Stage Fright Cure

08/18/2011

For the child…it is not half so important to know as to feel. If facts are the seeds that later produce knowledge and wisdom, then the emotions and the impressions of the senses are the fertile soil in which the seeds must grow.
Rachel Carson

Do you get nervous when you are about to make a presentation? According to Ed Wolmuth in his classic, The Overnight Guide to Public Speaking (Philadelphia: The Running Press, 1983), "stage fright is normal, and for some people it is actually exhilarating. Your big problem is nervous energy, because that shows. And if you let it get out of hand, it can seriously detract from your performance." Here is a solution Wolmuth proposes...

"Go to a toy store and buy a kid's rubber ball that's large enough to cover most of your palm. On the morning of your talk, start walking around with the rubber ball in your hand, squeezing it vigorously all the time. Now shift it to your other hand and do the same thing. Now back again. Keep it with you constantly until it's time to leave for the function. Then put it away. Its job is done.

"From then on, the minute you feel the nervous energy start to mount, just think of the rubber ball. Curl your fingers around it and give it a good mental squeeze. That'll do the trick. I don't know why, but it works for me, and it works for anyone I have taught it to."

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