Hey, I had the same problem with public speaking throughout middle and high school, I even had to go to therapy. Anyways, here are some tips that my therapist taught me that really help:

1.Breath really slow deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth (this always relaxes my body, its amazing)

2.Picture yourself doing the whole presentation with confidence and ease. A lot of times we feel anxious because we think about what could go wrong, so we can feel better by reversing those thoughts.

3.Practce in front of the mirror (and even in front of your family) several times. The more you repeat it, the more it will become second nature and you'll feel more comfortable since you know it so well.

4. I your hands shake really bad (as did mine) and you have to hold a piece of paper you could put it on a clipboard or binder or something sturdy so that your shaking won't be as obvious. It always helped me feel better to know that even if I was shaking, no one would be able to tell.

5. I don't know if you will lose points for this but if you can, don't look directly at the audience. Look just over the heads at a wall or something so that it still looks like your looking at them. Sometimes looking at the audience directly can be intimidating.

Hopefully this will help, good luck!

Remember to pratice, pratice, pratice!

Jenny

thank you. =]

Hi, I'm Jenny and I am here to give you the advice you need! I am a psychology major in college and I hope to become a therapist or psychologist after I finish school. I am very friendly and opened-minded so don't be afraid to ask me! If you would feel more comfortable, you can send me your question in an email. My email is advice@askjen.org. I am also starting my own online advice website, check it out at www.askjen.org (I just started working on it so there's not much there yet).

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