Prince William recently spoke about stage fright and his special remedy. William removes his contact lenses, making the audience a blur, which lowers his anxiety because he can’t read facial expressions. But reading your audience is precisely what a speaker wants to do.

We feel the same about other antiquated treatments for mitigating stage fright, including beta blockers, alcoholic drinks, or g-d forbid, imagining your audience naked. All these notions interfere with the neural responses required to present well.

Instead, consider an audience your fan club. They have shown up to support you and welcome the material you’re delivering. Stage actors do this to bolster their confidence and energy. When you are charged with that positive energy, you have much better odds of winning over an audience and achieving your goals. Embracing your fan club is the silver bullet to conquering stage fright.