We’ve all been there: Standing on a stage, in front of a camera, or at a microphone. We’re alone up there, but we know that outside the single light that burns our eyes and gives us nowhere to hide, there’s an audience of countless souls, all watching, all listening. And our biggest fear, silence—which is closely related to failure, which in turn mimics absolute meltdown—seems to fill the room with a whole lot of nothing.
Performing isn’t easy. Stage actors know it, as do film and television performers and voice professionals. All it takes is one forgotten line or one inadvertent break in character and, for some of us, it’s game over. The fear doesn’t creep in as much as it blasts into our reality and wipes out any hope of a successful outcome.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. My own experiences range from radio and television to stage and public speaking, and in every case I’ve had meltdown moments that continue to haunt me to this day. But learning from the experience can make future performances in those very frightening places every bit as triumphant as they were destined to be. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the techniques I’ve evolved over the
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