Eliminate Stage Fright - Part 4
This is part four of my series on eliminating stage fright.
There's one more article in this series.
Hopefully, you've been enjoying this and have gotten some helpful tips.
In this article, I'm going to talk about how uncertainty plays a role in anxiety and stage fright.
Specifically, people with anticipatory anxiety (which was covered earlier in the series) worry about audience reaction long before the show is even going to take place.
Comedians, magicians, and other solo performers often prepare for shows in a vacuum.
As a result, they're confident in their preparedness, but insecure in how they'll be judged.
They ask themselves, "Will the audience hate me? Will they pay me if I bomb? If they do, is out of sympathy?" These might sound like crazy concerns, but I've heard these things from performers asking me for advice.
I simply told them, "You're insane and probably a danger to society.
Get out of the business and go into investment banking.
" And that my friends is why we're in this current financial crisis.
Seriously, some performers believe their worlds will end and they will be judged as sucking forever if they have a bad show.
The truth this, it only lasts about five years, not forever.
I'm kidding because I'm trying to convey the attitude you should have.
This isn't to say you shouldn't take your shows seriously.
It simply means certain things are outside of your control.
If you're dealing with uncertainty and fear of judgment long before the show happens, here's my real advice.
Understand that you cannot control other people, you can only control what you do.
Do the best you can and regardless of how good or bad you do, attempt to do better next time.
It's that simple.
Incidentally, not taking my advice can actually cause you to have a bad show.
For example, if you plan your show months in advance, practice, and are totally prepared to perform, but you don't commit fully to what you planned, the show will suffer.
You may have a great show but your fear of audience reaction and judgment causes you to be meek instead of confident, full of energy, and explosive.
Remember, comedy and magic are performance arts.
You've worked hard to put together a set.
Deliver it with everything you have, do the best job you can, and screw 'em if they don't like it!
There's one more article in this series.
Hopefully, you've been enjoying this and have gotten some helpful tips.
In this article, I'm going to talk about how uncertainty plays a role in anxiety and stage fright.
Specifically, people with anticipatory anxiety (which was covered earlier in the series) worry about audience reaction long before the show is even going to take place.
Comedians, magicians, and other solo performers often prepare for shows in a vacuum.
As a result, they're confident in their preparedness, but insecure in how they'll be judged.
They ask themselves, "Will the audience hate me? Will they pay me if I bomb? If they do, is out of sympathy?" These might sound like crazy concerns, but I've heard these things from performers asking me for advice.
I simply told them, "You're insane and probably a danger to society.
Get out of the business and go into investment banking.
" And that my friends is why we're in this current financial crisis.
Seriously, some performers believe their worlds will end and they will be judged as sucking forever if they have a bad show.
The truth this, it only lasts about five years, not forever.
I'm kidding because I'm trying to convey the attitude you should have.
This isn't to say you shouldn't take your shows seriously.
It simply means certain things are outside of your control.
If you're dealing with uncertainty and fear of judgment long before the show happens, here's my real advice.
Understand that you cannot control other people, you can only control what you do.
Do the best you can and regardless of how good or bad you do, attempt to do better next time.
It's that simple.
Incidentally, not taking my advice can actually cause you to have a bad show.
For example, if you plan your show months in advance, practice, and are totally prepared to perform, but you don't commit fully to what you planned, the show will suffer.
You may have a great show but your fear of audience reaction and judgment causes you to be meek instead of confident, full of energy, and explosive.
Remember, comedy and magic are performance arts.
You've worked hard to put together a set.
Deliver it with everything you have, do the best job you can, and screw 'em if they don't like it!