Stage fright 2nd round
Thanks guys for helping me say "stage fright" in spanish. How do you cope with stage fright? I sometimes have to give lectures in english and spanish, and I get nervous especially when speaking spanish because I think I'll make a mistake. I tried drinking water, holding my breath, and counting to 10, but that just made me look silly! 
6 Answers
I have a different opinion from that of Lazarus - I think to truly overcome it, it is of paramount importance that you put yourself in those pressure situations, and many times thereafter. You get good at what you practice. You practice without pressure, you'll get good at doing it without that pressure - when there is pressure? A whole different ballgame.
Musician here - Before the first time I ever went up on stage to play guitar-sing, I had practiced an inordinate amount of hours. I practiced and practiced, AND rehearsed that in front of some friends, etc. When I finally went to do it...TOTALLY different ball game! I suppose it did help me a tad the practice I had done before without the real pressure, but really, it was totally different. The subsequent times I did it, I gradually got better and better and more and more relaxed, which was good because I don't think my heart would have been able to withstand anymore experiences like the first time because my heart was LITERALLY beating as if I were vigorously jogging but while sitting down. It was insane! That started like 4 hours before it was my time to go up there until the time I finished. Exhausted after that experience!
Another example - Basketball. You hear of people practicing there jumpshots in practice a lot. Getting to a really high clip with their percentages - Gametime comes - can't hit the broad side of a barn. It happens quite frequently, especially with people who don't practice with a gametime mentality (at the very least imagining a defender running out to contest the shot), simulate gametime situations, and/or don't practice at game speed.
Good luck with overcoming it. Just keep getting up there and post analyzing what you did, what area you want to improve in and consciously try to improve that aspect the next time you go up there.
-Charlius-
I have a different opinion from that of Lazarus
No doubt, but different people react differently. I welcome the pressure of an good challenge, but I hate the pressure that makes me uneasy and just threatens me for no good reason. I personally respond very badly to the latter, while I devote all my efforts to the former one.
What for some people is an incentive, for other people is a nightmare, and what for some people is an interesting challenge, for others is an insult to their intelligence. Every person sees things in a different way.
I have over a hundred students every year, and I know that no formula will work for everyone. Something that could be a revelation for one, could be the worst deterrent for another. I personally respond quite differently from most people when it comes to learning.
I'm glad we can differ.
When you are up there, imagine everyone in the audience is naked. That will probably make you laugh so hard at people's "inadequacies" that you will forget you are nervous... 
Depending on your audience, I try to remember that the people in front of me are not enemies, but rather potential friends or at least people who have the same goals as I do. If it's a group of students or colleagues, try to think of them as allies in the same cause and act with warmth and caring. I have given lectures in front of up to 150 Sailors at a time and I just used themes they identified with . . . that of wanting to excel and achieve their mission while progressing as leaders. Next weekend I will be giving an address at our city's Memorial Day Observance at the cemetery. There will be a couple of hundred people there but I know they are all there for the same reason; patriotism and remembrance.
Try to remember that your audience is on your side. Let us know how you are progressing! --Gary
A literal translation could be "miedo escénico", but I've never heard anyone saying that. "miedo al público" is more common, and "miedo a hablar en público" is very common and more specific, but maybe you can find other alternatives.
Regarding how to overcome it, probably the only method is to practice without pressure, until you get used to it.
No doubt Lazarus that people react differently to things. To learn, we all have our different methods. Some people learn better with a more technical analysis, some through example, etc etc. Some learn better with a stern, in-your-face teacher, while some better with a more compassionate one. However, that really only applies to learning things (spanish for example, which totally applies). In terms of 'getting better' at something in a real-world context (playing music in a packed auditorium, throwing a touchdown pass during a final play, 4th down, all teams tied situation, etc etc) -->
my original message was and still is that to perform better under any sort of pressure situation is to either 1) just go out and do it many times - or 2) practice said activity under a pretty close approximation of circumstances you would encounter. That's all there is to it. There are no different methods to getting better in these kinds of things.
I agree with Lazarus that practicing with no pressure is a good/great start, but a boxer is never a fighter no matter how much he spars with a known practice partner, until he goes out for the first time into the ring with some dude that's trying to take his block off.
-Charlius-
