How to Conquer Pre-Performance Nerves

Got a job interview coming up? Giving a presentation? Anticipating a difficult conversation? These tips will help you beat nervousness.

As a pianist in my younger days, I experienced debilitating stage fright. Even the idea of playing in front of friends and family terrified me. I usually managed to get through the performance, but would often end up crying in the bathroom afterward or with an intense stomachache for hours.

Somehow, despite this affliction, I decided to go to music school. Seriously, that does not seem like a rational choice given the situation, but while I was there, I made enormous strides toward overcoming my performance anxiety.

This life skill — dealing with nerves — has served me well ever since. It’s a skill that will serve you well, too, because it will help you in any situation where you have to perform (i.e., communicate) in front of others, such as speaking up in a meeting, giving a presentation, going before a judge or jury, networking, taking a test or certification exam, attending a job interview… the list is almost endless.

One factor that helped me was simply repeated exposure. This may come as a huge surprise, but getting a degree in music means performing a LOT for others (duh! you’d think I’d have thought of that!), and as is typical when challenging yourself, you get…