How to develop confidence on stage

When I start working with posing clients leading into their stage debut or their next show, one of the most common topics of conversation that comes up is ‘confidence.’ I am often asked:

“How do you feel so confident on stage?” And “What if I don’t feel confident on show day?”

Here’s the truth. You do not have to be an extrovert or a naturally confident person, to be confident on stage. I’m not! I am very much an introvert in real-life and I STILL get nervous before I step out on stage, even after 12 shows! Confidence is something you can practice and develop. So, how do we develop confidence for stage?

Confidence comes from within. Something I teach all of my posing clients, and teach in my Pose Like a Pro Guidebook, is visualisation and manifestation. I used both of these things leading into my Pro winning show, and use them throughout every prep. Because they work! Visualisation and manifestation are both so much more than just imagining and thinking ‘I want this.’ Unfortunately, that single thought, is not quite enough for the universe to say, ‘sure, I’ll give you what you’re asking for!’ The words you speak, your thoughts, and your actions EVERY SINGLE DAY, are what will lead to success in your goal. Because thoughts become ACTIONS. And actions get results. The first step to begin building your confidence, is to understand why you decided to compete in the first place. Maybe you want to experience a show, maybe you want to challenge yourself or maybe your goal is to turn Pro and compete on the World stage one day. No matter the reason, the stage is part of that – so, whether we like it or not, we have to accept that we WILL be on stage, we WILL be in front of an audience – so, we might as well feel confident. Fear and anxiety comes from the unknown. The reason we feel nervous for our first show is because we don’t know what the experience will be like. The reason we get nervous in following shows, is because we CARE about what happens on stage, and we don’t know what the outcome will be. Though we can’t predict the future when it comes to our results on show day, we can take away some of the ‘unknown.’ When you know what you are doing, and how to do it, you will ultimately feel more confident doing it. So, the next step in developing stage confidence is quite simply knowing how to pose! Knowing your routine and knowing what works for you, so you can do this on show day.

I recommend finding the best poses for you, developing a T-walk routine you feel comfortable performing and learning how to ‘play’ on stage during the comparison round (rather than choregraphing this) so you will know how to move naturally. Once you are familiar with all this – you practice! I recommend starting your posing practice at least 12 weeks out from show. This gives you three months to become so familiar with your stage routine and presence, that you will be able to do it in your sleep on show day. When you become THAT familiar with something, trust me, you’ll feel more confident 😉 Part of your practice will be visualisation. I encourage my clients to imagine their show day, from the moment they wake up to the moment the day ends. This should include every tiny detail! Particularly, their moment on stage. I want them to use every single sense in this visualisation. How do they feel when they are on stage, what can they see, what can they smell, what are they wearing etc. Do this enough and by the time you get to stage – you’ll feel like you’ve already been up there a thousand times. Finally, after working on creating that confidence within, we want to express it on the outside. So… 1. Keep your chin up, don't look down. Being able to hold eye contact, whether it be with the judges when on stage, or with those you interact with in life, shows strength and confidence in yourself. 2. Keep your shoulders back, not hunched. Our body language says a lot about who we are. Hunched shoulders, head down, hands in pockets, shuffling feet etc... These all show signs of insecurity, which will carry over into our thoughts. Just as the act of smiling will trigger a positive mood, confident body language will exude strength. How we hold ourselves on stage will completely dictate the way our physique is judged, just as the way we hold ourselves in life will project a particular image. Be the person who silently owns the room! 3. Think POSITIVE. We can reveal a million little thoughts through our facial expressions. The thoughts we focus on will shine through on our face, whether we like it or not. So, shift your perception! Think positive thoughts – ‘this is my show,’ – is a great mantra to repeat as you walk out on stage. Whether you are in a prep, or just thinking about competing in the future – start developing your confidence now!