To All Communi-Creators:
There is a moment in the course of all performance preparations when the speaker realizes they are about to appear before an audience. It is at this point, in many cases, when the fear sets in.
The brutal realization one is about to measured and judged by a room full of strangers, the desire to present the perfect performance, to make no mistakes, to avoid public humiliation - can be overwhelming.
Don't do that to yourself.
Don't require perfection, it's an impossible standard and your audience won't require you to meet it. Better to assume you will make a mistake, assume the projector will break, assume some interruption will occur - and that's OK. You're prepared and the audience will be empathetic to your plight - after all, they've been there at some point themselves.
Barbara Streisand tells the story of performing in New York City's Central Park before thousands of fans, and completely forgetting the words to one of her most popular songs, right in the middle of singing it.
She just went blank. She had sung the song hundreds of times before and she was drawing a complete blank.
Things happen. It's OK.
Second - no one is judging you. So, don't let yourself get caught up in the pre-public-speaking-death-spiral where you let wave upon wave of crippling anxiety build up. In fact, don't think of it as public speaking at all. Instead, imagine walking into a room and meeting a few friends. Embrace the idea that the audience is on your side and they want you to succeed. Empower yourself with the knowledge that all in the room are with you, and you will do well.
Because they are, and you will.
THE POINT: Stage fright is a mind game it's best to not play.
