Overcoming stage fright

To some, speaking in a room full of people is second nature but for others like me, it may be something that we have to get used to.

When you think of a lawyer, you’d probably think of someone who is articulate and confident; who commands the court room like an orchestra conductor; who is charismatic. It’s no surprise then that eloquence is a key skill that is taught and practiced in law school. 

To some, speaking in a room full of people is second nature but for others like me, it may be something that we have to get used to. I’ve done heaps of public speaking throughout my degree and yet I still falter at the mention of a presentation or moot court assignment. I whine and stress as though I haven’t chosen for myself a degree that is made to shape good speakers. 

But the whining and stressing won’t help me deliver my presentations. What will help me, though, is good preparation. This is where my anxiety and overthinking serve me well because it never fails to pressure me into micromanaging everything that is within my control during the prep. For example, I can’t decide what my lecturer will eventually ask me during my moot, but I can predict and prepare for their possible questions. I also can’t tell my lecturer to disregard this presentation assignment but what I can do is make sure I start early in my prep, so that I know what it is to say by the time I have to present. 

In law school, we learn that it takes lawyers months (sometimes years) just to prepare for litigation. So, I’ve learnt to be on top of my preparation because if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Following prep, I try to practice my script or points as often as I could. This is really just to familiarise myself with the materials, so that I’m not in complete shock of my notes when I get around to presenting them. Besides, practicing helps drill those points into my brain so when it comes to presenting, I can make ample eye contact and give off this energy of confidence and intellect (when really, I’m breaking a sweat about it but hey, fake it till you make it, right?). 

If your friends have nothing better to do that day, rope them into being your audience to get the complete feel. 

Finally, I like to just let it happen. Let the day take its course because like I said earlier, I can’t manage everything to the tee – there will be things out of my control. I find that my anxiety is often caused by the pressure to perform well or to not mess up but this is almost always impossible, especially for someone who hates public speaking like me. It helps calm me down a bit when I tell myself that I might stumble during my presentation and that’s ok, everyone goes through that too. 

I’ve noticed that even the most confident of speaker in my class gets stuck on their words sometimes and get the jitters too. Besides the grade, presenting in class really is not that deep. Everyone is still learning and honing their speaking skills, so it’s better to “mess up” now then in court, with a client to defend. 

I might still dread and be terrified of public speaking, but no matter how far I try to run away from it, it’s just something I’d have to do. I suppose getting that exposure and practice now would serve me well when I get around to doing it for work.