You’re not alone. 

“I’m scared of audiences”, Adele has confessed since her early years as a performer. And it’s true, many accomplished, intelligent people freeze at the thought of facing a crowd. It doesn’t just happen on big stages. It shows up in boardrooms, Zoom calls, networking events, or even family gatherings. It drains your confidence, holds back your career, and silences your authentic voice.

I have not been immune to stage fright and it wasn’t until I joined a public speaking club to hone my skills that I discovered the audience is actually on my side and rather looking forward to listening to what I had to say, so that slowly started shifting my intention and focus from “performing” to “connecting” which led me to start presenting in bigger and bigger audiences.

But, why does this stage fright occur? Here are 5 + 1 Reasons & Remedies to counteract it:

1. Fear of judgement or criticism

“What if they don’t like me?”, “What if they don’t like what I have to say?”

The list can be endless, especially if you’ve had past negative experiences. So…

‍Reframe your mindset

See your past negative experiences as learning points. Focus on sharing value and remember, people are on your side, they want you to do well because they are mostly thinking about themselves and all the great things they will learn from you, not your flaws. Avoid trying to impress them and focus on connecting with them.

‍2. Fear of making mistakes

Worrying about forgetting words, going ‘blank’, losing track of where you were may end up with you actually experiencing it. So…

‍Prepare recovery phrases

You are not a robot; you may forget something and that’s ok. Prepare some phrases to use when that happens, simple things like “Now, where was I?”, “What’s the favourite word…?” (When you’re looking for a word you don’t remember, describe it and let your audience help you find it. It builds interaction).

‍3. Lack of preparation or structure

This should be self-explanatory. The more uncertain you go on stage, the larger and “scarier” the audience will feel. So…

‍Prepare and Rehearse 

Actors do it. Singers do it. You should do it. Practice aloud. Practice in front of a mirror. Time yourself. Record yourself. Watch and rewatch the recording and improve on the areas you still don’t feel confident in, so that on the day of the presentation you will feel like you’ve done it before.

‍4. Perceived status gap

You feel intimidated when you look around the room and you see important, experienced or high-ranking people looking at you. I remember a University Professor walking into the room where I was going to present in an international conference and my knees instantly got weak, especially since my presentation was relevant to his work. However, it turned out his contributions enhanced my message and he was so supportive that I left encouraged to continue sharing my work with colleagues the world over. Remember, those certain about themselves and their knowledge want to support newcomers rather than scare and potentially ridicule them. Here is what you could do yourself. 

‍Humanise the audience 

Remind yourself that CEOs, experts, leaders of any kind have their own fears, flaws, families and normal lives. They’re people like you and me. This may prevent you from seeing them as intimidating and may open up room for you to engage with them heart to heart.

‍5. Perfectionism

That is believing you absolutely must deliver flawlessly or that what you’re doing is “not good enough”. But let’s be honest, there are no perfect people, are there?

‍Aim for excellence, not perfection. 

Set realistic goals that will help you improve one aspect of your skills at a time, i.e. “next time I will connect with three people”, or “next time I will deliver a strong opening and closing”. With time and practice, progress and excellence will come!

‍6. Physical symptoms of anxiety (i.e. racing heart, dry mouth, shaky hands and voice)

When all eyes are on you, you can feel exposed and powerless. This is when people who are not regular presenters have reported these physical symptoms. These may occur because of anxiety but the more we focus on them, they may also amplify anxiety so it turns into a vicious circle. What can you do?

‍Master breathing and visualisation 

Slow, diaphragmatic breathing reduces heart rate and calms the nervous system, so find a quiet place and ground yourself with a few deep, diaphragmatic breaths before speaking. Also, visualise yourself calm, clear, and commanding, delivering your speech while looking at the crowd in front of you, meeting their eyes. This way, when you step onto that stage and see all those eyes on you, it will not come as a shock. You’ll already have met their gaze in your mind, making the moment feel familiar instead of paralysing.

At Cosmosis, we believe presence isn’t just for stages, it’s for life. So, practice small wins like speaking up in meetings or small groups first, before taking on bigger stages. This is a slow but steady way to replace fear with power, one moment at a time.

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