Please...Don't picture the audience in their underwear. 

I’m not sure where that advice initially came from, but I guarantee you there are more effective (and less creepy) ways to calm your public speaking nerves.

How do I know? I’m an actor.  

Hi, I’m Sara Glancy, founder of Speak Masterfully. I received a BFA from NYU Tisch School for the Arts in Making a Fool of Myself in Public. (Okay, it was in Drama, but those are basically the same thing.)

And here’s something that might surprise you:

Even after 5 years touring and performing Off-Broadway, I STILL get nervous before stepping onstage.

Yep. Like clockwork, the curtain rises, the heart-rate quickens, and the butterflies flap.

In fact, most actors get pre-show jitters. You learn to get comfy with those nerves and let it fuel rather than derail your performance.

But here’s something that surprised ME:

The first time I stepped onstage as an...