Follow This Steps

1) Review the performance skills you have practiced and learned.


2) Prepare all your work thoroughly. Knowing your job will greatly reduce your anxiety.

3) Double-check that you have the correct printed editions of all your music.

4) Put yourself in control of everything within your sphere of influence. For instance, check out your performance space.

5) Avoid being rushed or distracted on the day of your performance.

6) Practice your relaxation skills before performing.

7) Take an imaginary journey through your performance from beginning to end, soothing your mind during the quiet time before your entry.

8 Use deep breathing to calm your body.

9) Offer yourself as the medium through which the composer's or playwright's spirit and intention will flow.

10) Be generous and eager to share your gift.

11) Make your performance a celebration, not a trial.

Read more when you continue here

improve ypur self esteem by reading books of expert , not this approach,

improve your self esteem by reading books of expert ,

@topic,
Some ppl do take medication before going on stage. It may help initially but after a while, its effects will begin to wane. It's not something I'll advise anyway.


The tips given by SSaemoenl are quite good

Wow! I never knew good people still dey for nl. I can't but thank you very very much for all the piece you've given. It's encouraging. I found the following very touching,:taking deep breath, practising hard before presentation, CREATING OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPEAKING(this is very important), also cracking jokes or saying anything that'll ease the tension(personally, this is useful). Once again, I appreciate your efforts.
Mr. M.C, thanks for giving out your no. Advocates of 'taking medications', how effective are those drugs or drinks, anyside effects, what of addiction?

Oh, its stutters and not shutters, no wonder I couldn't find it in the dico. Thanks thanks thanks

Tell her not to worry, and to have faith in God. My experience was much worse and it was only by His grace that I overcame it. I used to be fearful and grew up being full of fear; like they say, old (and ingrained habits) die hard. Many people talk about confidence and at the same time seem to forget that each of us are individuals and as such, different strokes for different folks. After trying out lots of stuff - including many of the suggestions proffered on this thread - and observing others, I confirmed that some things are easier said than done. The following are my tips.

She needs friends and family like you who would neither judge nor mock her. First and foremost, she should pray with all sincerity, faith, and contriteness. She should also realize that it is the world, and should then say NO to this rotten world. Perhaps she and her friends can also try to make jokes out of the situation as this may help ease the burden and see this matter as conquerable. One of my friends used to joke that I used to somersault - it was that bad and at times I would just look at the floor searching for a crevice where I could enter and disappear from familiar eyes. She probably feels that others are worth more than her, and there lies the pure diamond - humility.

The Holy Bible is full of accounts of people who were disregarded by men but highly valued by The Divine, for instance, Moses, David, and even Jesus. Remember also that Moses was truly humble, did not value himself so much, and had something with his speech. Another plus is that from her humble state, she probably sees farther than many of those around her and is not materialistic. To me there are some situations one encounters that one would not hesitate to give all possessions just to be free. Furthermore, she should not act like Adam and Eve who did not take responsibility for their actions, looked for excuses and someone/something to blame, and instead act like David who turned to God for mercy and favor.


There is a book written by Don Miguel Ruiz (you can check him out on facebook or www.miguelruiz.com) that may be of help, "The Four Agreements". It describes 4 steps than an individual can make with himself and in a particular order. They are:
(1) Be impeccable with your word.
(2) Don't take anything personally.
(3) Don't make assumptions.
(4) Always do your best.

She should not give up, and ought to continue trusting in His Mercy. Take action with faith.


NB: to those advocating "dutch courage", watch what comes out of you to avoid acting like the serpent and tempt one to sin.

^^ I can't thanks you enough, sir. She'll surely get all those

Continue supporting her no matter what and she'll always remember you and what you did.

I'll do just that, so help me God.

Don't step on stage and be thinking of what the audience may say or may be saying when u go wrong or if u go wrong. Feel relaxed as if u are talking to ur subjects or juniors. I am telling u the best thing is to feel relaxed and don't rush or try to rush words, take ur words step by step and it will also make u not to forget other things u have to say

Wow!!! I read through the whole thread expecting to see someone wise and discerning offering true insight into this oft overlooked malady.
The solution is VERY SIMPLE:picture the audience unclothed. Preferably the opposite gender(except you have umm,  preferences) and not in a sexual way. It'll make you smile and voila, confidence.

Stage time, stage time, stage time!

Many of us suck at public speaking because we rarely get that many speaking opportunities in our lifetime. So u've got to get out there and create a ton of speaking opportunities for u to grow. Teach a class, Join a toastmasters club, or perhaps a debating society or anything that can make u get up the stage in front of intelligent people like u more often than not. just do Anything that can make u speak on a consistent basis. And sooner than u expect u'll become a decent speaker. I'm not as good as I want to be, but here are a few things that help me.


