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The oft-maligned motivational speech is actually a critical tool for leaders of all kinds. Whether your audience is made up of sales people, clients, church congregants, association members, soldiers, fundraisers, donors, staff, shareholders, your sports team, your constituents or members … Continue reading
Performance fear or performance anxiety takes on several different forms. However, it is associated with the growing awareness and the need to perform according to the standard of your own field of activity, whether it’s your workplace, or an upcoming presentation or speech you must give, or for a specific sports activity. With the pressure to perform ones best, there is always a preconditioned mindset for the person suffering from performance fear that if anything should go wrong, that will eventually impact their performance and reduce it to failure.
Studies are still ongoing to determine exactly the cause of this fear but it is closely coupled to a persons desire to do better at something. As humans, we are not perfect so you need to recognize that experiencing performance fear is considered, completely normal. But some may often have an unrealistic level of fear or misconception about a given situation that impair their logical decision making capacities and can lead to substandard performance.
There are various types of performance fears or anxieties, whether it’s work related, public speaking, or sports event. Therefore, the ways, although similar, in which you deal with a particular fear, will differ as well. Following are some basic methods suggested in order to minimize the level of fear and associated level of anxiety with performing these different tasks.
In sports, the best way to get rid of any performance fears associated when competing at a sports event is to take it easy on yourself. Even the worlds best athletes have their days off, where they may not perform at their maximum potential. When engaged in sports, you cannot expect to win all the time and you must realize your team may lose on occasion. Whatever your sport or related activity, setting realistic goals is the first step that will help you deal with sports performance fears and anxiety. However, you can turn the adrenaline produced by your anxious feelings into energy that you can harness to perform better at your sport. And when you are performing the actual feat, try to enjoy the experience and you will find the process of competition more rewarding.
When Delivering a speech, many people have this fear of speaking in public. Most of that fear is produced by the pressure of having to deliver a flawless speech that is able to communicate the message to the audience effectively. Instead of letting that fear overtake you, harness it into a systematic plan that will ensure you have control over the situation.
Here are a few tips you can apply when preparing to deliver a speech. Be sure you plan ahead and allow time for research for your speech, even if you are an expert in your field. Doing some research can help to confirm your facts and reduce some of your anxiety. Plan ahead the schedule and location where the speech is going to be held. And I’m sure you heard this before, Practice. Practice. Practice.
As for the workplace, there are a few inherently stressful jobs that require a high level of standards for their employees to meet. To stay on top of job related performance anxiety, it is always a good idea to stop and talk about it, with either your boss, co-workers, or family members. Existing in isolation and trying to confront your fears alone could increase your fear thereby increasing your level of anxiety and make the situation worse. It is important to have the support of other people around you. Also, try to change your perspective. There are times where you may experience job inadequacies but view it as a learning curve or just an off day. Aiming for perfection is good but you need to realize that it is unachievable. You should focus on what you can contribute to the company instead of what you are failing to deliver. Is the glass half empty, or half full.
When managing and conquering fear, you need to understand that only you have power over your fear, especially when it determines how well you perform at something. Following are some tips that can be taken in order for you to overcome these fears; Try to identify the source of your problematic perception or anything that could trigger such fears. Once you have identified the external source of your anxiety, look within yourself. Determine how you react to it and why you react in that way. Desist from criticizing yourself or questioning your ability to perform. Instead of letting fear consume you, take the necessary steps and preparations needed for your optimum performance. After completing the performance of your speech, athletic event or job task, do not focus too much on areas of mistakes or failures in a way that it impairs your self-confidence. Instead, look at them as conditions that need improvement in order for you to do better in your next performance.
One final note in dealing with conquering your fears is to seek out some self help information such as articles, audio tapes or videos dealing with this subject. Realize you are not alone in these feelings and many people have contributed some very helpful tactics that will help you to conquer your fear.
The author has been studying the reasons for and remedies of our fears to better his own. He believes that all fears can be conquered, which if not dealt with, can hamper a persons ability to achieve all they want from their lives. A video tutorial is available at [http://www.conqure-your-fears.com]
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andre_Beauchamp
Let’s face it.. there are a bunch of us who get the butterflies before we step on stage, hit record in the studio, or read for a part at an audition. For some people this can make or break their performance before they even begin. But it’s not just about stepping in front of an audience. Some just have difficulty getting the best out of their performance in certain settings, like the studio or reading for a certain director. We understand.. & we’d like to help.
