Overcoming Stage Fear

The Overcoming Stage Fear session, conducted on 19 November 2025 at Green Way College under GEW 2025, aimed to help students build confidence, strengthen communication skills, and overcome the nervousness associated with speaking in front of an audience. Facilitated by R. Thalib Ahmed from ICST University Park, the session created a supportive environment where students could understand stage fear and gradually learn to face it with courage. 

The session began by explaining what stage fear is, why many people experience it, and how normal nervousness can be transformed into confidence with the right mindset. Students learned that communication skills are essential not only for academics, but also for future careers and leadership opportunities. They realized that fear is not a weakness it's simply a feeling that can be managed. 

Practical strategies were introduced to help students manage anxiety, including deep breathing techniques, mirror practice, preparing key points, slowing down speech, using effective body language, and maintaining eye contact. The facilitator emphasized a powerful reminder: “Fear is natural, but confidence is a choice.” Students were encouraged to shift their thinking from fear to connection, remembering that “the audience wants you to succeed.” 

The session included short speaking activities where students practiced small presentations, received feedback, and improved their posture, tone, and delivery. They learned that mistakes are not failures but opportunities to grow, and that “preparation is the antidote to panic.” These activities helped students build resilience, adaptability, and self-belief in a safe environment. 

Students were introduced to the entrepreneurial flow for overcoming stage fear:
Fear → Preparation → Practice → Confidence → Connection → Growth,
showing them that confidence develops step by step with consistent effort. By the end of the session, students expressed higher confidence, reduced anxiety, and a willingness to speak more openly in front of others. 

Overall, the session successfully inspired students to embrace public speaking as a valuable skill, overcome self-doubt, and face challenges with confidence qualities essential for future leadership, academic excellence, and entrepreneurship.