0912 – Your Mindset At The Mic

2023.07.01 – 0912 – Your Mindset At The Mic

INTRODUCTION

Performance anxiety is rarely researched and so we understand very little about the specifics of this complex condition. We know some hacks… but we also know that long term mental health is very serious. Again, consult a medical professional for more long-term treatment for what may be underlying issues.

Millenia ago our caveman ancestors would have sat around a camp fire, telling stories of spirits and sabre-toothed tigers. Their fellow cave-dwellers’ faces would be seen in the flickering flame of the fire, encouraging our ancestor on with his tale of mystery and heroism with a combination of grunts, gestures and wide-eyed wonderment.

Skip forward and today’s story tellers sit in a windowless box, alone yet talking to millions. We are told to “be natural” when on the radio or in a TV studio, but there’s nothing natural about it – and we have to trick our Neanderthal instincts into pretending there is.

In this chapter we’ll look at some of the more respected ways of dealing with ‘mic fright’. Some are straightforward (such as preparation and relaxation), others a little more in-depth (therapy) and others potentially dangerous (self-medication). However, I won’t be looking at some of the most obscure so-called cures (from drinking vast quantities of chamomile tea, asking your colleagues to spank you, or even pre-show masturbation).[1] Although everyone is different and those may work for you…

But of course, the Catch 22 with learning how to deal with studio pressure is that such training can really only take place, in a studio. With a red light. And the knowledge that thousands or millions of people are listening… and the realisation that the only real cure for excessive nervousness, is experience.

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/sep/21/stephen-fry-stage-fright

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