Join Master Hypnotist & Fellow Musician Collin Sonny Rosati for an afternoon of.. you guess it !
Hypnosis for Overcoming Performance Anxiety
Have you tried all of the tricks and you still can’t get the words out right? Try coming out to our Performance Anxiety class where we combine common sense and experience with Hypnosis Meditation. It might sound a little strange at first.. But Hypnosis Meditations are great for quieting the nerves – & when you quiet your nerves – your real performance can begin.
Did you know.. ?
Sonny has been a practicing Hypnotist for a long time.. It’s been almost 14 years since he left Hypnosis School and began helping with hypnosis…
Here’s a link to some of the old TV clips – http://thesunnyside.net/about/
Sonny has been bouncing around a bit this summer but he’s back home in Vancouver, and helping Actors, Musicians, Speakers, Comedians, Sales People, Teachers etc.. with Performance Anxiety.
Did you know pt2… ?
Sonny designs and writes the Hypnosis Meditations for his classes. As a Master Hypnotist, Sonny wrote a “Script Book” for practicing hypnotists and he still writes and records Hypnosis Meditations for his FaceBook page – I Love You Because..https://www.facebook.com/pages/I-love-you-because/121132551291069
Next month’s class will be.. Hypnosis to Overcome Approach Anxiety – This is based on the best of both the Inner Game Guy classes for confidence and the Romantic Magic Workshop to find true love.
Keep your eyes open for discounts through Groupon!
Want to try before you buy..? & the youtube sessions aren’t enough – check out Sonny’s Real World Vancouver Hypnosis Meetup Group that meets every Wednesday evening in Kitsilano – it’s free ! just remember to RSVP
http://www.meetup.com/internationalhypnosis/
Please register early using the form below
Cost $45 but there’s a Groupon deal available on the web!
Next Class – Sunday November 1, 2013
http://www.thesunnysidemusic.com
http://www.hypnosisvancouver.com
You have probably heard the phrase that most people would rather die than present the eulogy at the funeral. Yes, public speaking brings on performance anxiety (a form of social anxiety disorder) in most of us. Performing artists, job interviewees, sports people and exam participants are also performers and are susceptible to performance anxiety.
While many of us feel anxious when we have to perform, anxiety itself is not bad. When you are stimulated, scared or anxious a flood of adrenaline and cortisol is released into your body. This prepares
you to give the highest performance, one with excitement and focus. So anxiety does serve a purpose. Most experienced performers feel concerned if they do not feel any anxiety as this can lead to a flat and dull performance.
Performance anxiety is feelings of ‘butterflies in the stomach’ or in severe cases ‘stage fright’. It is the response to ‘fight or flight’.
In some people this reaction is so debilitating that they become paralyzed by fear, unable to speak or think clearly. For someone with social anxiety disorder they may even go to the extent of refusing a promotion at work if there is any likelihood of having to do a presentation at any time.
But there are ways to help prepare to perform and to lower your state of anxiety.
Change your thinking to change the way you feel. If you start thinking about your sweating palms, racing heart and wondering if you will remember your speech your attention is divided and not on the job at hand — that of giving the speech. If you are thinking about the outcome you are distracting yourself from the task. Focus on the task at hand, the presentation you are going to give. Perceive your presentation as a challenge rather than a threat.
You wouldn’t expect someone to tell you that you were useless before you went out to perform but that’s what we tend to do to ourselves — telling ourselves that we are no good at speaking, or that we’ll be glad when it’s all over. This negative self talk needs to change into something positive — “I am well prepared and will show them what I can do.”
A good way to counteract negative thinking is to practice new thinking and create new habits. For each stage of the performance process write a set of positive self talk.
1. Preparation: The time from when you know you are to give your talk until you arrive at the venue.
a. “I am looking forward to this challenge”
b. “If I feel nervous this is natural and means that the performance is important to me”
2. Before: The time before you go on stage.
a. “I have done this in practice and can do it here”
b. Remind yourself of breathing and meditation techniques to calm yourself, and breathe easily.
3. During the performance
a. “Focus on the present”
b. Remember that if you forget something your audience has no idea that it has been left out, after all you wrote the notes.
c. A tip is that pauses are effective in a speech making, use a pause to gather your thoughts.
d. Another tip is to look just above your audience’s heads. It will appear that you are looking at them.
