beliefs

In working with performers over the past many years, I've noticed something interesting.  Some sessions are purely technical in nature, where I find myself teaching skills or fine-tuning simple execution issues, but the real "breakthrough" events don't follow that pattern.

I don't want to name any names here, because I respect the privacy of everyone I coach, but I'll give you an example of how it goes.  I'm working with a singer, trying to get them to open up and be expressive.  Their hands seem to be glued to their sides for some reason.  No matter what I try, I can't get them to relax their shoulders and use their hands in a natural looking way.  Finally I say, "what would happen if you allowed your hands to be expressive?"  And they reply, "I can't move my hands - I've been told it makes me look like a dork."

Oh dear.

The breakthrough this person needs is to help them realize that they don't look like a dork when they use their hands, and in fact they (like most people) use their hands quite naturally all the time, with the strange exception of during performance.  The same kind of pattern applies to nearly every pathological habit I find in performers - they're always doing it for a reason!  The biggest problems are not usually not a matter of skill, except that it has required an awful lot of skill to maintain the weird performance behavior over the years.  It's a problem of mistaken beliefs, and the problem can't be fixed without taking care of the underlying mistaken belief.

That's why it tends to turn into therapy.  Therapy in this realm is when you change your beliefs.

One really common example is that a person has trouble being expressive.  They don't show passion, because they are terrified of being that vulnerable, and taking that much of a risk.  What they often don't understand is that they have so much to gain, and the risks are so small if not completely imagined, that in reality the choice is very simple.  Be expressive!  Take the risk!

The wonderful thing too is that getting over this kind of belief obstacle does a lot more than result in a better performance.  It tends to change the person deeply, and improve their whole life.  Performance skills, of course, are often the same skills you need to run the rest of your life.

Long-term, the most healthy and effective method of dealing with your stage fright is to tackle the underlying beliefs that are causing the problem in the first place, and the mental habits that bring those beliefs front-and-center at the worst possible time.

Taking on a persona

One way to bypass the whole issue is to become someone else when you perform.  That person can take all the personal risk for you!  This is actually very easy when you get to dress up and play a part.  Lots of people discover it when they put on a substantial costume.  I sang with a large chorus in Carnegie Hall many years ago, and we were all dressed up as munchkins for a Wizard Of Oz package.  I have never seen those men perform with such carefree abandon!  Makes sense – it was the munchkins taking all the risk!

Crowd out the negative voices

The voices in your head are responsible for reminding you to be nervous, right before you go on stage.  You may or may not be aware of them, but they are there all the time, telling you things you don’t want to hear.  Why must they do this?  They have their reasons, quite beyond the scope of this article!

Fortunately you only have one audio track in your brain, so it’s pretty easy to crowd the negative voices out of that channel by filling it up with positive talk instead.   Instead of “you’re a fraud” say “you are a great performer.”  Instead of hearing “they’re going to crucify me out there” say “they’re going to love me.”  You might think that’s cheating, and that you can’t fool yourself like that, but remember we’re talking about fantasy either way.  The negative talk is all made up in your head too!  Fight fire with fire.

This is also very powerful in coaching, by the way.  I remember working with a group in Sydney, Australia that had developed, through some unlucky events in their recent history, a pretty poor group self-opinion.  They seemed almost apologetic when they first sang.  I asked them to say “we are great” three times in a row with confidence, and when they sang again it was a great deal better, with no other instruction.  It seems that those murky, uncontrollable parts of your brain that spew the negativity have weaknesses that can be exploited!  More research is needed.

Upgrade your beliefs

Another important weapon in the battle against stage fright is to develop realistic expectations and attitudes about performance.  From Wilson’s book:

Performance is often disrupted by irrational, fear-provoking thoughts.  These need to be identified for what they are and replaced by thoughts that are rational and constructive.  For instance, a thought like “If I make a mistake the night is ruined and people will think I’m a lousy performer” can be replaced with “If I make a mistake I’ll just carry on and people will hardly notice.”

The idea that you can replace some thoughts with others is a possibility you may not have considered.  Imagine the possibilities of this in the rest of your life, as well as in your stage career.

One way to “upgrade your beliefs” like this comes from the work of Albert Ellis and is called “Rational-Emotive Therapy.”  Take out a piece of paper and write down the following things:

1. Fear-provoking thought.
2. Why do you believe this?
3. What’s the worst thing that could happen?  How likely is it?  How might you cope with it if it did happen?
4. Logical flaws you notice.  Some examples:
   • Overgeneralizing (“I always…” or “I never…”)
   • All-or-nothing thinking (“I am either a star or a loser”)
   • Disqualifying the positive (“They liked my presentation, but they are dumb.”)
   • Mental filter (“Whatever is said about the presentation, is about me.”)
   • Superstition (“If I don’t worry, everything will go wrong.”)
5. Reasonableness rating, from 1 to 10
6. Replacement thought

Hypnosis

Hypnosis is also a method of tackling the negative beliefs head on.  Just like you can by hypnotized into hating cigarettes instead of loving them, you can be hypnotized into believing that people love you, you have enormous talent, and getting on stage is a joy and not a risk.  If this appeals to you, go find a hypnotist and give it a go.