The context for which I am distracted is dependent on my role as a speaker or a member of the audience. Should I find myself in the audience, external noise distracts me more. However, while I am speaking, it is much easier to tune the external noise out, but I am unfortunately inclined to be distracted by my internal noise in these situations.
As an audience member, I am most distracted by over fixating on the swaying or movement of the speaker, the light that keeps flickering because the bulb is old and dying, or the sound of the air conditioner turning on. A strategy that I can, and should, use to block out this external noise is to recognize when I am being distracted and tell myself to focus.
As a speaker, it is much harder for me to block out the internal noise as it is typically my own thoughts and feelings. I blame it on my father and mother, as they are both inclined to avoid public speaking, and I believe that it is hereditary. As my father experiences, when I am asked to speak or perform to an audience, I tend to feel "sick" or uneasy. Following this comes a flood of internal voices that are ringing in my head and distract me from what I am saying. To overcome this, I have tried to focus my thoughts on my preparedness. I find that centering my thoughts on the fact that I do know what I am doing eases my anxiety and allows for me to speak more confidently.