I have always had stage fright. Growing up as a shy kid in a South-East Asian family, I was raised to mostly listen, to let the adults speak and to remain silent. Children were not supposed to be the center of attention at all. This probably affected me a lot as I grew up, getting used to being most comfortable when left unexposed.
12 years ago I started working at Bekk. Here I came across a coach that shared a few visualization techniques with me to help me cope with my anxiety when being on stage, being in the spotlight.
I have used these techniques several times, and especially when preparing for important presentations, for example competency days for the whole company or big conferences like JavaZone. Today I want to share the first technique with you! I call it The cinema.
2 min read
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By Hong Nhung Thi Vo
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December 20, 2020
Close your eyes and try this one out.
Now zoom out one step, and watch yourself in a movie instead.
Now zoom out even further, and watch yourself watching yourself! 🤯
Switching the view from watching yourself through your own eyes, and then from the outside, and then from even further away, made me somehow smaller and less exposed than I expected.
Repetition is also a key here. Doing this several times helped me practice the process to walk up, start the presentation, finish it and return to my seat. The more times I have been through the process, the less scary it got.
I hope some of this can help others cope with stage fright or other related feelings when being in the spotlight!