RE: Overcoming My Fear of Public Speaking (kind of)
This post is a real boon for me Yahia, to think that other poets have such nerve jangling jitters and heart flutters when presenting work on stage is kind of reassuring. Sorry ;-)
It's not that I grew less nervous but, because I could not see anybody, I imagined I was in outer space and reciting my poetry to myself.
I am going to try this method next time I read but as none of the venues I have read at yet have been that big, I can always see the audience and have never been able to recite from memory, meaning I'm always gripping a notebook or sheet of paper in shaking hands. Over the last few years I have learned to not rush through the poem though, and the way that I manage to dissociate from the crowd a little is to just sink into the page. Stare down at the pattern of words and slip into the images put forth in the work. Not sure how engaging I am with this technique though if I'm honest ;-)
Haha, that was part of the point of sharing this, Rowan (past, of course, unburdening myself of this dark secret) to assure others that... it doesn't get easier :P But, it can be managed!
Yes, slowing down is key, to give words their meaning and emotional impact, also to allow the audience to digest (they don't know your poem as you do).
Sinking into the page is cool, too, but you must try to come up for air :) By that I mean, remember that you are performing your poem, for other people.
While it might be difficult to give eye contact (for many reasons, shyness being one) perhaps, you could try looking up from time to time -between poems, or stanzas, if you can afford it- and scanning the room, offering your listeners a smile. If you're feeling bolder, and it's an intimate setting, maybe get to know one or two members of your audience beforehand and address your reading to them (I tried that in Austin :)
Good to hear from you, brother, and glad my soul-baring confession might be of some use to you.
_/|\_