Monday, October 26, 2009

Recent Slovakian survey details symptoms and how people fight stage fright







































In July the market research firm GfK Slovakia asked a sample of young people ages 15 to 25 about stage fright before public speaking or important performances. This was one of a recurring series of online surveys (the GfK Young Monitor). They did not mention their sample size.

Only 10% did not suffer from stage fright. They asked the young people both about their symptoms of stage fright and how they fight stage fright. A summary of the press release is here, and a more detailed Acrobat version is here. Two bar charts describe the results. Click on either of them for a clearer view.

About 6 out of 10 people had stomach problems, and over half had sweating, palpitations, or a shaking voice. About a third had problems with forming sentences, or forgetting what to say. About a quarter blushed, and 2 out of 10 had shaking hands or a dry throat.

The more common of the 20 ways of fighting stage fright were quite sensible. The most common way (27%) was by breathing deeply. About one in 5 people did nothing because they realized it would disappear after some time, relied on consistent preparation, or encouraged themselves to think positively. Less than 5% relied on drugs, cigarettes, or alcohol. However, only 1% used stretching or exercise before speaking.

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