The document discusses techniques for managing anxiety related to public speaking. It explains that anxiety is a natural physiological response but can be facilitated or debilitating. Key recommendations include practicing deep breathing, visualization, adopting a speaking persona, and reciting phrases to warm up vocal muscles before speaking. The goal is to recognize anxiety as natural and put the adrenaline it creates to positive use in the performance.

1. ANXIETY
HOW TO KEEP THE BUTTERFLIES IN YOUR STOMACH UNDER CONTROL.

2. PUBLIC SPEAKING
• Research indicates that among activities causing the most
anxiety among individuals, public speaking ranks second
to flying.

3. CONTROLLING YOUR FEAR
• Public speaking presents itself as a natural human fear.
You can control it. Hopefully, the slides that follow will
help in controlling that fear.

4. PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNS
• The body deals with anxiety in several ways.
• Your blood sugar, blood pressure and heart rate
increase.
• Adrenalin is released into the body, which is similar to
the adrenalin rush experienced by an athlete or
someone facing a challenge.

5. TAKING ADVANTAGE OF PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNS
• Much like an athlete, you can use physiological signs to
your advantage.
• Adrenalin can actually heighten your performance as it
makes you think quicker and perform more expressively and
dynamically.
• Also, the more you practice, the more you become better
able to control the adrenalin to your advantage.

6. FACILITATIVE STAGE FRIGHT
• Understanding that your anxiety is natural and letting it
work in your favor can help you turn it into something
positive.
• If you have acted on stage, or have a friend who has, ask
he/she about the rituals they go through before walking
on stage. You will find a good deal of those rituals involve
breathing exercises and visualization.

7. DEBILITATIVE STAGE FRIGHT
• When you fail to recognize the physiological signs of
stage fright, it’s known as “debilitative stage fright.”
• It is severe anxiety caused by natural fears associated with
public performance.
• This type of anxiety inhibits self-expression and leaves
some individuals unable to communicate at all.

8. RECOGNIZE THAT ANXIETY IS NATURAL
• Anxiety is a natural fear, but it can actually help you get through
your speech.
• Earlier, I talked about how actors deal with stage fright. From my
own personal experience (I have appeared on stage in more than
50 community theater plays), I use visualization and breathing
exercises to cope with anxiety.
• I have butterflies every time I walk out on stage. My stomach
rumbles and growls and I rarely eat before a performance.

9. TECHNIQUES TO CONQUER STAGE FRIGHT
• What I do, whether it’s in a theatrical situation, or just
lecturing before a class, is do some breathing exercises.
• Inhale and exhale slowly for about a minute. It slows down
your heart rate and gets your adrenalin under control.

10. TECHNIQUES TO CONQUER STAGE FRIGHT
• Visualize yourself giving the perfect speech, or the perfect
performance.
• In a play, you have probably rehearsed for more than two
months. In that time, you have learned your lines, and learned
something about your character and how it interacts with
others in the play.
• In a speech, you are obviously not going to rehearse for two
months. However, you do need to rehearse. Reciting your
speech three to four times, and timing it, will build confidence.

11. TECHNIQUES TO CONQUER STAGE FRIGHT
• I would guess that for many of you, the fear of speaking is,
in part, from a lack of preparation.
• If you are delivering the speech for the first time when
giving it in class, you set yourself up for anxiety issues and
failure.
• Being confident in your material and your presentation
because you practiced will limit the anxiety and stress
significantly.

12. TECHNIQUES TO CONQUER STAGE FRIGHT
• Adopt a “speaking persona” or a “role” when speaking.
This gives you some distance from the audience.
• Do a bit of physical exercise to burn off nervousness. I
have a friend who, whenever giving a speech, or
performing on stage, goes to a space where she can do 10
to 15 jumping jacks. Hey, whatever!

13. TECHNIQUES TO CONQUER STAGE FRIGHT
• Practice saying the phrases in your speech that are the
toughest, such as names of individuals you are citing as
sources, as a warm-up exercise.
• This also makes it easier to speak clearly.

14. TECHNIQUES TO CONQUER STAGE FRIGHT
• Many speakers use a series of phrases, or a mantra, as a
warm-up before speaking, or appearing on stage as an
actor.
• Open your mouth as wide as possible when you say these
phrases and repeat several times.

15. PHRASES TO PRACTICE
• Look at the tongue twister handout you received earlier.
It’s geared specifically for certain letters or vowels you
might be having trouble with when speaking.
• I generally use the one that begins: “I sit in solemn silence.”
The reason: As an elementary school child, I had difficulty
with “s” sounds, turning them into “th” sounds. I sounded
much like Elmer Fudd in the Disney cartoons: “Thilly
wabbit.”

16. PHRASES TO PRACTICE
• “Red leather, yellow leather.” This one requires you to
move your mouth positions when speaking it, thus
warming up your jaw as well as your vocals.
• “Does this shop stock short socks with spots?” Another
one that concentrates on “s” sounds, my early childhood
nemesis.
• “Budda, gudda.” Try doing this one really fast about 10
times. It’s a great warm-up

17. FINAL STAGES
• Right before speaking, take a couple of deep breaths. Most of
you begin by stating your name and your topic. Although that
is not really necessary because I have your topic, or speech
outline before me when listening to your speech and your
name automatically appears on the video, it does give you the
opportunity to transition into your speech.
• If you do state your name and topic. Take a moment before
beginning the speech – about five seconds – to take a deep
breath to relax yourself.

18. VISUALIZATION
Either the night before, or the morning of your speech (even minutes before
giving your speech), visualize yourself doing well.
Many athletes visualize themselves doing well in the game. Baseball players
use visualization techniques when they step into the batter’s box, focusing
on hitting the ball hard. The late great Mickey Mantle once told a rookie
that he saw himself hitting a home run every time he went to bat and never
focused on what he did, or did not do, in the at-bat before.
Ted Williams was another great baseball player who visualized himself
doing well when batting. Williams said he just tried to concentrate on
hitting the ball hard.

19. SUMMARIZING
• Anxiety is a natural fear in public speaking, but you can
put the anxiety and adrenalin to work for you.
• You want to employ “facilitative stage fright” by using
what is creating your fear work in your favor.
• Create a “mantra” of phrases you can recite to both warm
up your facial muscles, your tongue, and your vocal chords
right before giving a speech.