4. After the performance
a. “What can I learn from this performance?”
b. “Next time I’ll do even better.”
The key to your presentation of course is to be prepared. And to practice, practice, practice. Self talk will not help you if you have not prepared and do not know your subject
Many well known performers have admitted to being troubled by performance anxiety. Kim Basinger Stephen Fry, Barbara Streisand, Carly Simon and even the late Pavarotti have all suffered the affliction. These performers have made a conscious effort to control their anxiety and you can too.
For more articles by Ceejay Caton please visit http://anxietyattacksymptoms.weebly.com Ceejay’s aim is to help others by sharing information with anyone experiencing anxiety disorders. It may even be a family member or a friend suffering from what is often a frightening experience.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ceejay_Caton
It is important for performers to seek methods to deal with the feelings accompanying fear and nerves. The following are several simple methods to alleviate mild nervousness.
1. Before performing, you must first remember that you have practiced to the best of your ability and remind yourself of this. You have used your practicing skills in the most effective way you know. Of course, there will always be things you look to improve in your playing, but given all the circumstances that have led to this moment, you have worked hard as you can. Now the practicing is over. What you will do now, is to use your “hook point”, (what?) something you would have encountered during practice sessions. The hook point (hp) is at work, for example, when you learn the fingering for a piece. When you repeat and reinforce the new patterns, the hp is the moment where your brain starts to recognise the pattern and become familiar with what your fingers are doing, usually after many repetitions. The information from this process is retained, so that when you go on to practice other areas like articulation/dynamics, you don’t have to think too hard about the fingering. The most comforting aspect of the hp is that when it is time for you to perform, what you do is recall what/where was the hp, or areas you played easily during practice. Usually, once your ear recognises a passage you’ve practiced many times over, your brain will trigger the familiarity that the fingers developed in practice.
2. Do not draw conclusions about what just happened or what might/might not happen. Self-criticism while performing is pointless because it takes you out of the here and now and destroys your focus and physical actions.
Whatever the criticism, it introduces a verbal aspect into an activity that is most successful when it is non-verbal. Reserve judgment for after the performance, preferably after you have listened to other people’s reactions. Rather than judge your playing, simply observe it without saying anything, and play from the heart. For example, when you are about to make a crescendo, go for it and then feel it as you are doing it. There is nothing verbal about this process. You are, rather, putting intention into action – that is, motivating.
3. Do not second-guess the audiences reaction to your playing. When performing we become mind readers and believe we know exactly what the responses to our playing are. More often than not, these thoughts prove to be completely, wildly inaccurate and only serve to further distract us from our aim. An example: I was once playing a recital, with only twenty people in the audience. As soon as I came out to perform, I noticed a guy who looked familiar, but whom I could not quite place where I had seen him before. For most of the first piece, I was only partially thinking about the music, the other part, wondering who he was and (even worse) what he thought about the playing (crazy I know).
Finally I remembered that he was a respected piano teacher and accompanist I once met at a music shop near where I live. He was undoubtedly going to listen to the music on the program with a keen attention to detail and pick holes at the whole performance. Throughout the entire time, I was preoccupied with these thoughts and not surprisingly, the whole experience became gradually uncomfortable for me. Afterward, when he came to speak to me, I discovered that this piano teacher was, in fact, a jazz and pop specialist rather than a connoisseur of classical music and was very complimentary of my performance. Later I thought, “what an incredible waste of mental energy!” How remarkable it is that the vast resources of ones imagination can be used for such futile, self-destructive mind-games! You probably have had similar experiences.
Trying to imagine what the audience thinks of your playing is useless and distracting. You must please yourself first.
Ugo Onwutalu is a musician and piano teacher, also playing the guitar and organ. He is the founder of Grade Music Tutors, a UK music tuition production and entertainment organisation based in London. Visit http://www.grademusicworld.com for information on everything music-related, from learning an instrument and preparing for your exams, to getting a job in the music industry.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ugo_Onwutalu
As one of the most common phobias, stage fright afflicts many people. It is estimated that every 3 out of 4 people suffer from it. It is easier to overcome stage fright when you keep that fact in mind. Also keep in mind that a little bit of nervousness and anticipation is normal before taking the spotlight.
