Stage fright is the most common fear in the United States. Most people develop stage fright when they are nervous about speaking in front of people. Experiencing stage fright when speaking will happen to all of us at some point in our lives. If you have stage fright when speaking, you are not alone. It is all too common, but it is treatable. You should know that you can overcome your fear, but you also have to know how stage fright works. There are four different parts of stage fright:
 
* Anticipation: the thoughts and images you have in the minutes, hours, or days before a speech are usually negative and unrealistic. You get nervous whenever you think about it. 
 
* Avoidance: your fear will only become worse if you try to avoid it. Overcoming your fear is actually a very beneficial experience. It will help you learn to cope with your fear and anxiety. 
 
* Panic and anxiety: these are the symptoms you experience before your presentation in front of an audience. These symptoms include: fast heartbeat, dry mouth, shaky knees, cold hands, nausea, sweaty hands, tight throat, diarrhea, and fearful negative thoughts about your performance. 
 
* Appraisal: this is the period of time after your performance when you look back on how you did. 
 
Stage fright is a type of anxiety disorder and can be caused by an array of
different things. Some people are predisposed to stage fright because of their genetic make-up. Others rarely ever experience it because it is not in their genes. 

Stage fright is basically a certain way of thinking about a speech or performance and also a way of handling the situation. People who have stage fright when speaking think of the situation as a crisis rather than an opportunistic challenge. Thinking of it as a crisis will cause the nervousness and anxiety to set in. This makes your heartbeat faster and your knees shaky.

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