10 Ways to Overcome Public Speaking Anxiety & Fears With New York Improv Theater

The number one fear in this world is public speaking, often called stage fright. Many others fear one-on-one interpersonal exchanges. This anxiety often starts at a young age, with kids at school sometimes ridiculing small mistakes. Unfortunately, sometimes our own family members created an unsafe space for us to grow mentally and emotionally. At New York Improv Theater, we embrace a Psychological Safety model, the #1 factor in Team Success, as a way to create a fun, safe space for all to grow on and off stage. Here are ten tips for overcoming your fears of public speaking and/or interpersonal interactions, inspired by the principles we live by in improv:

1. Our #1 Rule is HAVE FUN but never at another’s expense. You need a fun, safe space to play without judgment. When the pressure to be “perfect” is removed, the fear of making mistakes diminishes.
2. #1 Rule in Improv is YES AND… here we focus on accepting and supporting each other. More so, we focus on making others look amazing. When our attention shifts to supporting others, we naturally stop worrying so much about ourselves. We become too busy having fun and building something together.
3. #1 Skill in Comedy is Listening. Listening with your eyes. Listening with the willingness to change. Take the focus off of what’s going on inside your head and start observing and absorbing the wonders of your world. Truly engaging with your surroundings and the people you’re interacting with can ground you in the present moment, reducing anxiety.
4. Anxiety is not a bad thing. Anxiety can be exciting. An artist often feeds off this energy to be otherworldly in their creative process. Over time, we learn that this buzzing inside isn’t a negative force to be suppressed, but a source of energy that can be channeled.
5. Every time you get on stage it gets easier. Every time you hide in the corner, that gets easier too. Find ways to push your comfort zone ever so slightly. Sometimes the only difference between you and those “talented” people is their fearlessness. Here’s a secret: we have anxiety too. And fears. We just have learned, through years of experience, to manage the anxiety, to harness it. Small, consistent steps outside your comfort zone build resilience.
6. MAKE BIG MISTAKES. Not on purpose. Mistakes are human. In Improv, we learn mistakes are gifts for creativity. When we speak mousy or hide, we deny ourselves the learning experiences that come from mistakes. Suddenly embracing mistakes as opportunities for growth, our fear of failure can dissipate. We learn to laugh at missteps and move forward.
7. Don’t worry about individual words. Even if you have a major presentation, yes, BE PREPARED, but knowing the subject matter is more important than memorizing a script. Even in plays, actors lose themselves. We forget lines we have said 1000 times. Sets break. Our scene partners forget their lines and entrances. If we know our work, we can improvise and recover. Focus on understanding your core message rather than reciting perfectly.
8. Don’t worry about how you compare to others. Focus on being better today than you were yesterday. Baby steps. Be in this for the long haul. Your journey is unique, and comparing yourself to others can fuel anxiety. Celebrate your progress, no matter how small.
9. Use physical warm-ups to refocus the adrenaline throughout the body. Breathe deep, tense up parts of your body and release. Even sitting in a chair on stage waiting your turn to speak, you can lock your middle finger and thumb and squeeze. Feel the energy rushing up the arms and down to your feet. Physical actions can help release nervous energy and ground you in your body.
10. FLOOD THE ZONE! When in the grips of fear, especially the fear of the unknown (of which stage fright is a subset), your mind is flooded with negative thoughts. We often scream inside our heads. In acting, we call this the inner monologue. Turn your thoughts into the thoughts of your characters. Overwhelm your thoughts with the moment. In a play or Improv, make choices about WHO, WHERE, OR WHAT you are in the story. Flood the zone with choices. Think in the first person of your characters. In a presentation, overwhelm your thoughts with the intention of your work. Your goal isn’t to remember the words memorized or the PowerPoint presentation. Your goal is to educate, inform, etc. Focus on that purpose. Focus on the emotions of the work, not the emotions of your fear. Become someone who wants to serve that purpose, not live in fear.
11. BONUS: YOUR HOMEWORK – LET’S TAKE THIS TO ELEVEN!!! Start every day with a smile. Stretch your face wide, bug-eyed, then squeeze your eyes shut and pierce your lips. Get yourself ready to rock for the day. When you enter a room, lead with a smile. Most will smile back. Ignore those that judge in return. Whether you are happy or scared, they will judge you, so ignore them. Often, they will come around. If they don’t, leave them in your dust. Never wait for the world to make you smile. Always LEAD BY EXAMPLE.AND when you have to get on stage, smiling will be easy, because you do it all the time!

• CLICK HERE to join our mailing list and get TWO free tickets or your first class drop in for free. We have sessions in Times Square NYC and Zoom.
• UPCOMING CLASSES in Times Square, On Zoom & Beyond! 
• COMEDY 4 LIFE PODCAST is now available. Listen on your favorite streaming platform.
• Comedy 4 Life is a series of books, workshops and new a podcast by Walt Frasier, Artistic Director at the  New York Improv Theater – Live from Times Square & Touring Nationwide since

Artistic Director, Walt Frasier has 25+ years of professional credits in comedy, Theater and music. He got his big break in TV performing comedy sketches on MTV’s Stankervision, Late Nite with David Letterman, TruTV’s Friends of the People, and most recently on HBO’s Pause with Sam Jay. As an actor, Frasier has appeared on NBC’s Blacklist, CBS’s Blue Bloods, USA’s Royal Pains (Filmed in Puerto Rico), Netflix’s Lilyhammer (filmed in Norway) and NICK’s Naked Brothers Band. In addition to 1000s of live performances around the world, Frasier has also appeared in numerous commercials, industrials, webisodes and reality TV shows. Arthur Avenue regulars may also recognize Walter, if you add a white beard and red suit, as he has been official Little Italy Santa for the past 15 years.

A division of Improv Theater LLC Improv Theater LLC is a one stop edutainment center for corporate team building, office / holiday parties and more. Our comedy shows and workshops deliver high impact results. Clients include Google, Mercedes Benz, META /Facebook, TikTok, JP Morgan Chase, Accenture, Morgan Stanley, Twitter, Roblox, Rimowa, EI Digital, Accenture, Datadog HQ, Milbank, BING/Microsoft, Band of America – Merrill Lynch, Home Depot, Ernst & Young, Johnson & Johnson, Louis Vuitton, Coach, UBS, BDO, AMEX, Master Card, Macy’s, 360i, IBM, GM, Kraft, UNILEAVER, HBO, Prudential, Convene, Conference Board and many more…

Providing College / University campus activities at Harvard, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Princeton, Georgetown, Vaughn, Molloy, Montclair State, Bloomberg College, High Point, Williams College, Lynchburg College, Southern New Hampshire University, Ferris State, Mount Isa, Misericordia, Sacred Heart, Hastings, Pace, Vaughn, College Misericordia, University of Vermont, Stone Hill, Yeshiva, Columbia, NYU, Hofstra, Cooper Union, John Jay, Fordham, Sacred Heart, Seton Hall, and more.

Additionally, 1000s of public and private events at The Smithsonian Portrait Gallery, Wolf Trap, The Argyle Theater, Emelin Theater, Gerold Opera House, 72nd Street Pier, Cherry Point Marine Base, Disney Resorts, Ohio National Guard, Connecticut DCF, First Nights Winchester VA, Binghamton First Night, Haddonfield First Night, Chateau Briand, Babylon Carriage House, retirement homes, numerous libraries, YMCA, JCC, Parks and Recreation, 1000s of k12 schools and summer camps in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Nebraska.