Hi OnlyNic, I have every sympathy, I find public speaking fills me with anxiety!
When I was at university (I also studied english lit) even giving a presentation to a small seminar group I would be a jibbering wreck! I find I am far more at ease with written expression than verbal.
The others have offered some great advice I can only add that I finally began to learn in life that our fears are our gifts. They are doorways through which we can walk to find our own depths and inner strengths and to keep growing. I realized that my fear of public speaking was related to feelings of inadequacy and self consciousness, once I explored and accepted this, and accepted myself, things improved. Maybe you could explore a little what it is for you that creates the nerves, and once you find it,try to be lovingly accepting of it.... to be 'awesomely ok' with your nerves, or whatever you are feeling at anytime.
Once I had explored the reasons and went inside myself it gave me that element of inner strength. What's the worst that can happen? Even if all my clothes fell off or bats started flying out of my mouth, so what? It's just me....and I'm awesomely ok. And so are you!
Also, I think sometimes the whole giving a presentation thing can feel quite artificial, I used to find if I could laugh at my nerves or at anything, or even make some funny comment about my nerves it would break the ice and help myself and others relax. There is kind of an honesty in that too, i'm not sure about anyone else but pretense makes me feel nervous, so if you are standing in front of a class pretending to be all ok when you don't feel it, it can add an extra layer of pressure. Telling people in a self jokey way that I was feeling nervous really helped... A relief to admit being human and to be myself!
It really does sound as if you did splendidly though onlyNic!
Oh a final thought, have you ever tried relaxation techniques and meditation? Breathing techniques are very powerful in calming.,
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Holy plasma balls ~ Blake the Master Sorcerer ~ Magic in his hands
In fact, I prepared a lot before giving the presentation, such as speaking in front of the mirror, you know...... but I was still nervous. Perhaps I should practice more, after all, "Practice makes perfect", isn't it?
I can only agree with Warped Woman. I know how hard it is to speak in front of people; to make myself get over it and get better at public speaking, I forced myself into speech classes and competitions. I ended up placing third in a city-wide speech contest, so the one thing I can say is the more you do it, the easier it gets. It may never come second nature but I think the key is to be comfortable with what you're talking about. Preparation really is key, like Warped Woman said, but from what I can tell seems you did just fine my friend!
I wish you only the best in future presentations!
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|*|It's like the darkness is the light...I'm in Disturbia...|*|
Excellent job Only Nic! Thanks for sharing how your presentation went with us.
All I can advise....since you asked.....is that the more prepared you are, the more you know your subject....the more relaxed you will be while giving your presentation. To me, that's the key to a good speaker. Someone who is comfortable, friendly, natural and knows their subject holds an audience's attention. They then walk away mulling over the presentation and it will stick with them forever!
Good luck dearie!
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"Logical consequences are the scarecrows of fools and the beacons of wise men." ~~~Thomas Henry Huxley~~~
I gave an presentation in the oral training class today. The topic was "My Hometown", and I learned a lot from the other classmates all around Taiwan. When it was my turn, I had butterflies in my stomach; I thought I missed something to introduce because I was too nervous, and I was a little frustrated.
Luckily, when I went back to the seat and asked others how I had performed, they said it was satisfying, and one of them even told me I did it very sincerely (maybe because I invited them to visit my hometown at the end of the presentation). These words encouraged me a lot, and I'm sure I can do better next time!!
OK, now ladies (or gentlemen)...... what do you think? Any suggestions for me?? Thanks for taking time finishing this post!! :)
