|
How can I not be so nervous when I have to present in front of my class?
Every time I have to present something in class I get nervous standing in front of everyone. My knees shake and my voice starts trembling and changing. I had to present yesterday and my knees were shaking in front of everyone and my voice was shaking. It was embarrassing. I know most of my classmates, I don't know why I get nervous. I can't just pretend Im presenting to one person either. Sometimes I get so nervous people Laugh at me. I have to present something again on next tuesday, so how can I stop my knees and my voice from shaking?
[ ]
Want to answer more questions in the Relationships category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Work/School Relationships?
I have done a lot of public speaking over the years and there's one technique I know that works for nervous folks like you. It doesn't involve picturing people doing goofy things either but if that helps...
Before you present give yourself a mental pep-talk. Pretend that you are a world leader or a very important person with an urgent message to deliver of which people depend on. Keep telling yourself that and that your classmates are the general public who must hear your presentation.
Next pick 1 person it should be your best friend, teacher or someone who supports you. Stick them in the front row center and talk directly to them and look a few times left, right and nod to show them you know they're there and focus back on the friend and ride it out.
If a friend isn't handy try the same thing by picking 3 different spots on a wall to talk to always focusing on the center and briefly look to audience's right and left and back at center. That's what Barack Obama does except that dead center is his script on a teleprompter so he has more of a cheat than you.
As far as knees shaking goes there's two ways around that. Ask your teacher if you can place a desk in front of you because you need access to your notes so you don't miss points you want to make. Nobody can see your knees behind a desk.
The second is harder but it's to focus on delivering the message and nothing else in your mind. If you can practice that the knees and nerves will fade gradually. I know you can do it.
Think about it this way: Even Barack Obama gets nervous behind the podium especially at huge moments when the world watches. Nobody knows what his knees are doing behind a desk as he's all business with his message. Be on message and forget all else when up there. Let me know how you do.
]
PICTURE ALL OF THE PEOPLE IN THE ROOM WEARING CLOWN SUITS. thats how I do it. just look at them all.. they look ridiculous. self confidence can be had at the expense of others.
-Gunner
]
You are normal, the last thing any of us want to do is fail in front of our friends and peers. There is an old axiom in public speaking that says to pretend everyone you are speaking to is naked. Frankly I never found that to helpful as a male there were obvious reasons for that.
There is another public speaking trick that usually does work. That is to find a friendly face. A girlfriend or boyfriend in that class and speak directly to them. You can also look directly at the teacher. If the teacher moves around the room follow the teacher as he/she moves.
Instead of standing there looking out at the entire class. Focus on the one person you know and trust. Lock your eyes on theirs. Having been in Sale & Marketing for over thirty years I found this to work. Even in a room full of strangers I have been able to find a kindly set of eyes to focus on during my presentations.
I have had a wonderful career, generally ranking at the top of sales force list. When making a presentation you are in fact going into, in most cases, a strange place and setting up a stage to put on a one person play with you as the star. In these circumstances it is only right that a person will be nervous. You need to find little crutches to help you through the nervousness. The one I described above has worked for me and many other public speakers. Give it a try, I'm sure there is someone in class you are friends with that you can stand in front of the class and look at and speak too while giving your presentation.
Good luck on Tuesday or as they say in the Theater; break a leg.
]
This is common is young people, even older people.
I suggest you talk drama classes to boost you confidence.
What I do when i present something is try to make it as funny as
posible, so if I get scared and people laugh at me they think
it is part of my presentation.
Try to image when you get up there that you are in a box, or
in front of the mirror and no one can see you except yourself.
Say what you practiced, and don't look at people in the audience
look in-between them.
When I was young I wanted to be an actress, so I took drama
classes, I wanted to be a comedian, so I made every presentation
that I had funny.
If you are not the funny type you could try drama classes and see
how it suits you. Believe it or not, you are going to have to be
able o act no matter what career you choose. If people laugh at
you, just egnor them. It takes a while to get used to performing
in front of people.
]
I had this same issue when I was in school, so bad in fact I'd make myself sick the night before. A lot of the time if you speak to your teacher privately and explain your situation they will let you present it to just them. If that is not a possibility, what helped me a lot was presenting it to a group of my friends before I went into class, that way I could correct any mistakes I made. It also calmed me down a lot cause you can have a good laugh with your friends. Hope this helps, good luck!
]
More Questions: |