A well used method to overcome stage fright would be to imagine the audience naked. This visualization permits a couple of things to happen: First, the novelty of picturing a roomful of nude people distracts you from being afraid, and second, thinking of the audience as naked puts them in a lower social station. Furthermore if they disapproved of your performance, their opinions would not matter. They are not with it enough to wear clothing.
The next tip to overcome stage fright would be to become at ease in the location that you will be making the presentation at. Get there ahead of time. Move around the room and stand in the spot where you will be situated. Look around; find a comfort spot to take a look at in case you will need to regain your composure for several seconds throughout the presentation.
And finally, one of the best ideas to overcome stage fright is to concentrate on your expertise. Once you recognize that you might be talking on a subject that you’re most comfortable with, the feeling of anxiety will soon dissipate.
Try not be distracted or rushed on the day of your performance. As much as you can, you ought to be relaxed and calm. This may be completed by picturing what the whole performance would be like all the way through, from beginning to end.
Should you need to face an audience of any size, familiarization is the key to calming those frayed nerves. It begins with the topic that you’re going to be talking on. Regardless of whether or not you’re making an official presentation or giving the toast at your sister’s wedding, you’ve been asked to do so simply because you’re considered capable of it.
In numerous cases the two factors of performance outcome and possible consequences may be evaluated realistically and minimized in a way that the performer has the capacity to overcome stage fright, and go on stage. In other instances one or more cognitive distortions may possibly amplify the performer’s perceptions, and not enable the performer to have a realistic assessment of the risks and rewards of obtaining in front of the audience. These cognitive distortions can effectively paralyze the individual from sharing her or his skills with other people.
I don’t like being afraid of doing things, especially when that fear is hindering my dreams and ideas. I’m sure I’m not alone on this, so it is my goal to help others overcome their fears. Getting in front of an audience doesn’t have to be scary. To read more about how to overcome stage fright, go to http://www.squidoo.com/you-can-overcome-stage-fright. If you want to overcome stage fright permanently, increase confidence, and renew your self-esteem, then please go to http://www.overcomestagefright.info.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tracy_D._Ryback
I like the advice in this article, but remember – all kids are different. – S
Tip 1 – Be Gentle
Be gentle with your gifted child. These children are often more sensitive. They are extra sensitive both physically and emotionally. Because your child can be advanced in some areas beyond their years it’s easy to expect more in areas where they are not advanced. This can lead to conflicts. So be aware of their sensitivities by observing them and learning where you need to be extra gentle.
Tip 2 – Gifted Children Tend to be Perfectionists
Since gifted kids often have the tendency to be perfectionists it’s important to be aware of this in your child. Their desire to do it right can cause them to give up before they start. If they feel they can’t do it perfectly then they don’t want to even try. I have seen this multiple times with my daughter.
It is important to take the time to work with your child and help them understand that messing up or not being perfect is normal, and it’s how we learn. You can explain that failure is failing to learn from our mistakes. You can share stories of people like Edison had to try multiple different ideas before he got the light bulb to work.
Tip 3 – Realize it’s Hard For Gifted Children to Admit Wrong
Another trait that many gifted kids have is that they find it very difficult to admit they are wrong. Due to their strong perfectionism they expect to be right. And due to their above average intellectual abilities. As the father of a gifted daughter it is not always easy to know how to deal with her giftedness. However there are three tips I’d like to share that have helped me interact with my daughter better.s they usually are right. So when they are wrong it can be devastating and they do not want to admit it.
By being aware of this tendency in your child you can be more gentle in how you deal with their mistakes and wrongs. Just simply point out the error and then let them know that we all make mistakes. Then move on. Even if they do not fully acknowledge the mistake, they know they were wrong.
By not making a big deal out of the situation you will help preserve their sensitive personality while still letting them know that they were wrong. Later when they are not worked up over the error then you might sit and gently discuss with them that being able to admit wrong is a good thing. No one is perfect and being able to admit mistakes is part of life.
These three tips can help you better understand and interact with the gifted children in your life. Being sensitive to the needs of other people is also a good quality to enhance in our own lives.
I encourage you to visit the Tootlee website today. You will discover the stories of some amazing gifted children and what they are accomplishing. These amazing kids have lots to offer the world.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trevor_I_Wilsonicle
Sunny's Music Studio :) Professional Music Lessons now Online ! 