Dealing with Performance Nerves

Hi everyone,

In todays post I will be talking about dealing with performance nerves.

Everyone deals with performance nerves differently, and this can be anything from speaking in public or putting on a short performance at a venue local to you that you are taking part in.

Putting on a small public performance or speaking in public takes a lot of courage to do, and it does take time for you to adjust and get used to performing in public. Some people find it easier than other people to cope with dealing with performance nerves, and thats okay as we all learn and develop in our own time.

The only way that I have found that works for me is taking something that I used to do when I was younger, and then I applied it to performing; and for me this seems to work.

  When I was younger I was part of Beavers, Cubs and Scouts; and when I reached the Cubs was when we used to start going on weekend camping trips with my Cubs/ Scouts troupe; and on those weekend camping trips used to be filled with different physical activities. One of those activities was Abseiling, which I loved doing.

Abseiling Analogy

This is what I use to get over my own personal performance nerves, and please feel free to use it if it you think it will help you to overcome your performance nerves.

- So you have climbed to the top of the abseiling tower, and when its your turn to go abseiling you start to feel a little nervous and unsure as you don't know whats going to happen next. The instructor is there to support you all the way until you reach the bottom.

- You are leaning over the edge facing backwards with all of the safety equipment on. But, that ledge isn't the flat surface that you are feeling. It feels curved, and its this curved bit that you need to get over before you feel the flat surface.

- Your aim is to get over the curved surface, and this is the bit that takes the time as you aren't used to it. Take as much time as you need to get over this curved lip (the curved lip are your performance neves). This can be anything from a minute, a few minutes or throughout your entire performance; and there's no right or wrong for dealing with this, especially if its your first time performing in public.

- Once over the curved edge you feet finally feel the flat surface, and its just straight down from there until your feet touch the ground. This is where you should start to feel more at ease during your performance, and a lot more comfortable. But, again everyone deals with performance nerves differently, so don't worry if it doesn't happen on the first few occasions. 

- Feet on the ground means you have done your performance

Dealing with performance nerves takes time to overcome, and some people can deal with this much more quickly than others. You may also develop your own coping mechanism to help you to deal with performing in public. But, the more you perform the easier in theory it should become; but that may also not be case for everyone.