What is stage fright?
IN THIS LESSON
What is the arousal curve?
The Arousal curve is a graphical representation of the Yerkes-Dodson Law.
Ideally we should all be in the middle section of the curve - the area coloured green and labelled Optimal arousal. But stage fright can be overwhelming and force us to the right, into the third section, coloured red and labelled Strong stress.
If we are under Strong stress, our performance will suffer. Similarly, if we feel no stress at all, and are therefore in the first, yellow section (Fatigue, sleepiness) we will also give a lacklustre performance, leaving our audience thinking we don’t care about the topic at hand.
A little bit of stress is good for us - it gives us energy and adrenalin. Too much or too little is the opposite.
