You stand up to speak. Your heart starts pounding until it feels like it will jump out of your chest. You hear a ringing in your ears. Your palms are wet, your face gets hot and you can’t remember the first thing you want to say. You have performance anxiety, what actors and singers call stage fright. And take it from me, as a professional actress, vocalist and teacher for over 30 years, I still experience it. But I’ve learned how to use it to improve my performance. Understanding how stage fright develops and how it affects you personally can help increase your confidence as you gain more control of yourself in the courtroom.  

Everyone experiences this anxiety. It’s part of being human because it’s hardwired into our brains for our survival. No longer chased by ferocious animals and neighboring marauders, we continue to feel this response whenever we experience stress. Even though most modern day stressors are not life-threatening, the brain continues to trigger the body before our conscious mind has a chance to say, “This isn’t fear, it’s excitement!” or “Whoa, this isn’t really so bad – chill out!”  

Performance anxiety manifests in many ways. Take a moment right now to list what happens to you when you experience stage fright. Then compare it to the responses of other attorneys listed below. 

When our lives are threatened, we need all our energy to survive. The brain tells the body to shift gears and get ready. The precursors to this bodily change are adrenalin and cortisol, the fight or flight hormones that prepare the body for action. Adrenalin boosts the supply of  oxygen and glucose to the muscles and suppresses non-emergency functions. The first system to shut down is digestion. When that happens, saliva stops being produced. You get dry mouth. The lips stick to the teeth, and we have trouble talking. (That’s why beauty contestants put Vasoline on their teeth, though I wouldn’t suggest it during trial.) Adrenalin also increases the heart rate and the volume of blood pumped. A whole range of physical changes can take place. Let’s look now at what other lawyers have described as their symptoms of stage fright.  

•Heart starts beating fast or “skips” a beat

•Thoughts are rushed

•Voice shakes

•Shortness of breath

•Speech speeds up

•Slow to respond

•Skin on face/neck turns red

•Perspiration increases

•Stomach/gut upset

•Inappropriate laughter

•Weight shifting and stepping side to side

•Excessive um’s

•Lose train of thought

•Hands fidget or gesture inappropriately     

All of these very real physical symptoms are a result of increased levels of adrenalin coursing through the body. Reducing these effects should put you back in control of your performance. Or, will getting control of your performance reduce these effects? As well-known trial consultant Brian Johnson states, “Energy is the raw material of persuasion, and adrenalin gives us that energy.” His recommendation is to channel it.  How? Put that energy into your gestures, starting with the first thing you say.

But if you wait until you stand up to begin addressing your anxiety, you’ve waited too long. So here are some things you can do to prepare yourself for your adventure.  

Before you enter the courtroom, sit in a chair, close your eyes and begin FOUR-SQUARE BREATHING. Here’s how: Breathe consciously, slowly. Inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth with lips gently pursed, as if you  were blowing on a candle flame without blowing it out.

1.Breathe in through the nose to a slow count of 4.

2.Pause for four.

3.Exhale completely through pursed lips to a 4-count.

4.Rest for 4 counts without inhaling. Repeat several times.    

In the courtroom, sit poised in an upright position at the counsel table with feet flat on the floor and hands resting comfortably on either side of your note pad. Continue to breathe consciously.

When you rise to conduct a portion of the trial, do the following: walk with purpose directly to your chosen position; continue to breathe consciously; make eye contact with jurors as you wait for their attention (I call this “Waiting for the wave, which I’ll cover more in a subsequent article); plant your feet under your shoulders and bring your hands up to their “ready-to-gesture” position. Now you are prepared to speak with appropriate energy and confidence.

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