Become A Comedian: Overcoming Stage Fright
If you are learning how to become a comedian, the chances are great that one of the obstacles you are going to need to overcome is stage fright.
The last thing I want to do in this article is regurgitate some of the old and tired tips for beating the beast called stage fright. Taking deep breaths and having tranquil thoughts never seemed to carry much weight when I was gripped with shear unadulterated fear on stage.
I got rid of my stage fright completely using a repetitive affirmation process 30 minutes a day for 30 days.
But lets talk about some things you can do now to help control stage fright, because until you do, you will never become a comedian who can truly master the stage.
Step 1: Own The Stage
Many people feel like guests in another persons home when they show up for a gig-an outsider, trying to connect with the "local natives" as the "stranger from afar".
This is a position of weakness and should be abandoned immediately.
Heres how I approach it-as soon as I am introduced, the stage is mine. The building is mine. The entire property is MINE until I relinquish the microphone. The seats that the audience is sitting in are mine. That means that when I step onto the stage...
The people in the audience are guests in MY house, are in MY space and are on MY time. Im not the guest-they are. I am at home, in my element and its my turn to talk when I hit the stage.
Thats the way its going to be the whole time I am on stage. They get it all back when Im done.
Step 2: Take Your Time
If you really want to become a comedian who commands the big laughs, dont be in a hurry to get to the punchline. Take your time. Speak at your natural speech rate. The more the audience sees that you are at your leisure, the more comfortable they will be and the more confident you will appear.
Step 3: Be Prepared Before You Ever Step On Stage
You simply cannot rehearse your stand-up comedy material enough before you deliver it to an audience. The more you practice (out loud, using your own natural body language), the better able you are to present yourself in the best possible way.
Rehearsal can only boost your confidence. And confidence is a critical factor in overcoming stage fright.
Overcoming stage fright takes work-work that you must be prepared to do, just like rehearsing your act. It takes having an attitude of confidence and ownership. But the payoff is huge if you want to become a comedian who commands huge laughter from the stand-up comedy stage.
Steve Roye is a globally recognized expert in stand-up comedy material development and performance improvement. Check out Steves blog with additional stand up comedy secrets, techniques and methods at: http://realfirststeps.com/standupcomedysecrets/
