Sue Lynn Perry Smith shares her Wednesday's Words of Widsom with us every first and third Wednesday of the month. You can pick up more tidbits from Sue Lynn's Facebook group, Rodeo Queens Rule.
Have you ever tried to give a speech, recite a poem or sing a song in front of an audience only to forget the words or to find it hard to breath or experience the involuntary quivering of your legs or other body parts while on stage? If so, then you are acutely aware of how powerful an elevated adrenaline level can be and how it can affect your ability to think and perform. So how can we regain control of our performance and not allow adrenaline to ruin a perfectly prepared presentation? The healthiest and most natural way is to face that fear head on – over and over and over – until the fear no longer exists, or is at least reduced to a manageable level.
The first step is to understand adrenaline. Adrenaline is a naturally occurring hormone in the body that primarily serves as our “fight or flight” survival mechanism in the brain. The hormone is produced by the adrenal gland and quickly charges up the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems to handle high performance situations. This is why heart rate, breathing pattern and muscle control are affected by an elevated adrenaline level.
Here’s a an example: If we are trail riding and cross paths with a mountain lion, both the rider and the horse will experience a surge of adrenaline that pushes the body into a decision of “do I run or do I stay and fight for my survival?” Of course, the horse, being a natural flight animal, will choose to run – with or without the rider aboard. But a human, being a predator himself, may weigh the choices, depending upon whether the horse has already dumped him on the ground, whether he has a weapon nearby or any other factors available. But that adrenaline rush puts the brain into high gear to mentally and physically carry out whatever the decision is.
Unfortunately, many people have that same adrenaline rush when they are in the highly visible position of public performance. A survey was taken years ago that showed humans rank public speaking as second place only to death itself as the most feared part of life. Yet, in the arena of rodeo queen competition, public speaking is a staple of most judging agendas. And that’s because most pageants try to “audition” their contestants for the exact job she will be doing as a titleholder. Often, rodeo queens are asked to speak publicly or to the media about their sport and their particular title.
One thing we can clear up immediately – no one has ever died from public speaking. So, logically we can tell ourselves there is no need for adrenaline to promote survival in a rodeo queen pageant. But the very personal exposure of oneself to an audience can trigger the adrenaline rush anyway.
The first step to controlling the adrenaline is to always give yourself time to write your speech, memorize it and present it multiple times publicly before the competition. I can't tell you the number of contestants who admit to writing their speech on the WAY to the Miss Rodeo America Pageant, and it shows. Unless you've made a last minute decision to enter a pageant you often have months to prepare your speech.
Never limit your preparation to only saying the speech to yourself in the privacy of your shower or car or bedroom. Give that speech or platform presentation or answer impromptu questions in front of as many live audiences as possible prior to the competition. You can start small and just give the speech to your family, your schoolmates, your parents’ co-workers or your best friends.
Then, I recommend calling your local civic clubs, such as Optimists, Kiwanis, Rotary and Lion’s Club and request to be put on their monthly meeting agenda to give your speech. This serves two purposes: you get a practice audience and your community gets to see what you’re doing.
Also, seek out your local Toastmasters International group. They specialize in prepping local professionals for public speaking in a corporate environment. They are usually receptive to hearing outside speech givers; plus, they will offer constructive feedback.
Have a parent or friend videotape every public performance and then take the time to watch the playback at home and critique yourself. It’s not easy to do at first but will serve as a great self-improvement tool.
The more people you have on your “team of helpers” the more supporters you’ll have in your corner at competition time. Remember, always send a thank you note to organized groups and individuals that made time to help you.
While this article focuses on public speaking the same advice can be given for any aspect of pageant competition that stresses you out. Are you aprehensive about riding a horse you've never been on? Then ask your friends if you can ride their horses as if you are in the pageant and before the judges. Ride the patterns and ask for critique. Have you never been interviewed? Then ask some trusted adults to sit in front of you and begin asking you questions as if you are in a "real" interview.
It takes great courage to face a fear. But you can do it! Be the predator – not the prey. Just keep attacking that fear repeatedly until it is tamed and you’re in control.
Photo courtesy of Barbara Rupp
