How to Be Confident on Stage

Co-authored by Maureen Taylor

Last Updated: December 13, 2021 References Approved

Do you feel your legs trembling before large audiences? Do you forget everything you memorized for discussion? You are not alone. Lacking confidence on stage is something even the most professional performers can suffer from. However, with good preparation and delivery techniques, you can handle even the biggest of audiences. If you can think it, you can do it!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Practicing Your Performance

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Envision your best performance. Instead of imagining the worst scenario, challenge yourself to think more about how the performance could go well. Remind yourself why you are doing this performance, and why you believe in it. The good feelings will boost your confidence instead of increasing your nerves.^{[1]
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Practice often before performance day. Make sure that you know your lines, choreography, music, note cards, anything at all, completely by heart. You can go through everything daily to ensure that you won’t forget a thing. This way you won’t feel nervous about the possibility of forgetting something on stage.^{[2]
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- If you're participating in a debate or giving a speech, research the topic of discussion thoroughly. This will increase your knowledge of the subject matter so you can speak confidently without sounding stumped. This is especially crucial if you will answer questions after the speech!
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3
Record yourself beforehand for pointers. If you lack confidence because you don’t know how you look on stage, record yourself practicing and watch it back. Now you will have a clear idea of what the audience will see when you go on stage, and you can work on any mistakes you see.^{[3]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Building Your Confidence

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Eliminate all negative thoughts. If you start telling yourself that you can’t do this, you don’t know what you’re doing, and so on, your confidence will drop dramatically. Anything that you tell yourself regularly, you start to take as reality. This will make you think that you cannot pull off confidence on stage no matter how hard you work.
- Put an end to this practice by replacing any negative thoughts with positive ones. It can be as simple as stopping yourself from thinking “I can’t do this” to “I can do this.” Saying positive thoughts out loud to yourself also makes a world of a difference.^{[4]
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Have your costume or favorite outfit ready to go. Pick out your outfit the night before so you are not worrying about it the day you go on stage. Choose something that you like and makes you feel secure and confident. If you have a costume, make sure that everything fits perfectly when you go into fittings, and don’t be afraid to speak up if something doesn’t feel right.^{[5]
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3
Talk to your friends or fellow performers. Chances are, anyone else that is going on stage with you is lacking confidence as well. Sharing these feelings can help you realize that you are not alone, and it is completely normal to be nervous. You can also tell a trusted friend or family member how you are feeling, and they will most likely share their excitement at seeing you onstage.
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Get plenty of rest. You don’t want to appear tired for your speech or performance. Allow for your best night’s sleep the night before, whether it means going to bed early or listening to some calming music.^{[6]
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- This is especially crucial for dancers! Don’t overdo anything at your dress rehearsal. Coming into a performance with your brain and muscles fatigued can increase your chance of getting an injury.^{[7]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Nailing Your Performance

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Make eye contact with people who look especially interested. If you feel your confidence beginning to slip but see people nodding in the crowd, don’t be afraid to focus on them. This will remind you that you are doing a great job and people are interested in what you are trying to do or say. If there are no nodding audience members to be found, you can also look at a trusted family member or friend who will support you no matter what happens.^{[8]
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Maintain a confident posture. Hunching forward makes you look less confident, and actually hinders your confidence as well. Stand up straight, act like you are balancing a book on your head, and your feelings will quickly improve. You will also make a good impression on the audience and how they see you.^{[9]
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Keep your voice loud and clear. This does not mean you need to shout. Just make sure that you are speaking loud enough that everyone in the room can hear. If you have trouble with this, practice in front of a group of friends to test your “public speaking” or “acting” voice.^{[10]
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Don't rush the performance. Time can be a tricky thing when you are on stage. Purposefully make yourself start out slow so you can get used to the audience and your place on stage. The audience may have trouble understanding you if you speak too fast. ^{[11]
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- It helps to keep a timer clock going as you perform, to give you a better sense of how slowly (or quickly) time is actually passing. You can keep it on your podium, or just keep it in your pocket to take out and quickly glance at between subjects.
- For dancers, pay attention to the music counts and make that a priority if you feel like you might be rushing. The music determines all of your movements!^{[12]
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Get the audience laughing, if possible. If permitted, ask questions, include facts they'll be interested in, and tell short stories relevant to subject matter. This will increase interaction and everyone will loosen up a bit.^{[13]
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End on a good note so the audience leaves in a happy mood. Be sure to end the discussion or performance with a wow feeling. If you make a mistake but finish strong, chances are the audience will only remember your amazing ending.
- For speakers, you can end with a question that will keep the audience thinking about your speech long after it ends. You can also end with a call to action that reiterates why you are speaking in the first place.
- Dancers can act like they just gave the best performance in the world to end on a good note. No matter what happened in the performance itself, smile (if choreography allows), stand up straight with your shoulders back, and give the best finishing pose you’ve got.

Expert Q&A

Question

How do I seem confident when I'm speaking?

Maureen Taylor
Public Speaking Expert
Maureen Taylor is the CEO and Founder of SNP Communications, a leadership communications company based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has been helping leaders, founders, and innovators in all sectors hone their messaging and delivery for almost 30 years, and has worked with leaders and teams at Google, Facebook, Airbnb, SAP, Salesforce, and Spotify.

Maureen Taylor

Public Speaking Expert

Expert Answer

You have to stand up straight, increases your volume, and look people in the eye.