A common reaction when people find out that I’m a stand up comedian is something like, “Wow I could never do that. How are you not nervous to speak in front of people?”
Some sources say 75% of people are afraid of public speaking. That’s 200 million people in the United States! But far more than 25% of people have to speak publicly, whether that’s at work or in the community.
So, how is it that I am not afraid of doing so? Why am I not nervous?
Here’s a little secret: I am nervous every time.
And so are most comedians and performers. I’ve worked with many big-name headlining comedians; the kind who have been performing sold out shows all over the country for many years. Even if they’re about to perform their 3rd show in the span of 24 hours at the same club, they’re usually still sitting in the green room with their head down working through their set. To be honest, many of them appear unpleasant and rude before a show.
The nerves might be less strong as you gain experience, but even for professionals they never away permanently.
Nerves are a sign that you care a lot about what you’re doing and you want to do a great job. They should never stop you from doing anything.
So how do we push through those nerves and walk onstage confidently, ready to make an instant connection with a group of strangers?
I call it the 3 Ps: Practice, Preparation, & Personal Preferences
Practice
Comedians go to open mics to get reps in and gather feedback on new material, we also take as many shows as we can so we can figure out what works and doesn’t work. Oh, and we fail…a lot. But that’s an unavoidable part of getting better.
Preparation
We know what jokes are going to be in our sets, how we’re going to transition in and out of each joke, and exactly how much time our sets will take. Preparation also allows us to pivot if something unexpected happens during the set, like audience members being rowdy or the audience only preferring one style of joke.
Personal Preferences
Backstage at a comedy show is one of the most fascinating places I’ve ever been. Each comedian deals with their nerves in different ways. Some, like the great Sylvia McCallum pictured here with me backstage at Dallas Comedy Club, handwrite their set lists and review in detail before they head up. Others, like me, keep everything in their heads and run through the whole set mentally. Often you’ll find me alone in a corner or pacing the halls silently going through each beat. And then others try to mask all nerves by cutting up, joking, and laughing with anyone who will listen.
As a speaking coach I don’t try to create robots who are stuck in one type of system. I want people to lean into their strengths, their personality traits, and their own methods. I think people are far more confident, and far less nervous, when they know that they’re going to take the stage as the best version of themselves. And I believe that applies backstage as much as onstage.
If you get Practice and Preparation down, you can do whatever you need to do to get yourself in the right mental space to push through those last-second nerves and head out onstage as confident as possible.
A client I recently worked with heavily emphasized the value of the confidence he received from our one-on-one session, “Before big presentations or onstage demos, I can feel the nerves. But practicing and refining my presentation with Scott helped me feel prepared and confident for my time onstage.”
If you’d like to learn more about my coaching services and how I can help give you the confidence, fill out the form below.
Leave a Reply