Unfiltered Thoughts

2023.07.04 – 0915 – Renaming and Reframing Mic Fright Re-naming and re-framing: Positive self-talk Our physical reactions to different emotions are often similar.
Think how you feel when you’re excited and when you’re frightened; both emotions may result in increased muscle tension, tremor and palpitations but we interpret them differently. Excitement is perceived as a positive ‘stress’ while genuine fear or anger is perceived as unpleasant ‘distress’. Here's another example: the situation may not be ‘wrong’ or ‘scary’, just ‘new’ and ‘unfamiliar’. It’s a bit like the old song: “A stranger's just a friend you do not know”.[1]
One more: instead of thinking that the audience is the ‘enemy’, waiting to pounce on your every stutter and stumble, retrain your brain to accept that there will inevitably be a few mistakes, and the audience is on your side.
Finally: Interpret the effects of adrenalin, as your body’s way of telling you you’re ready! So, get into the habit of reframing the situation in your ‘caveman’ mind: you’re not nervous at the situation, you’re excited for the opportunity. [1] https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jimreeves/astrangersjustafriend.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.07.03 – 0914 – Be “Channelin’ The Adrenaline”!“Channelin’ the adrenaline”!Remember, if you are nervous, it shows you care. You want to perform well, you want to be careful and professional, not slipshod and slapdash. Of course, the presence of some of these chemicals can give you the edge. Some arousal leads to better performance: you may feel sharper and wittier, have rapier-like questions, Seiko-like timing, a voice of a god and more presence than Santa. Too much adrenaline and you’re doing an impression of a jelly on a plate. Not so much a celebrated showstopper, as an actual showstopper.  So we need to use this adrenaline to our advantage, not to have it take advantage. We need to be “Channelin’ the adrenaline”! How do we do that? By calling ‘nervousness’ something else… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.07.02 – 0913 – Know Your Nervous Triggers  OVERCOMING MIC FRIGHT BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER YOUR STUDIO SESSION BEFORE Pre-performance routines the weeks and days beforehandThose ‘butterflies’ in your stomach? They’re normal. But you have to teach them to fly in formation, like a squadron of drones, and harness their combined energies to give you wings and allow you to fly! Here’s how to do just that. Know Your Nervous TriggersFirst realise what it is that you are feeling. Go back to the previous episodes from 888 because it may not be nerves at all, but something quite different – something you need to approach from another more clinical or psychological direction. And of course, I can’t help you with that as I’m not your doctor (indeed, I’m not anyone’s doctor!). All I have here are some general tips and advice. It may be useful to have a think about what triggers your anxiety (there were lots of possible causes we listed previously from episode 898).  What is the practical basis for your belief of potential failure? It may be the technical issues of a livestream or studio setting, it may be awkward words in a script or running out of things to say. Once you have an idea of what’s bringing you down, then you can unpack it, deal with it, set it aside and build yourself back up. Don’t ignore it, but deal with the underlying cause of the situation, not just your reaction to it. So, create a list, work your way through it and you’ll find that most of them are quite easily overcome. Then do what you need to, to complete each task to reduce the self-sabotaging behaviour.
Become a task-master to become a past master. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.07.01 – 0912 – Your Mindset At The MicINTRODUCTIONPerformance 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.06.30 – 0911 – Your Guests’ NervesDon’t forget the guestsThey get nervous too. The presence of a microphone can cause some people to panic. Perhaps that’s not surprising in some situations: pouncing on an unsuspecting member of the public in the street, shoving a microphone in their face and asking them intricate questions about the international monetary fund is sure to make someone clam up and run off! Studio or podcast guests may suffer similar anxiety, either a member of the public or an expert in their field. Those more used to a board room or lecture room are sometimes terrified of facing a microphone or a camera for the first time. It might be to do with their words being recorded electronically and for posterity, it might be that they don’t know where to focus their attention. Where is the lens on the camera, or if they should ignore it, and how to connect with someone (or lots of ‘someones’) who they can’t actually see.  It is perhaps understandable that they may be a bit overwhelmed by a studio situation, the lights and the mics … and then ‘chew them up and spit them out’ way that some producers ‘process’ their guests on a live show. Add if they react like that, they won’t be giving their best answers in their best voice.·        A relaxed environment will get the best out of them·        Clearly and calmly explain what’s going to happen and what you’d like from them·        Give a basic explanation of the recording process ·        Let them know the right sitting posture, and distance from the mic, not to touch the mic or the stand, turn away from it to cough and so onOffer them a glass of water so that they can take sips if they feel dryness in their mouth Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.06.29 – 0910 – How The Audience Reacts To Your NervesHow does the audience react to your nerves? Nerves not only affect you; they also affect your listeners. They want to feel taken care of, that they are in safe hands. They’ll feel comfortable, if they think you are.  If you sound nervous, they may:·        Question your competence – “why is she nervous if she’s supposed to know what she’s talking about?” ·        Feel sympathy – “that poor woman, this must be so awful for them…” And you don’t want people to wonder about your credibility or to worry about you (yours should be the trusted voice of information or entertainment). Nervousness in a speaker will affect the benefit they will get from listening to you.  I often use the analogy of the coach passenger who’s anxious if the driver uses the wrong gear, clips the curb and doesn’t know the route. They’ll want to get off! In the same way, listening to a radio or podcast presenter who can’t operate the studio gear, clips the start of songs or doesn’t know the way through an anecdote will want them to turn off! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.06.28 – 0909 – How Video Meetings Can Cause StressVOICE BOXHow video meetings can cause stress:
