Palms sweaty, heart racing, stomach in knots. You can't cry for help. Not only is your throat too tight to breathe, but it'd be so embarrassing. No, you aren't being stalked by a monster, you're speaking in public, a fate some deem worse than death.
Telapak tangan basah, jantung berdebar, perut terlilit. Kamu tak bisa meminta tolong. Tak hanya tenggorokanmu terlalu ketat, tetapi akan sangat memalukan. Tidak, kamu tidak sedang diburu monster. Kamu berbicara di muka umum, nasib yang kadang dianggap lebih buruk dari kematian.
See, when you're dead, you feel nothing; at a podium, you feel stage fright. But at some point we've all had to communicate in front of people, so you have to try and overcome it.
Kalau kamu mati, kamu tak merasa apa pun; di podium kau merasa demam panggung. Namun, suatu waktu, kita semua harus bicara di depan orang lain. Jadi, kamu harus coba mengatasinya.
To start, understand what stage fright is. Humans, social animals that we are, are wired to worry about reputation. Public speaking can threaten it. Before a speech, you fret, "What if people think I'm awful and I'm an idiot?" That fear of being seen as an awful idiot is a threat reaction from a primitive part of your brain that's very hard to control. It's the fight or flight response, a self-protective process seen in a range of animals, most of which don't give speeches.
Pertama-tama, pahami dulu apa itu demam panggung. Manusia, makhluk sosial seperti kita, cenderung mencemaskan reputasi. Bicara di depan publik bisa mengancamnya. Sebelum berpidato, kamu resah, "Bagaimana jika mereka menganggapku buruk dan bodoh?" Ketakutan terlihat bodoh adalah reaksi ancaman dari bagian primitif otakmu yang sangat sulit dikendalikan. Ini adalah respons hadapi atau lari, proses pertahanan diri di berbagai hewan, yang sebagian besar tak berbicara.
But we have a wise partner in the study of freaking out. Charles Darwin tested fight or flight at the London Zoo snake exhibit. He wrote in his diary, "My will and reason were powerless against the imagination of a danger which had never been experienced." He concluded that his response was an ancient reaction unaffected by the nuances of modern civilization. So, to your conscious modern mind, it's a speech. To the rest of your brain, built up to code with the law of the jungle, when you perceive the possible consequences of blowing a speech, it's time to run for your life or fight to the death.
Namun, kita punya rekan bijak dalam studi kepanikan. Charles Darwin menguji hadapi atau lari di pameran ular Kebun Binatang London. Tertulis dalam buku hariannya, "Kehendak dan akalku tak berdaya di hadapan imajinasi bahaya yang tak pernah kualami." Dia menyimpulkan bahwa responsnya adalah reaksi kuno yang tak terpengaruh oleh nuansa peradaban modern. Jadi, bagi pikiran sadarmu yang modern, itu adalah pidato. Bagi sisa otakmu, yang terbentuk untuk memahami hukum rimba, saat kamu merasakan akibat yang mungkin timbul dari berpidato, saatnya menyelamatkan diri atau bertarung sampai mati.
Your hypothalamus, common to all vertebrates, triggers your pituitary gland to secrete the hormone ACTH, making your adrenal gland shoot adrenaline into your blood. Your neck and back tense up, you slouch. Your legs and hand shake as your muscles prepare for attack. You sweat. Your blood pressure jumps. Your digestion shuts down to maximize the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to muscles and vital organs, so you get dry mouth, butterflies. Your pupils dilate, it's hard to read anything up close, like your notes, but long range is easy. That's how stage fright works.
Hipotalamus, yang umumnya ada di semua vertebrata, memicu kelenjar pituitarimu untuk mengeluarkan hormon ACTH, membuat kelenjar adrenalmu menyemburkan adrenalin ke dalam darah. Leher dan punggungmu tegang, kamu membungkuk. Kaki dan tanganmu gemetar saat ototmu bersiap menyerang. Kau berkeringat. Tekanan darahmu naik. Pencernaanmu terhenti untuk memaksimalkan kiriman nutrisi dan oksigen ke otot dan organ vital, sehingga mulutmu kering, gemetaran. Pupilmu membesar, sulit membaca dari jarak dekat seperti catatanmu, tetapi jarak jauh tak masalah. Begitulah cara kerja demam panggung.
How do we fight it? First, perspective. This isn't all in your head. It's a natural, hormonal, full body reaction by an autonomic nervous system on autopilot. And genetics play a huge role in social anxiety. John Lennon played live thousands of times. Each time he vomited beforehand. Some people are just wired to feel more scared performing in public.
Bagaimana cara melawannya? Pertama, perspektif. Ini bukan hanya ada di kepalamu. Ini adalah reaksi tubuh yang alami dan hormonal dari sistem saraf otonom yang bergerak otomatis. Genetik berperan besar dalam kecemasan sosial. John Lennon tampil langsung ribuan kali. Tiap kali, dia muntah sebelum tampil. Beberapa orang memang cenderung merasa lebih takut tampil di muka umum.
Since stage fright is natural and inevitable, focus on what you can control. Practice a lot, starting long before in an environment similar to the real performance. Practicing any task increases your familiarity and reduces anxiety, so when it's time to speak in public, you're confident in yourself and the task at hand. Steve Jobs rehearsed his epic speeches for hundreds of hours, starting weeks in advance. If you know what you're saying, you'll feed off the crowd's energy instead of letting your hypothalamus convince your body it's about to be lunch for a pack of predators.
Karena demam panggung itu alami dan tak terhindari, fokus pada yang bisa dikendalikan. Banyaklah berlatih, dimulai jauh hari, di lingkungan yang mirip tempat tampilmu. Berlatih tugas apa saja akan membuatmu terbiasa dan mengurangi kecemasan. Jadi, saat bicara di muka umum, kamu akan percaya pada dirimu dan tugasmu. Steve Jobs melatih pidato epiknya selama ratusan jam sejak berminggu-minggu sebelumnya. Jika menguasai materi, kamu akan menyerap energi penonton alih-alih hipotalamus meyakinkan bahwa tubuhmu akan dimangsa predator. Namun, hipotalamus vertebrata
But hey, the vertebrate hypothalamus has had millions of years more practice than you. Just before you go on stage, it's time to fight dirty and trick your brain. Stretch your arms up and breath deeply. This makes your hypothalamus trigger a relaxation response. Stage fright usually hits hardest right before a presentation, so take that last minute to stretch and breathe.
sudah berlatih jutaan tahun lebih lama darimu. Sebelum naik ke atas panggung, saatnya melakukan trik kotor dan mengelabui otakmu. Rentangkan tangan ke atas dan tarik napas dalam. Ini akan membuat hipotalamus memicu respons relaksasi. Demam panggung biasanya paling parah tepat sebelum tampil. Jadi, gunakan menit terakhir untuk meregang dan bernapas.
You approach the Mic, voice clear, body relaxed. Your well-prepared speech convinces the wild crowd you're a charismatic genius. How? You didn't overcome stage fright, you adapted to it. And to the fact that no matter how civilized you may seem, in part of your brain, you're still a wild animal, a profound, well-spoken wild animal.
Kau menghampiri mikrofon, suara jernih, tubuh rileks. Pidatomu yang cermat meyakinkan penonton kamu adalah seorang jenius yang karismatik. Bagaimana caranya? Kamu tidak mengatasi demam panggung, tetapi beradaptasi. Dan tak peduli seberapa beradab penampilanmu, damlam bagian otakmu, kamu masih makhluk liar, makhluk liar cerdas, dan mahir berbicara.