By Dr Krissie Ivings
Stage fright at work is common, but manageable. This article explores evidence-based strategies to transform anxiety into confidence – from reframing nerves as readiness and focusing outward on purpose, to visualising success and building mastery through small wins. Practical mind hacks and hypno-CBT techniques help professionals perform calmly and authentically.
Recognising Nerves Are Normal
Whether it’s presenting in a meeting, pitching an idea, or speaking to colleagues, stage fright is something most professionals experience. A racing heart, shaky hands, and dry mouth are natural. Even the most confident-looking colleagues feel a flicker of anxiety before stepping into the spotlight. A little nervousness shows that you care and humanises you.
Those who never doubt themselves are often the least self-aware, or simply arrogant. Misplaced certainty is a hallmark of the Dunning–Kruger effect, where limited experience fuels exaggerated confidence. In the workplace, overconfidence can be more disruptive than performance anxiety, and the loudest voices in the room aren’t always the ones worth hearing.
Reconnect With Your Strengths
Ask a group to list weaknesses on one side of a page and strengths on the other and most fill the weaknesses column easily but hesitate over strengths and often qualify them: “I’m a good presenter… though I did fluff that time.”
We hold ourselves to impossible standards, magnifying small missteps while discounting consistent strengths. To counter this bias, deliberately recall evidence of competence: moments you performed well and positive feedback.
Progress over Perfection
Psychologist Albert Bandura’s research on self-efficacy shows that confidence grows through mastery experiences – successfully completing tasks that test us. Each small success strengthens the belief that we can handle future challenges.
Focus on small wins and incremental gains. Each time you accept a new challenge, you stretch your comfort zone, and what once felt intimidating becomes routine. Shifting from perfection to progress builds sustainable confidence.
Behaviour Shapes Belief
‘Fake it till you make it’ is grounded in neuroscience. Faking confidence works because the body and mind are in constant dialogue. Acting confident by standing tall, smiling, and making eye contact sends “all is well” signals to the brain through powerful mind-body links.
But the change runs deeper: behaviour influences self-concept. As C. S. Lewis observed, over time we tend to become the people we pretend to be. In projecting confidence, we are not trying to be someone else; we practise being who we already are at our best, without fear or self-doubt interfering.
Aristotle observed, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” Each time we speak up by asking a question, summarising a meeting, or sharing an opinion, we strengthen our capacity to be visible. And we slowly get closer to the person we aspire to be. The paradox is that there is no truth or authenticity in the that loud inner critic that insists we are impostors. And far more in the quiet self-belief that grows each time we act as if we already possess it.
Reframe Stress: From Threat to Challenge
Physiologically, fear and excitement are similar. Both elevate heart rate and sharpen focus; the difference lies in interpretation.
Seeing those sensations as a threat (“I’m panicking”) triggers fight-or-flight responses that impair thinking. Interpreting them as readiness (“My body is priming me to perform”) converts the same arousal into energy and clarity.
Research shows that when people reappraise anxiety as preparation rather than danger, confidence and performance improve. The next time your heart races before a big meeting, remind yourself: “This is my body helping me rise to the occasion.”
Shift Your Focus Outwards
Self-conscious speakers often turn their focus inward, mentally critiquing posture, tone, or expression. This inner commentary amplifies anxiety and is highly distracting.
Instead, focus outward on your message and audience. When your attention moves from self-monitoring to purposeful communication, self-consciousness dissolves.
Practice this in rehearsal. Deliberately shift from intense focus on how you look and sound, to an outward focus on what you are communicating. Notice how self-focus increases tension, while outward focus promotes fluency and connection.
As-If Imagining
The effects of rehearsal can be strengthened by using a more focused approach such as Cognitive–Behavioural Hypnotherapy. Hypno-CBT uses the creative imagining of positive possibilities to make acting in confident ways feel natural and attainable. By mentally placing yourself in an upcoming situation and experiencing calm, capable performance, you reinforce those patterns of thought and behaviour.
Self-hypnosis is accessible to anyone: sit quietly, close your eyes, breathe deeply, and imagine the forthcoming situation through your own eyes. Engage all your senses. Feel yourself speaking with calm authority and composure. If anxiety arises, pause, adjust the scene, and replay it with greater confidence.
Planning this in advance by recording a short, guided script can help. The brain learns through mental rehearsal almost as effectively as through physical experience, which is why elite athletes visualise key moments before they serve, tee off, or take a penalty.
Top Hacks for Conquering Stage Fright
- Accept nerves as normal and natural. Not as evidence that you are out of your depth.
- Reframe the situation as a challenge not a threat.
- Shift your focus outwards onto the message and your audience.
- Recognise your strengths and focus your attention on past successes.
- Act as if you are already confident and self-assured
- Start small to build self-efficacy and mastery gradually over time
- Visualise success. Rehearse confident performance in your imagination before real events.
- Celebrate progress. Reflect on what went right while realistically appraising where improvements can be made.
- Consider Hypno-CBT if anxiety is seriously limiting your development. It’s structured, goal-oriented, and evidence-based.
Dr Krissie Ivings
