Brittany Fust
Mrs. Crawford
Computer Literacy 8E
17 April 2012
K
W
L
What I already
know about my
topic.
What I want to find out
about my topic.
What I learned about my topic.
A phobia.
What is stage fright?
Sometimes known as a phobia, stage fright is when you get jittery
or nervous when you are about to do any performance on stage of
in front of an audience.
Performing.
How do we get stage
fright?
Stage fright is caused by the “rush of adrenaline” you get when you
are nervous, created by the nervous system. If you are feeling
“butterflies”, or fluttering stomachs, you have stage fright.
I don’t know.
What are some
“symptoms” of stage
fright?
“It tends to appear during the time leading up to the audition or
performance. Although each person’s reactions are unique, most
cases of stage fright follow a reasonably predictable pattern.”
Performing.
When can we get stage
fright?
Whether you are performing a play or reciting a poem in front of
class, you are still capable of getting stage fright. From professional
theater to an average classroom, stage fright can still get you.
Performers.
Who can get stage
fright?
You can’t.
How can we get rid of
stage fright?
You can’t.
How do we avoid stage
fright, altogether?
If you can speak, you can get stage fright. So, everyone can get
stage fright. Some people have bad case of it and others seem to
be immune to it. If you think you’re alone, you’re not! Even
professional athletes and actors can get stage fright.
You can energize yourself~ move around before you go on stage
and your nervousness should fade. Accept the fact that you have
stage fright and try to get rid of it~ the more you say, “No, I don’t
have stage fright!” the more nervous you will be. Relax and
BREATHE~ if you aren’t breathing deeply and you’re just freaking
out, nothing will change! Believe in yourself~ recognize the fact
that you know what you are going to do and that you’ve rehearsed
enough and that you will do very well. Understand that the
audience wants to help you and here you~ they believe in you.
Smile~ smiling always lightens up the mood! Talk to yourself~ tell
yourself that you can do it… if you don’t believe in yourself, who
will? Enjoy yourself when you’re on stage. Rejoice~ once you’ve
encountered your fear, praise/reward yourself.
Some ways to avoid stage fright is to use the following tips:
1. Stop giving yourself anxiety. Tell yourself that at a certain
time, you will stop complaining.
2. Don’t do a lot of things on the day of performance, make it
an easy day.
3. Do the complete opposite, do a lot of things to get your
mind off of the performance.
Brittany Fust
Mrs. Crawford
Computer Literacy 8E
17 April 2012
I don’t know.
Once I get rid of stage
fright, is it gone for
good?
I don’t know.
Why do we get stage
fright?
I don’t know.
How do you know if you
have stage fright?
4. “Create a ritual”. Say a short prayer before walking on, etc.,
and do that every time.
5. Exercise. Some people work better knowing they are
exercised for the day.
6. Arrive early. No one wants to be late on the day of stress.
7. Avoid mild- “it creates phlegm, which is unpleasant and can
be annoying while you speak.”
8. Watch how much sugar you eat.
9. Eat healthy. Eat plenty of protein, fruits, and vegetables.
10. “Avoid a sugar high”. If you want something to eat,
avoid a candy bar; eat bananas, sugar-free candy, or
popcorn or pretzels.
11. Avoid alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine. You shouldn’t
have them, anyway, but especially on this day.
12. Get plenty of exercise.
13. Eat plenty of vitamins. Vitamin C reduces over-exertion
and increases energy. Vitamin B helps deal with stress.
Calcium and magnesium “acts as a tranquilizer to the
system”.
14. Get plenty of rest.
15. Trick yourself into thinking that it’s not really
happening.
You can never know for sure whether or not stage fright is gone
because it can come back; like a cut or a bruise, just because it’s
gone, doesn’t mean it’s not coming back. If you still cannot get rid
of your stage fright, they have stage fright workshops!
I believe that some reasons we get stage fright are: 1. You believe
that public speaking is bad, so you don’t try to get over it.
2. You think it needs to be done perfectly (it doesn’t, most of the
time nobody knows you messed up.
3. You try to cover too much things in one presentation.
4. “Having the wrong objectives”.
5. Trying to get everyone to agree with you.
6. Expecting the worse out of it, you don’t think you will do a
good job performing.
7. “You think your audience is going to be as critical to your
performance as you are to yourself.”
“Some ways to know you have stage fright are:
• the pupils of the eyes dilate
• heart-rate and force of cardiac contractions increase
• blood vessels of non-essential organs (e.g. kidneys and
digestive organs) contract
• other processes that are not immediately essential (e.g.
peristalsis in the gut) slow down or even stop
• blood vessels in the skeletal and cardiac muscles, and in the
Brittany Fust
Mrs. Crawford
Computer Literacy 8E
17 April 2012
I don’t know.
What does our expert
have to say?
(Alissa Drouliard)
liver, dilate
• the rate and depth of breathing increase
• blood glucose level rises as glycogen in the liver is
converted to glucose
• the medullae of the adrenal glands are stimulated (by the
hypothalamus in the brain) to produce epinephrine &
norepinephrine; these are hormones which tend to prolong
the effects just described”
I asked Alissa Drouilard, “Why do you think we get stage fright?”
She answered, “I think we get it because we are nervous to make a
mistake and we always want to do our best in front of our family
and friends.”
Then I asked, “Can we ever get rid of it?”
She replied, “There’s really no way to totally ‘get rid’ of stage fright.
It will always be there whether we like it or not. But you can always
try your best to not get nervous…like just imagining you are
performing at the studio like every other day.”
Lastly, I asked her for any advice.
She told me, “Personally, I try to think of the things that could go
right rather than wrong!”