- The secret to the 99 is in the one: If you can talk to one person in a clear organised way you are half way through. If you can't, start by learning to speak effectively in one on one scenarios then move up to one on fives and larger groups etc

- Develop a lucid clear mind: read widely and vastly, not just the things that interest you. Get in the habit of writing and journaling your thoughts too. Most times speaking is essentially about knowing a lot of stuff and talking about a lot of stuff in an organised coherent way.

- Observe great speakers and ape their style. Most speakers started out awfully too. Watch them and imitate their gestures and their body language. By imitating a variety of great speakers you'll develop a speaking style that is genuinely yours. My fave speakers include Niall Ferguson and Obama. But then again great speakers don't have to be on tv, they r everywhere around us. Most important thing is too learn what makes them tick and copy them.

- Sweat more at peace time and bleed less at war: if u have a presentation. Do more than u have to do. Overprepare! Most experts recommend 1hr of preparation for every minute of presentation. so a 30 minute presentation is equal to 30 hours of prep.

- Don't be afraid to fail and learn to enjoy talk and making talk. Speaking is something that should be enjoyed if you work at it. You can be that goto-guy your office colleagues look up to whenever there's an opportunity to deliver a talk.

one last word on public speaking, like every major skill, it takes time to develop mastery especially if you r struggling with nerves presently. Some people r naturally good at it and speak with ease, for the rest of us we just have to put in the time and effort to hone our speaking skills. That's that for now.

I think ths is where reading wide comes in. I was in a workshop sometime and though I was part of the organisers (in a small way) I never sensed I would go on stage. The resource person was delayed and our guests needed 'action',quickly,the stakeholders decided to put me up to talk about Godknowswhat and I didnt know anythn. I had so much fear within. I climbed the stage,shaking like a jelly and deep within me,i'd defeated myself. I stuttered,I dropped grammatical errors here and there,I messed up until it occured to me to turn it into an interactive session and I honestly told them I was open to new knowledge,anybody who knew better should teach us while we wait for the chief guest.
Be confident in ur self,prepare very well,rehearse and step up. We'l be excited to hear you.

^^I feel u dear, Never an easy thing when you are taken unawares!

Hmmm, caught unawares. . Thanks keep them coming, you can as well share your experiences. I also do stutter but I know It's due to not talking frequently and maybe because I'm an introvert. It's so so embarrassing, my heart beat will keep on pounding like a local grind mill.

Wow, those of you who stuttered only, how fortunate. What about those of us who not only stuttered and made grammatical blunders but also forgot what we were doing. At such moments its as if access to memory and cognition were denied perhaps because of corrupted files. For those who faint, system failure/crash. Glossophobia ain't funny.

No matter the amount of preparation and practice, if one is overwhelmed with doubts,

I went to a grad school for a professional degree and had lots of presentations to deliver. Coupled with increasing confidence, however small, the phobia gradually faded away.

Hmmm, I thought It's only limited to a group of people, never knew It's a universal problem.

Now, how do one deal with increase in heart-beat?

But seriously what's wrong with taking dutch courage if you are well prepared and u know your material like the back of ur palms, just that u have a few nerves. Some of us take energy drinks and caffeine to maintain peak peromance before going into a test or some task. Is there anything wrong with taking a little alcohol just to calm your nerves and give u a little artificial confidence boost? I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

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Horayce:

But seriously what's wrong with taking dutch courage if you are well prepared and u know your material like the back of your palms, just that u have a few nerves. Some of us take energy drinks and caffeine to maintain peak peromance before going into a test or some task. Is there anything wrong with taking a little alcohol just to calm your nerves and give u a little artificial confidence boost? I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

If you think that you need "Dutch courage" while there are other people with souls and flesh and blood like you who do so well and overcome the tension without such, then, in my opinion, something must be fundamentally wrong somewhere. One day the truth will eventually catch up and it could be with very embarrassing consequences.

_{Don't take this personal, just trying to be dispassionate.}

Confidence. Confidence Confidence. And, I am not talking about Dutch courage. Yeah, I know it's easier said than done.
So, let's talk about practical steps:

First, Demosthenes was a stammerer. He overcame to become a great orator. The likes of Churchill, Cicero looked to him for lessons and inspiration.
Joe Biden is another example. Isaac Newton, Marilyn Monroe and Moses in the Bible also stuterred/stammered.

There are many ways to overcome this.
She can kick-start the process by buying any of these books:
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keywords=Demosthenes&rh=n%3A283155%2Ck%3ADemosthenes&page=1

I will also check Online for other resources.

Thanks a milla!^^