Self Improvement

Have you ever feared performing or speaking in front of an audience? Your nerves jump, your stomach churns, your heart races, and you lose sleep over it. Don't fret, being nervous is natural! Did you know Barbra Streisand refused to perform in front of an audience for years? So, whether you are preparing for your school play or going on tour with Lady Gaga; here are 5 tips to overcome stage fright and performance anxiety.

Briefly, there are two general reasons why we ALL have this fear and for the most part, it's purely psychological.

Psychological Fears include audience response, forgetting your lines or choreography and lack of self confidence. These fears trigger the human fight or flight response. Hence, adrenaline is pumped to the body which brings us to physical factors.

Physical Responses include increased vibrato or singing off pitch, sweaty hands and dry mouth. Here are 5 tips to overcome stage fright:

1. Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse. Yes, train like a gold medal athlete. You have a few moments to make a first impression, make it good!! Also, if you develop dry mouth and cannot get a drink of water, slightly bite the tip of your tongue.

2. Visualize Success. Picture yourself receiving a standing ovation at Carnegie Hall. Remind yourself you are prepared!

3. Turn your nervousness into confidence. Channel your nervous energy into your performance.

4. Focus on your message/art NOT on yourself. If you are too worried about yourself, your message and art will be lost.

5. Take a deep breath and HAVE FUN!

So, there you have it, 5 tips to overcome stage fright. Though, it may still exist, now you will know how to better deal with performance anxiety. Remember, a great career doesn't come by luck. It takes LOTS of hard work and you can do it!! So get out there and rock it!

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This article was written by Los Angeles based vocal coach Nancy Badger whom studied with Ron Anderson. Check out Nancy's website at My Singer Secrets. Also, the contributing co-author is Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Mina Mauldin. Click here Mina Mauldin for Mina's latest single.