Theatre vs Speeches

 Is there a difference between a speech and a theatre performance? Yes, there is. Let's dive into that.

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While speeches and theatre both involve public performance, there are two key differences. These are how much audience you see (the 4th wall) and rehearsal time. I will demonstrate these with different scenarios as we go, but the point is that they are not the same. Speeches also include school presentations. 

We also have to talk about stage fright in this blog post, given that one of my scenarios from real life includes such things as freezing up. No amount of prep work can make stage fright or getting nervous not happen. Personality type aside, it can happen to anyone. Let's start with theatre.

Theatre

Many are shocked when introverts show up in school plays, but I am not. Plays are one of the few times that an event is completely predictable. You have one script to memorize, your cast members have the same script, and unless the play falls apart it ends the same way every time. You, unless the script says otherwise, only look at your cast members during the performance and see only two to three rows of people. You also rehearsed this for months. 

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A memorized script makes a world of difference. It is entirely predictable. You don't have to question what happens next. Rehearsal also makes you more confident every time you practice. Even if you get nervous, your cast members may try to prompt you or autopilot can kick in. After months of reading and memorizing the same script night after night, you are less likely to freeze up. I can't say the same for the majority of my school presentations. 

Let me paint this picture for you. After three months of rehearsing, memorizing, blocking (positioning), and being nit-picked you perform two to three weekends of a play/musical. You gaze out at the audience and only see three rows before darkness covers the rest of the faces. While you may have skipped one word of your lines, the show went on. You took your final bow and ran off to the cast party afterward. All of this was because you practiced your role time and again every week. 

Presentations and Speeches

Here is where the extraverts get an advantage. Speeches only have around two weeks of rehearsal. Can you write it out? Sure, but many times only professionals and PR students do that. What has often been suggested are notecards and bullet points. This means they don't recommend memorizing a script. For reference, a president usually has a speech written for them and sometimes read from a teleprompter. 

Picture it; you have stepped in front of the class with your group, performed a skit about communication theory, and now it is your turn to explain your part of the theory. You have a sheet of paper with notes on it in front of you. Suddenly, your brain has been erased of words and you have frozen up. You squeeze every intelligent word out of your mouth and quickly hand off the notes to the extraverted soul beside you, who then picks up the paper and effortlessly continues where you stopped. Why did the skit go perfectly and the explanation fall flat? Rehearsal time and seeing all of your audience. This is also a true story about communication theory class. 

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Speeches require you to lose the fourth wall. That makes you far more aware of the audience. The lights are on in the classroom and lecture halls. Bullet points are not a memorized, predictable script. Assuming you had less than two weeks to practice in front of your family dog or mirror, that isn't enough autopilot to shove you back onto the topic when you veer off-topic. If you are alone when you freeze up and can't pass the baton to your peer beside you it is devastating. Sometimes it works to say "thank you" and sit down if you've expressed enough words, yet it won't always work out that way. Even if you did pass the baton, you find the reviews of your project to be "she wasn't prepared", which isn't accurate at all. This is why extraverts who can speak on their feet in mere seconds are better at speeches in the general sense (but that doesn't mean an extrovert can't freeze up). 

Stage Fright

Remember that example from the previous section? Let's dive into that. What happened when my brain froze was that any of the words that I was prepared to speak left my brain. It was like my brain was a dry erase board and someone just wiped every word I intended to say off it. What's worse, you can't get it back. Not fun, not at all. I was not wired for public speaking. I was wired for writing, which doesn't require standing alone in front of a classroom. I have more examples from real life to give, too. The reality of any public speaking is that when you mess up you have two choices; you can either try to get back on track and hide your mistakes, or you can make a complete fool of yourself. Or, better yet, someone else can point out your mistake out loud and try to hand you a script, making it even worse. It doesn't help when the reviews of your project say "she wasn't prepared" or "she didn't prepare". No amount of preparation can help you unfreeze your brain. Like I said, you can't. That aside, I found some tips for stage fright and speech/group project presentations for you to try. 

First thing, you practice. Do it until you know it by heart. On the day of the performance, presentation, or speech you should also avoid caffeine and eat a good meal. Imagine that your audience is responding wonderfully to your speech. Maybe, before you step into the classroom, you shake it out (which some people in speech and debate do often) and do something that calms you. Try to make sure you sleep before you present. During the presentation, focus on the friendliest faces you can find. Do you feel it coming? Accept it. Keep moving. Take a breath and try to keep the words flowing. Focus on what you are saying. 

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Stage fright puts your brain in a fight or flight response. Breathe with your belly. Beginning to hyperventilate will not help you think; it will cause more panic and your brain will roll with the panic. Stand up straight. Mind your inner critic and correct those thoughts as they come. Don't pay attention to thoughts that have nothing to do with the now. Smile and greet your audience. Pretend you aren't presenting and you are just talking. It is okay to move when you feel stage fright coming. Change position when you feel that fear. 

Sources:

https://www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/stage-fright-performance-anxiety

https://upwithpeople.org/uwp-blog/10-tips-overcome-stage-fright/

https://www.genardmethod.com/blog/10-fast-and-effective-ways-to-overcome-stage-fright