Presentation/Public Speaking

[biee]

Hi guys,

Any tips on presenting material in front of a class? I get so nervous when presenting and I need to overcome this anxiety/fear.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

[AndrewShev]

Only the smallest percentage of people actually feel comfortable on public. The only thing i do sometimes is whenever i "talk" to the class i concentrate at one point, for example the light switch or an empty chair and "present" to it. The problem for me is eye contact.

[gmag]

don't bring full notes with you. just bring some hints/words to remind you of key points you want to make/touch on. this will avoid reading in front of the peeps. works for me. if have too much written down, it gets easier to lose your spot/flow.

[biee]

Only the smallest percentage of people actually feel comfortable on public. The only thing i do sometimes is whenever i "talk" to the class i concentrate at one point, for example the light switch or an empty chair and "present" to it. The problem for me is eye contact.

Thanks. You concentrate at one point, does that mean you stare/look at the light switch/empty chair while responding to others?

don't bring full notes with you. just bring some hints/words to remind you of key points you want to make/touch on. this will avoid reading in front of the peeps. works for me. if have too much written down, it gets easier to lose your spot/flow.

Thanks. For me, sometimes I blank out and forget what to say for that point and when I make it up on the spot, I stutter a lot.

[nuberific]

Know the material like the back of your hand. When you drop the script and stop worrying about what you're going to say next, your talk should flow like a casual conversation.

[AndrewShev]

hah no when someone asks me a question, i look at them. But when i present, if i concentrate on one point, then it's easier for me not to lose the idea.

[tr!xxy]

If you're serious about overcoming it and have tried other strategies, look into Toastmasters

[millow]

The majority of your classmates won't even be listening, you're mostly just presenting to the teacher and a small handful of people who are listening. Make sure you practice and know you're material really well, I only get nervous when it's obvious I'm making up a bunch of ********. Practice in front of a mirror.

[xlc_88]

Don't say "um" a lot. I hate when students (and professors) say umm a lot during their presentations. It shows that you are really unprepared.

Take a deep breath and PAUSE. Collect your thoughts and start talking again.

My biggest advice is to keep practicing until you are comfortable with the material.


I also recommend going to your University's academic help centre as I'm sure they have seminars on how to help improve your presentation skills. I go to them and they are really useful!

[strawberry8]

The majority of your classmates won't even be listening, you're mostly just presenting to the teacher and a small handful of people who are listening. Make sure you practice and know you're material really well, I only get nervous when it's obvious I'm making up a bunch of ********. Practice in front of a mirror.

When trying to make eye contact, don't actually make eye contact, just look above everyone's heads! This way it looks like you're making eye contact without really doing so and it'll help you look like a better presenter! If you have a friend in the class, try making eye contact with them.

And as always, practicing your presentation is a great way to help ease the nervousness, as you'll be more comfortable with what you're going to say, reducing the potential for messing up which can make you even more nervous!

[msb45]

1) As someone suggested, know your material cold. You should have an idea of what you want to say, and notes to guide you along, but don't memorize a script; if you are reading a script or going from a memorized text, you can freeze up and not be able to continue, however, if you are talking about a subject that you know and understand, then you can't forget what line comes next.

2) DO NOT stare at a fixed point, you will come off as being very stiff. I would reccommend that you just look around the audience while talking; your goal is not to make eye contact with individuals in a large room, but rather to make people feel like you are talking to them (ie look at people on the left, the middle, the right, not necessarily at an individual).

3) You get comfortable with public speaking by exposure to it, and practice. If you want to become more comfortable, I would suggest joining the debating team at your university. The skills you develop from this will serve you very well in life, and you will become very comfortable giving speeches.

[CouponWarriorTURBO]

There is really no "magic bullet" trick that can help you overcome the fear of public speaking. The only thing which really does the trick in my opinion is practice. Do as many presentations as you can and your first few will surely be very stressful but eventually you will get over it.

Anyway, just tell yourself that in school presentations nobody is paying attention anyway and either daydreaming/playing on Facebook/waiting to go so it doesn't really matter. I used to have a professor who would doze off during student presentations (complete with audible snoring).

[nyik]

I found that early on, I was nervous only because I kept on focusing on the fact that the audience would criticize/make fun of any aspect of the presentation.

I also noticed that I didn't get nervous at all when speaking to my friends (large/small group) because that fear of them criticizing/making fun of what I'm saying is gone, simply because I'm comfortable speaking to my friends and I know that I don't have to worry about that.

So I just started treating the audience like my friends. And usually, when you're in class, you know everyone. So when I presented, I thought about presenting to my friends, and that made things so much easier. You automatically slow down, not rushing things through, don't say "ums". All those things that you tend to get hung up on goes out the window.

This also can be applied in a work environment.

[iEyeCaptain]

When I was in first year, I'd be so freaked out and would stutter, stare, fidget etc.

But after a buttload of presentations, I felt comfortable in 5th year.

Speak in a loud, clear and confident voice. So that when you pause to think about what you're going to say next, the audience just thinks you're pausing for effect.

Like others have said, never memorize what you're going to say because if you mess up a little, you'll panic. Just remember the gist of what you're going to say and the major points.

It always feels worse in the hour leading up to the presentation, but once its your turn, just ignore everything else and go up there.

[heimdal]

Yep, I need to work on this. Messed up on my management policy presentation, I tend to talk fast and become tongue tied. :/