Any tips to overcome this fear!?

[silverwex]

Hey all,

Right im seriously considerong going to college in the coming months - but ive one major problem:

I HATE DOING PRESENTATIONS!

Worse than anything else in the world! It just scares me to death! I avoid certain courses just so that i wont have to do them! Has anyone got any advice/techniques to enable me to overcome this fear? Or do you know of any good websites/articles that help you overcome fear of public speaking?

Fear of this>No College>No girls!

Thanks all!

 

[Walden]

Join a toastmasters club , do 5 minutes of standup at the improv...

 

[squirrels]

LOL...take a few shots before going up there!

Seriously...don't even CARE what anyone thinks of your presentation. As soon as you close your eyes, they cease to exist.

Just go up there and have FUN with it. Laugh at yourself.

 

[ProQD]

BE PREPARED! In college I had to do a presentation for almost every class and that's what got me through. I planned out exactly what I was going to say and I rehearsed in front of a mirror in my bathroom. Memorize what you want to say, but write it all down too (include cues such as "show slide 2"). That way if you get nervous and blank out you have a safety net.

 

[laydee1]

I hate them too...

Strategies include :-
Pretending your audience are naked - then when you get up there, you start with a big smile...

Write a script that sounds really cool when you read it and take it with you - that way you can always fall back on it if you get lost.

Focus on one person not everyone, that way it's just like a one-to-one discussion and is no big deal.

Remembering that unless you TOTALLY screw up, like puke in the middle of it, no-one really remembers what you are saying anyway

 

[IDMeansNothing]

i hate to break it to you...

You will always be nervous. I used to be the worst.

Tips...
1) Know your topic inside and out. Know your shyt man.

2) Relax - walk a little, then stop, plant your feet, pause, look them in the eye, then make your point, using gestures as well.

3) Know your shyt.

4) Re: 2 above - if you can, watch tapes of motivational speakers like Tony Robbins. (I don't know who you can turn to in Ireland)

5) Know your shyt

6) Pretend that no one is in the room.

There are a lot of other tips, but the most important one is to know what you are going to say. Props like Powerpoint, an outline you can pass out, etc. are all good. DO NOT READ A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION TO THE AUDIENCE. BORING!!! You can certainly refer to bullet points, but expound on them.

It never hurts to pause and tell the audience that you want to refer back to your notes before moving on to the next topic. Even if you know you have already said all you are going to say in this section, it gives you 5-10 seconds to regroup.

Yeah, you'll be nervous but most people won't even notice, unless you choke, stutter, stammer, or are incohertent.

Good luck!

 

[Francisco d'Anconia]

1. Know your topic. Know it well enough to be able to talk to your family about it without using notes.

2. Find two or three other people in the class that feel the same way as you.

3. Practice giving your presentation to these two or three people.

4. For the presentation, have each of these people sit in different areas of the lecture hall, know exactly where.

5. While giving your presentation, look at each person who you practiced with. It will appear that you are looking at different people in the audience.

 

[seulaxplaya]

whats the problem?

hey man the thing you should ask yourself is what is the problem? what is the problem that you see when you give a presentation? do u think people will not like your physical characteristics? cant keep a straight face? you will forget what to talk about?
i myself use to be scared to get in front of people and give a presentation. if you concerned about people judging you on what you look like either you accept it or change the way you look. i myself wasnt in the best shape until i realized hey i can change it so i did. i couldnt keep a straight face while talking to a group of people so id just smile the whole way through. smiling is always a plus in any situation. one more thing. never ever memorize a speech just get the gist of it and go with it. that way you cant forget it and studder. also look at the plus side. so you dont want to goto college cuz of presentations what a p$ssy decesion. lets see parties girls freedom and all you have to do in order to get all that is goto school and do a few presentations.


--a life lived in fear is a life half lived---

 

[Chewy Bagel]

I have the same problem my man. If it bothers you as much as me - ears ringing, racing heart, tunnel vision, can't think, then ask your doctor for "beta blockers". It slows down your heart rate and chills you out so you can concentrate and deliver. My mom does the same thing.

Good Luck!

 

[HappyHobo]

You have a fear of pressentations?????

THen have i got a tip for you!

The logic is this:
THe more people in the classroom that are present the more fearful you get. You would not be fearful if you had ONE person to give a presentation to...
So the more people in your class the more fearful you will be in a presentation.

The TIP:
What you need to do is eliminate the people.
Lets say you had 30 people in youro class... you eliminate 15 ... and your fear decreases by 50%!
You are now HALF more braver than you were before... which is a significant difference. Studies have proven that reducing yoru fear by 50% is almost havign no fear at all. No1 will even tell your nervous.

So my suggestion to you would be to eliminate the people in your class.. try to kill at least half of yoru classmates before your presenation comes ... To do this you have to get very close to them and strike them when they least expect it... that way there will be no suspicion about what your doing...
And make sure to not leave and evidence... A proper place of dumping the bodies is a swamp that way the bodies will subside and no1 will ever want to go near a swamp so no1 will ever find the bodies...
When the day of your presentation comes u will see less people and become more comfortable presenting.... it will be easy and effortless for you.

A few dead people is a small price to pay when it comes to getting a good presentation grade in college.

 

[Santos]

Originally posted by silverwex
Hey all,

Right im seriously considerong going to college in the coming months - but ive one major problem:

I HATE DOING PRESENTATIONS!

Worse than anything else in the world! It just scares me to death! I avoid certain courses just so that i wont have to do them! Has anyone got any advice/techniques to enable me to overcome this fear? Or do you know of any good websites/articles that help you overcome fear of public speaking?

Fear of this>No College>No girls!

Thanks all!

I don't think you'll EVER meet someone that gets as nervous as I did before I went to college. I never used to speak up in class at school, I was always very quiet. Speeches would involve me me laughed at cos' I shaked so god-damn much .

I don't really do any presentations at college. But I can easily make a comment or ask a question in a lecture room with lots of people. I am 100% relaxed in our smaller tutorial groups and talk all the time. Never dreamed of it in school.

My advice is when you start college, start by asking a question or two in tutorial groups (small classes) and then one day you'll move on to a lecture group (Maybe start with a small lecture). I sometimes ask a question that I already know the answer too for practice. That way you know whether it's a stupid question or not.

At first you feel REALLY nervous, but the more you do it, the less nervous you feel. Eventually you're no longer afraid. Just by taking my advice you're getting comfortable talking allowed in a group of people.

Obviously presentations make everyone nervous, but you can lessen the nerves by doing what I've done. Being well prepared and rehearsing helps a lot. See it as a challenge, beat your fear.

Santos

 

[tomyv]

I had the same problem

I had the same problem in college. I took the advice of a mentor and actually ENROLLED as an elective in a public speaking class. In the class I had to do countless speeches and presentations, but it worked out great, and now in my profession I get up in front of rooms full of people with no problem.


Face your fears, it always ends up with a better result.

 

[BobbDobbs]

Beta-blockers, which were developed to prevent heart attacks, have a suppressing nature on the fight/flight response. This helps break the cycle of panic when confronted by stage fright. If you mute the physical response, then the situation doesn't seem so terrible.

I would try to talk to your doctor about getting some beta blockers like propranolol for stage fright. Take them a bit before the interaction (presentation, meeting girls, etc, whatever it is that sets you off.)

After a few times you will not really need the beta blockers because you will have broken the psychological cycle.

 

[leoncour]

Easy - just get a job in customer service - thats what helped me. I probably talk to at least to 100 people a day and can easily talk to a crowd now.

 

[silverwex]

Propranolol eh? Is it prescription only? What dosage do u recommend before u do the presentation?