Judgment Day
I read an article once that stated that stage fright is the second ranked fear only being preceded by death. After carefully analyzing a statistical statement like this it is clear that a majority of people fear the judgment of the crowd they are presenting or performing in front of.
In this month’s article we are going to take a close look at what causes stage fright and some strategies to overcome these fears. More importantly we will provide you (the magician) with some concrete methods of overcoming your fears of external judgment. Though in February 2008, I touched on overcoming the jitters, this month I really want to take a deep look into the psychology behind stage fright.
I can remember clearly the first time I was asked to speak in front of an audience. It was one of the most frightening experiences in my life, however, in retrospect it became one of the most life-changing. I was working for the Department of Workforce Services and the Federal Government asked the Quality Analyst Department of Utah to develop and present training for the State of Utah Public Assistance Administration Conference.
Well my Supervisor assigned me to the task. It was interesting to watch the faces of all the other Quality Control Analyst before our Supervisor announced the nominee. Some exclaimed openly that they did not want to do it, while others planned vacations or played sick. Some went so far as to elaborately avoid our supervisor’s radar until a nominee was selected.
The fears expressed in my co-workers faces were sincere and very real. I found myself tied up in knots with the thought of being selected. The moment arrived, and the anticipation gripped the air. No one spoke a word. When my supervisor read my name the feeling could only be described as the feeling a Death-row inmate would experience before being carted off to the electric chair.
The day came: Judgment Day. I felt sick, and I remember not being able to sit down. There were hundreds of people present and every scan of the room produced more anxiety. I felt like I wanted to run out of the conference room and hide. I even had brief thoughts of planning a brilliant scheme of playing sick. But once the certain opened there was no turning back. In the beginning stages of my presentation I noticed that the more I engaged with the audience, the better I felt.
I guess by doing so I felt like I had a connection, giving me the perception that it was a one on one conversation rather than a presentation to an audience. Once I got through the body and closer to my conclusion I started feeling energized and alive.
After concluding my presentation, the audience cheered and applauded. People were coming up to me after the presentation giving me compliments and words of encouragement. I noticed that none of the earlier fears that I was experiencing were present anymore. In fact I felt alive, and the euphoria was overwhelming. So what happened? What caused me to experience so much fear? The audience was not a pack of wolves ready to rip my flesh off of my body, but I truly felt that I was facing a clear and present danger.
Though this life experience shared ended well, I had many more that did not. I learned that even the seemingly negative experiences are opportunities for learning. The main idea is how can we reframe these fears into opportunities for success? Before we discuss how we reframe fear, we need to know what fear is.
I would like to first define fear and why it is programmed into our biology. There have been many books written on the subject of fear and many of them focus on how fear can keep us alive. These books also address how fear can stagnate our progress and even stop functionality. So what is fear and how can we truly develop a working relationship with it? Regardless of your believe systems, I think we all can agree that there was a time when men and women were pitted against the environment directly for survival.
There were real and direct dangers that presented life threatening obstructions to our survival. Either it was being prey to predatory animals that co-existed with mankind, or other tribes (groups) fighting for territory and food access. The dangers were real and looming. Fear is a defense mechanism that heightens our senses, provides us with supernatural strength, and can give us a sixth sense to help us avoid danger. But what is not common knowledge is that fear and anger are two sides to the same coin.
As we discussed in last month’s article that we have a fight or flight mechanism that is activated when we feel threatened. The interesting aspect about this mechanism is that it can save your life if you are presented with a direct and real danger, however, what happens when that danger is indirect and perception-based?
Indirect and perception-based fears can seem very real and can paralyze an individual. If you study panic and anxiety disorders you will discover that the fight/flight mechanism kicks into overdrive. These episodes are triggered by conscious or subconscious fear-based beliefs regarding a situation or circumstance. These panics can caus accelerated heart rates, shortness of breath, and even can give the individual a sense that he/she is dying. It fascinating to realize how psychologically based beliefs can affect our physiology.
As magicians we all can recall our first experiences performing in front of an audience. Some of you out there probably experienced butterflies, feelings of nervousness, or in some cases some overwhelming feelings of panic. We have to keep in mind that perception based fears are limited to the mind’s eye.
As I stated I truly felt threatened by the audience, and in that moment I felt like I was facing a dangerous situation. Due to my perception of speaking to an audience, I created illusions of fear that caused my fight/flight mechanism to kick in. Fortunately I discovered that by reframing the situation, from focusing on speaking to a large audience to having a one-on-one conservation with human beings, helped calm my reactions allowing me to become responsive.
The center of stage fright lays our defense of ego. Understand that the ego contains our self concepts (our views about ourselves). To stand in front of an audience is to truly leave you vulnerable to judgment. This fear of judgment can feel very real and can cause you to go into a reactive state. So how can we control these perception based fears? The answer is reframing.
Reframing is the process of taking a perception, belief system, and/or memory and alternating it consciously, thus turning the experience from negative to positive. Understand that optimal performances are executed under a state of relaxation. To all of you beginning magicians please take this to heart because only when you have mastery over your perception based fears will you obtain a higher level of performance.
Before the performance, use the visualization techniques taught in the third step in my article “overcoming the Jitters.” Visualization is a great way to reframe your past, present, and future experiences. A great reframing technique is to focus on a positive aspect of a situation; for example when I reframed my presentation from a large group to a one-on-one conversation. This alleviated much of the anxiety that I was experiencing earlier because I focused on one audience member at a time, and once my nerves calmed I was able to focus on the whole audience. Remember it usually is the first handful of performances that are the most nerve-racking. Through time and practice, we all start to feel easier about the performance and overall develop a love for the stage. Reframe you perception-based fears into opportunities of growth and rejuvenation.
Here is an analogy that will illustrate how perception based fears are transformed into exhilarating experiences through allowing yourself to embrace the fear and take action. Most of us can remember our first roller coaster ride. Waiting in line we find ourselves getting restless and anxiety saturated with anticipation. As you hear the thunderous roar of the passing coasters you start to feel the butterflies swarm within your stomach.
The line moves forward, and every step you take causes more tension. Your mind is at war. One side is urging you to push forward while the other demands a retreat. With the opening of the gates your throat dries and hands perspire. As you get into your seat, you have one last thought of jumping off and running for your life. Too late, the bars go down securing you to the seat. As the coaster climbs up the hills, each clack of the pulling chain pounds in your ears. The moment has come, the descent. The roar of the coaster muffles your screams, and with every twist and turn your senses heighten. As fast as it started the coaster comes to a stop. Then, paradoxically, the very next thought that enters your mind is: “let’s do it again.”
Remember every perception-based fearful moment presents an opportunity for growth. Embrace it and know that the end of it provides life, not death. Reframe your judgment days and remember your first rollercoaster ride. Enjoy these moments because they are truly the thrills of life.