More focus is needed to process non-verbal communication such as facial expressions, tonal variation, body language
The self-awareness of being watched may make you feel that you are performing and lead to performance anxiety
Delays or latency: even a 1.2 second delay can make you perceive the responder as unfriendly or unfocussed. In a real-life conversation silence is normal, but on a video call it can cause irritation
We can place huge expectations on ourselves to maintain our optimum work performance due to concerns about job security and the economy.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.06.27 – 0908 – When You Simply Can’t Speak At All
The clinical name for hoarseness is ‘dysphonia’ and complete (or almost complete) voice loss is ‘aphonia’.Often the symptoms are caused by infection, physical abnormality or disease, but emotional distress can also be at the root, when it is referred to as a ‘psychogenic’ voice disorder.Extreme performance anxiety may include paralysis: freezing, fainting or losing the ability to talk at all.[1]In the singing world (where of course, artists perform in front of a living, breathing audience, unlike the solo studio presentations of most broadcasters and podcasters) some of the biggest names from Maria Callas to Vladimir Horowitz – have struggled to deal with performing under intense expectation. Then there’s Ella Fitzgerald, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Barbra Streisand[2], Adele[3], Luciano Pavarotti, Arthur Rubinstein, actors Stephen Fry[4] and John Sim[5], Sergei Rachmaninoff, Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Frederic Chopin who wrote: “I am not fitted to give concerts. The audience intimidates me. I feel choked by its breath, paralysed by its curious glances”. Note that a live performance is usually better than a pre-recorded one as performers are often at their best when there's a bit of tension. There’s a buzz an excitement, a scary thrill. Nerves can keep you alert and sharp at the mic, you need to harness that energy and heightened state of awareness to bring in your best personal performance.
[1] More on this topic in Dianna Kenny’s book “The Psychology of Music Performance Anxiety” https://www.amazon.co.uk/Psychology-Music-Performance-Anxiety/dp/0199586144 and Sarah Solovitch “Playing Scared: A History and Memory of Stage Fright”https://www.amazon.co.uk/Playing-Scared-History-Memoir-Fright/dp/162040091X [2] Barbra Streisand, the most successful solo female singer of all time, gave up live performance for 27 years after she forgot the words to a song in a concert in Central Park in 1967. She later claimed to have spent 2,700 hours in psychotherapy, at a cost of $360,000.
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2023.06.26 – 0907 – The Vocal Effect Of Mic Fright Vocally: ·        When stressed, the muscles that control the larynx can become tense.[1] (Periods of prolonged muscle tension in the larynx can lead to a lack of coordination of the vocal control system that can cause vocal fatigue and even vocal damage.) ·        Tension is likely to harden surfaces and make them smaller. So, holding your shoulders and throat in this state, and having a jaw that’s barely opening, will make any vocalisation higher and thinner and with less resonance·        A lack of breath support will likely make the voice higher in tone; flatter in prosody, quieter in volume, shakier in authority ·        You run out of what little breath you have, so, you read faster to get to the end of a sentence before you need to take another breath, resulting in gabbling·        Gabbling can lead to speed-induced speaking errors: you trip up over your words·        A drier mouth may mean less-precise articulation of words, it’ll simply be more difficult to move your tongue to form the words ·        The mental ‘brain fog’ may cause slower speech, mispronounced words, script hesitations or slow adlib reaction times
You will hear the results of stress in your voice, in your headphones … causing more stress both in the moment and longer term:·        Anxiety causes more anxiety, which may lead too  A lack of sleep (either not being able to drop off, or waking up early or intermittently§ Leading to reduced energy levels·        The possible use of alcohol or drugs to get to sleep or stay awakeo  Difficulty exercising or eating properlyo  A dull, tired sounding voice
[1] A tense throat is almost your body’s way of saying “I don’t want you to say anything in case you embarrass yourself”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2023.06.25 – 0906 – The Respiratory Effect Of Mic Fright Respiritorally:·        Held tension will restrict your ability to drop your diaphragm and open up your lungs·        ‘Fight-or-flight breathing’ into your upper thoracic chest cavity and the clavicular area of your throat, meaning your breaths will naturally be shorter and shallower·        You won’t be able to take in a proper amount of oxygen, a natural calming chemical·        You’ll be forced into mid-sentence snatched breaths, and end-sentence croaks as you eek out the last of the CO2 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.