Nervous when Performing/Speaking in front of people?

brummytom

I'm sure we've all had to do it at some point. Stand up in front of a large group of people and getting them to listen to you. :eek:

On Wednesday I played in a pub in Digbeth, me on banjo, my uncle on guitar. Dad and another uncle, and my best mate and his family all watching. Got some butterflies, nothing major.

Thursday, I had to do a solo in front of 30 of my class-mates as part of a 'Speaking and Listening' presentation. I felt my legs turn to jelly, and my hands shook violently. Felt absolutely horrible.
I'm an (apparently) confident lad, very outgoing. How can I get so terrified performing in front of people I know?

Today, played in town. Right in the middle of the town-centre, few hundred people there. Not one feeling of nerves at all. Why?

So, (and for the TL;DR people :pac: ) do you ever get nervous in front of people, and how do you stop it?

DarkJager

brummytom wrote: »

I'm sure we've all had to do it at some point. Stand up in front of a large group of people and getting them to listen to you. :eek:

On Wednesday I played in a pub in Digbeth, me on banjo, my uncle on guitar. Dad and another uncle, and my best mate and his family all watching. Got some butterflies, nothing major.

Thursday, I had to do a solo in front of 30 of my class-mates as part of a 'Speaking and Listening' presentation. I felt my legs turn to jelly, and my hands shook violently. Felt absolutely horrible.
I'm an (apparently) confident lad, very outgoing. How can I get so terrified performing in front of people I know?

Today, played in town. Right in the middle of the town-centre, few hundred people there. Not one feeling of nerves at all. Why?

So, (and for the TL;DR people:) do you ever get nervous in front of people, and how do you stop it?

Nope, can't say I get nervous in front of crowds. I've done countless presentations for work, training classes etc and I DJ, so nerves are not something I can have with me!

Speaking in front of the class at school was always a bitch though!

Ghost Train

*Pictures everybody who replies to the thread naked*

brummytom

DarkJager wrote: »

Nope, can't say I get nervous in front of crowds. I've done countless presentations for work, training classes etc and I DJ, so nerves are not something I can have with me!

Speaking in front of the class at school was always a bitch though!

Have you just never felt nervous, or do you do something to stop the nerves?

phasers

I get ridiculously nervous in front of crowds, unless I'm acting.

My name is URL

I always get nervous when giving speeches and the like

in my experience the best way to combat it is by fainting

DarkJager

brummytom wrote: »

Have you just never felt nervous, or do you do something to stop the nerves?

You need to reason with yourself when you feel the nerves setting in. Ask yourself what you're getting so nervous about? If you know the subject inside out you'll generally be more confident talking about it.

DancingQueen:)

You just get used to it. If you're doing something infront of a lot of people just relax and act like your practising to yourself, before you know it you'll be finished and embarrassed at how nervous you were.

???

Relax and enjoy yourself. Before a gig I like to get there a few minutes early, be set up and ready to go then listen to my iPod or read a book for a few minutes before going out. The other thing is nerves are good, they keep you on top of your game and, to me, it adds to the rush of performing which is why I do it.

Basically, just put up with it and you'll get over it!

InkSlinger67

Is anyone else picturing Brum in Deliverance with his banjo tales?

TBH, I think the crowd would be more nervous of you than you are of the crowd!

brummytom

InkSlinger67 wrote: »

Is anyone else picturing Brum in Deliverance with his banjo tales?

TBH, I think the crowd would be more nervous of you than you are of the crowd!

I don't look too unlike the lad from Deliverance. Damn inbreeding :mad:

I had a lad ask me after the gig today "can you play Duelling Banjos?"
I just said 'no'. Firstly, it's a Tenor Banjo, not a 5-string (got bored of that) and there was no guitar to duel with :P. God I hate that film

Orla K

What stops me getting nervous is I just think "Ah fúck it" and just stop caring but, my nerves are still there they just localize in my right leg which twitches like crazy. (left leg if I'm driving - awkward when it comes the clutch.) I always try to stand infront of something so people don't see.

DarkJager

brummytom wrote: »

I had a lad ask me after the gig today "can you play Duelling Banjos?"

You should have told him "yeah I can, but you'll probably get your shoes pissed on":D:D

InkSlinger67

DarkJager wrote: »

You should have told him "yeah I can, but you'll probably get your shoes pissed on":D:D

I don't think he was talking about that type of duel!

