking Tips > Stage Fright and My First Public Speaking Engagement

Stage Fright and My First Public Speaking Engagement

I can remember it as if it were yesterday. I was so nervous that I thought I was going to pass out. My palms were sweating, I was shaking uncontrollably and my throat was as tight as it can possibly be. How did I end up in this situation, where I was just about ready to get up in front of an audience and deliver my first presentation? I had heard that some people had stage fright, and I was concerned about my abilities as a public speaker, but whenever it came down to crunch time the stress really built up in me. It didn't turn out as bad as you might have thought, however, and here is how I handled the stage fright from my first public speaking engagement.

Even though I was nervous, I was very well-prepared. I knew that I was going to be giving this presentation for several weeks in advance and I'd use those weeks without procrastinating to get myself prepared. Now by prepared I basically mean that I was familiar with the subject to which I would be speaking. I had in my mind exactly what I wanted to say but I also left a little bit of room in order to speak extemporaneously. I thought that I had the bull by the horns, so to speak, but about a half hour before I was to give my presentation the first signs of stage fright started to appear.

I would not have believed it if I hadn't have experienced it myself. For a little bit of time I thought that I was going to have to cancel the engagement because of my fright. But I decided to go ahead and take the stage and give my presentation as I had originally intended. That had to have been the longest walk of my entire life. The trip from my seat to the front of the room could not have been any more than 30 feet but I thought that it took me a full day to get there. After I was up in front of the audience something amazing happened. I opened my mouth and started to speak and things came out exactly as I had planned.

It was a great feeling whenever I discovered that I was speaking in front of an audience and they were reacting positively to what I was saying. Even though my nervousness never really left me, and I had to be careful that people did not notice that I was shaking a little, the fright that had gripped me had left. By the time I was three or four minutes into my presentation I was comfortable with what I was doing and realized that it was not necessary to be so afraid in the first place. So if you are facing an upcoming public speaking engagement make sure that you do not become overly concerned with it. The initial fear will soon pass and then you can get on with giving a great presentation.