A few weeks ago I did a reading at a coffee shop that got me thinking about public speaking. Or, more specifically, public reading.

When I got on stage, in front of the mic, everything was fine. I introduced myself, totally off the cuff and not rehearsed. Then I started reading and remembered why I like to sit for stuff like this.

Halfway through my first piece, my right leg got a nervous jiggle, sort of like restless leg syndrome. I didn’t feel nervous, wasn’t stumbling over my words or anything. But the jiggle came, increasing nearly to the point of Yankee dancing.

This typical sign of nervousness is particularly strange because I have a theatre background. I’ve been in stage shows and have performed in front of much larger audiences than at that coffee shop, all with no leg jiggles.

So what’s the deal? I really have no idea. The reading went well. People laughed where they were supposed to, and the applause didn’t sound like merely polite clapping. But as I read through the three short pieces, that leg would not stop.

Eventually, to hide it (which apparently worked, based on what my fellow readers told me), I just put all my weight on that one leg, letting my mass stick it in place. The jiggling didn’t switch legs, but I could tell it was still there. By the time I got done though, my hip was not pleased about that stance.

So how do I fix this moving forward? Is it simple a matter of more practice? Maybe. Hopefully. Because without a conscious feeling of stage fright, I don’t have a good answer. The subconscious on the other hand… the subconscious is weird. It does what it wants.

The difference could stem from the fact that I was reading my own work (ignoring the fact I’ve written things that I’ve later acted out). The difference could also be that I didn’t view it as acting. That seems the most likely to me. Maybe I just need to pretend to be a reader, or the actual narrator of the piece. Act it out.

Regardless, that jiggle needs to go away. Not just for the sake of my hip, or the fact that I’d never Yankee dance (or Yankee anything). How about this: from now on, I’ll just insist on having a nice, padded leather chair. Sit down, cross my legs, and be at peace. Completely reasonable. It worked well enough in my kid’s kindergarten class. 🙂