8==> ---¦---<=====8

*SHUDDERS*

DarkJager

InkSlinger67 wrote: »

I don't think he was talking about that type of duel!

8==> ---¦---<=====8

*SHUDDERS*

Maybe the guy was?? And that diagram looks more "gloryhole" than banjo duel!!!

My name is URL

DarkJager wrote: »

Maybe the guy was?? And that diagram looks more "gloryhole" than banjo duel!!!

A gloryhole about to go horribly wrong

KnifEdge

I agree, brummytom, 'nerves' can be debillitating. As others point out there are things that can be done to avoid them but I reckon if you can remember to do those things and execute them you're not that nervous to begin with. I'm guessing that if you have to do the same thing over and over again it becomes less and less of an issue. But what do you do when when you're on the spot and it's all you can do to stand up? One of the most ridiculous sayings I ever heard is 'There's nothing to fear but fear itself'. To me that's the whole point - you are fearing fear when you lose control! This is probably not much help but in the end I reckon you do what you have to do when the time comes.


Just a step cried the sadman take a look down at the madman.

35notout

brummytom wrote: »

. Firstly, it's a Tenor Banjo, not a 5-string (got bored of that) and there was no guitar to duel with :P. God I hate that film

Great to see you chose the Tenor Banjo - love the sound of it!

Re the nerves - do they stop once you start performing. If they do, then embrace them

Super-Rush

I've been Djing for nearly ten years now and when i started out first i used to get a bit of stage fright but like people have said the more i done it the easier it got. If i'm playing in front of a group of people i know really well i do tend to get a bit shaky but it passes after a while.

FlutterinBantam

brummytom wrote: »

I don't look too unlike the lad from Deliverance. Damn inbreeding :mad:

I had a lad ask me after the gig today "can you play Duelling Banjos?"
I just said 'no'. Firstly, it's a Tenor Banjo, not a 5-string (got bored of that) and there was no guitar to duel with :P. God I hate that film

As a matter of interest that guy was not an inbred.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Redden

DarkJager

My name is URL wrote: »

A gloryhole about to go horribly wrong

Considering there's one tiny dick, and one serpent of a yoke, I would imagine one of the contestants might feel some discomfort!

donmeister

If your nervous about speaking in public squeeze out a bit of warm poo in your pants whilst said speech,then you'll be more worried about the smell rather then the speaking!

brummytom

DarkJager wrote: »

Considering there's one tiny dick, and one serpent of a yoke, I would imagine one of the contestants might feel some discomfort!

I love how my threads always stay amazingly on topic :pac:

DarkJager

brummytom wrote: »

I love how my threads always stay amazingly on topic :pac:

Gloryholes require confidence too you know!!?? There could be another man, or even a ****in mouse trap on the other side!!!

InkSlinger67

donmeister wrote: »

If your nervous about speaking in public squeeze out a bit of warm poo in your pants whilst said speech,then you'll be more worried about the smell rather then the speaking!

...you could also calm the nerves by spreading said poo on some chocolate pretzels a la Mallrats and offering them to the target audience!

Performing to a crowd you know are eating your shit must be some sort of comfort!

witnessmenow

I used to sing before the ol balls dropped.

I always found it much harder to sing in small room of 4-5 people than a stage with a few hundred. Not fully sure why

brummytom

witnessmenow wrote: »

I used to sing before the ol balls dropped.

I always found it much harder to sing in small room of 4-5 people than a stage with a few hundred. Not fully sure why

Oh singing's something I just couldn't do.
I've an ok voice, I can hold a tune well (fúck knows a lot better than one 'singer' in my music class).
I sing all the time to myself. :P

But I could never ever ever do it in front of people, I don't know why

donmeister

poo?

DarkJager

donmeister wrote: »

poo?

At Pauls house????

brummytom

35notout wrote: »

Great to see you chose the Tenor Banjo - love the sound of it!

Re the nerves - do they stop once you start performing. If they do, then embrace them

Ha, you've got good taste then :P I find I can relate to the Tenor - loud, brash, not great to look at but it's got presence.

Erm it depends where I'm performing. In this pub the other night, I was a bit nervous beford hand but fine when I got into it (I played a tune called 'The Mason's Apron', Jesus christ, it sucks the energy outta you!).
But in this English lesson, they didn't go. Every time I looked at someone's face, I just felt more nervous.