Business Speakers And Performance Anxiety

Not all people can speak in front of a group of people without feeling the nerves or getting anxious. Some will even go out of their way to avoid speaking in public as they are fearful of mistakes. Performance anxiety, also known as a stage fright, is characterized by an intense anxiety and paranoia that occurs before, during, and after a performance.

Performance anxiety affects even the most seasoned professional speaker or performer like business speakers and motivational speakers. While some people have the ability and presence of mind to remain cool and composed in stressful situations, most of us are geniuses as far as coming up with all the negative thoughts that may happen before and/or during a performance.

The fear that people feel before a performance may rely on the context of the speaking role. A presenter’s level of anxiety may vary with respect to the size and status of the audience, the novelty of the situation, whether it is an individual performance, or as part of the group, and on the importance of the evaluation. For a larger audience, the speaker might experience more nerves. The demographic also influences like you would be more nervous speaking to the manager of the company rather than the receptionist.

Types Of Anxiety.

1.     Commonly, business speakers and other performers will experience a light headed, unsettled sensation in their stomach which occurs before the performance but as they start talking it disappears. When the speaker begins to feel calmer, this shows that they are able and willing to perform and the adrenaline may even make them better.

2.     If a speaker or performer has not practised, got no experience or does not have speaking skills, they may experience reactive anxiety. Usually best resolved through practice, preparation, and the repeated exposure to the experience of public speaking/performance. Business speakers get better in this way.

3.     There are also physical and emotional signs of stage fright including sweating, shaking, an uneven voice and a quickening heart rate as well as fear and panic. These reactions are caused by the feeling that you might be evaluated negatively.

To help control the anxiety this belief must be altered. A performer can learn to overcome the triggers of anxiety by accepting fear, breathing calmly and practising in front of people as much as possible. You may discover that fear still remains, but you notice that you can handle it, as you are beginning to get the sense of enjoyment from your performance and from connecting with others.