“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” If you’re feeling anxiety leading up to an important speech or presentation, you can take solace in Seneca’s words. And if your heart is racing just thinking about what it’s going to be like, you’re not alone. Of course, you may constantly hear that EVERYONE gets stage fright, but that’s hardly comforting when you’re the one dealing with it. No doubt you want to dominate that speech and earn a round of applause. In fact, you’d love a standing ovation, then a handshake and a promotion, before you even get back to your seat.
But all you can seem to imagine is a dark cloud raining anxiety as you stand in front of your audience. Sweating profusely, you see yourself stuttering and forgetting your lines as a thunder of groaning bellows from your listeners.
Unfortunately, you have no choice. This assignment involves your career, the way you’re viewed by your peers and superiors, and how you navigate the next 6 months of your life. You’ll need a plan to embark on this journey, and a response to the storm of doubt that will tell you that the plan won’t work.
Here is where Stoicism might help. Stoicism is a practical philosophy from ancient Greece and Rome. For the purpose of public speaking, Stoicism stresses the importance of focusing on the things you can control (your mindset, preparation, and delivery) while accepting the things you cannot (the audience or your boss’s reaction).
Let’s discuss what stage fright is, and look at a few Stoic practices that can help you face your next speech with more confidence.
Why Stage Fright Feels So Overwhelming
What kind of person are you? Do you tend to prepare a presentation by focusing on the work needed in the moment, largely ignoring the day of the speech? Or do you imagine yourself standing on stage as soon as you get the assignment? If you want be a confident speaker, understanding how you think and prepare can have an important impact on how you define stage fright.
That’s because stage fright can only be measured by it’s physical effects, and both of the sources of those effects have a Stoic methodology you can practice.
- The Psychology of Fear: Many experts claim that stage fright (AKA glossophobia, or performance anxiety) is inherently a fight-or-flight response.
These experts theorize that speaking in front of a group activates a primal social threat response. The response is a reflex to the risk of rejection or judgment, which could lead to exclusion from a tribe, which in turn would lower odds of survival. This activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, releasing adrenaline and cortisol, increasing heart rate, and preparing the body to either confront (fight) or escape (flight) the perceived danger.
- The Psychology of Appraisal: Other professionals, particularly from cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) backgrounds, theorize that public speaking anxiety is less about fight-or-flight and more about cognitive appraisal. This involves how we interpret and evaluate a situation.
This perspective, called The Appraisal Theory of Emotion, is rooted in theories that suggest anxiety arises from perceiving public speaking as a threat to self-esteem or social standing, not necessarily a survival threat. And as the cliché goes, “perception is reality.” For example, the fear of being judged or humiliated can trigger anxiety and the other measurable symptoms mentioned above, without activating a full fight-or-flight response.
- The Stoic Perspective: In either case, the Stoic’s stance is that fear stems from our perception of events, not the events themselves. Whether you don’t think at all about the day of your presentation, or you obsess about it weeks beforehand, how you interpret the situation is the most important factor.
The 2nd Century stoic philosopher Epictetus wrote: “Men are disturbed not by things, but by the views which they take of them.” As it relates to public speaking, if you have a fight-or-flight response, it could be the audience in the moment that scares you. If you’re terrified before you even get there, it’s likely the Appraisal Theory. In either case, changing how you view the situation is a key step to managing the fear.
Let’s look at a couple of Stoic practices that can reframe negative perceptions.
Stoic Technique 1: Negative Visualization for Public Speaking Anxiety
Premeditatio malorum is one Stoic prescription for anxiety. Ironically, this practice involves imagining the absolute worst outcome to reduce it’s emotional power over you. Seneca talked about preparing for adversity. In Letters from a Stoic, he wrote, “We should project our thoughts ahead of us at every turn and have in mind all possible eventualities.”
“But wait,” you might say, “I’m already doing that. That’s why I’m anxious!” There’s an important tweak that the Stoics make: create a solution or appropriate response. In other words, finish the movie in your mind. Rather then endlessly looping various negative scenarios in your imagination, pick one at a time and rehearse how you would respond to it practically, until you’ve addressed every negative outcome.
So, imagine your speech going wrong. Let’s say one fear is that you forget a line. Instead of leaving that possibility unaddressed, expect that it will happen. Once you know it will happen, rehearse a response that will help you address it and move on.
Or, imagine the audience looking bored, maybe someone even yawns during your presentation. Tell yourself, “This will happen.” Then rehearse one way to address the problem, like changing your volume or pace. Picture yourself pausing, taking a breath, and making the adjustment. Realize in your mind that the audience doesn’t even notice.
When you sit down to prepare or practice, and you feel your anxiety building up, make a list of every possible negative outcome. Then start rehearsing coping mechanisms for each one.
It’s important to note that none of these responses have to be perfect or clever. The exercise itself will help you give scary abstract possibilities concrete solutions. This will reduce the fear of the unknown and build resilience.
Stoic Technique 2: Focus on What’s in Your Control
While you’re creating your list of possible outcomes you will likely list some problems that are out of your control. For instance, other people’s opinions about your speaking ability, technical issues, even fears of losing your voice, or sweating profusely. This highlights the Stoic dichotomy of control. Some things are up to us (our actions and thoughts), and others aren’t (others’ opinions, external outcomes). As Marcus Aurelius wrote: “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
In public speaking, the goal is to create two different attitudes that are dependent on whether they are in your control or not. The two attitudes need to be: 1. Control the controllable, and 2. Detach from everything else.
Obviously, you can control your preparation, delivery, and mindset. You can’t control audience reactions, technical issues, or whether your boss is impressed.
“Wait a minute,” you may argue, “Didn’t you just explain how to prepare for a bored audience? Isn’t that an audience reaction I can’t control?” Great question, I’m glad you asked. The recommended solution above is actually the Stoic practice – you can’t control if the audience looks bored, but you can control your pacing and volume. Again, focus on what you CAN control, and practice detaching from things outside of your control. After all, yawning from your audience could be because of poor air circulation or the time of day. Both are out of your control.
A Pre-Talk Stoic Ritual to Stay Calm
While there’s a lot of different ways to go about calming yourself before a speech, let’s stay on topic and use something inspired by this same philosophy.
- Step-by-Step Ritual:
- Breathe Deeply: Use a simple breathing exercise (e.g., inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4) to calm the nervous system.
- Negative Visualization: Spend 1 minute imagining a worst-case scenario and how you’d handle it with grace.
- Affirm Control: Remind yourself of what’s in your control. “I’ve prepared well, and I will deliver as I’ve prepared.”
- Stoic Affirmation: Recite a Stoic quote to center yourself, like this quote by Marcus Aurelius: “It is not they that disturb you, but your own judgment of them. And it is in your power to wipe out that judgment now.”
Overcoming Stage Fright with Stoicism
Negative visualization and focusing on what’s in your control are two powerful ways to tame stage fright. While Stoic philosophy can take you down a much deeper rabbit hole, these are just a couple basic principles that can have a real benefit today.
So list your greatest fears and rehearse solutions for the things you can control. Then practice disregarding the things that you can’t. Try the pre-talk ritual before your next speech and let me know in the comments if it works for you.
Consider the words of Marcus Aurelius: “If it’s endurable, then endure it. Stop complaining.” (Ol’ Marcus was kind of a no-nonsense guy.)