Brian Shulman of Birmingham, Alabama: Effective Tips for Coping with Stage Fright

Brian Shulman, http://brianmshulman.com/, a business executive who’s worked in Birmingham, Alabama, has experienced success at executive levels for more than a decade. He’s created a profitable educational content company that he sold to K12, Inc. To enjoy success, Shulman has no doubt made numerous presentations to potential business partners, vendors, and clients. Like many individuals, he had to start somewhere.

Stage fright is common among people when who have to address a large gathering. However, if not treated properly, it can become an issue that affects your self-esteem and hold you back on accomplishing your career and personal goals. If you’ve experienced stage fright, it’s important to take control early. Here are a few ways you can work on performance anxiety.

Get excited about it

Sure, it sounds a bit ridiculous, but you can get all that nervousness to dissipate by presenting it as excitement. Choosing to think about anxiety this way can be a better way than simply muttering “I am calm” (or something close) under your breath as you make your way to the stage.

Focus on the first few minutes

The first few minutes are probably the most anxious moments in a presentation. After that, you’re likely to find your rhythm and settle into the performance. By knowing this, you can prepare for the first five minutes ardently. (You should practice the rest of presentation, too.)

Know yourself

If you suffer from stage fright a lot, it can point to some personality traits. From perfectionism to low self-esteem, performance anxiety can indicate some things. It calls upon you to be aware of yourself and develop the self-confidence needed to ease the pressure.

Brian Shulman of Birmingham Alabama is the managing director at Princeton Capital Partners, http://brianmshulman.com/.