...is the fear of public speaking.

Anybody have any good ideas about how to get over it in less than three hours?

I have to give a 20 minute presentation to the class today and I'm petrified of public speaking! I shake like a leaf, have difficulty breathing, and turn fire engine red. Not to mention that I stutter and stammer over my words sounding like a giant moron. I know my material, I just can't deliver it effectively.

The imagining people in their underwear thing doesn't work. Tried it. Been way too long since I saw almost naked men. It doesn't calm me.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

difficult to overcome in 20 mins... but some quick tips...

1. accept that you will be nervous - feel the emotion of being nervous... embrace your nervous if you can... and try to breathe...

2. when you get up in front of everyone, pick 1 or 2 people in the audience that are "friendly" to you - speak only to them, look only at them...

3. Breathe...

4. realize, noone can see how nervous you are -- only you feel the nervous... you may think you are babbling, but to the audience it's not so bad as your self-perception

5. Breathe...

6. realize, it will be all over and done with in a few minutes :)...

7. Oh, don't forget to Breathe!!

good luck!

$.02

I knew a guy once whose job was to go to different companies and give motivational talks to groups of employees.

He told me he had started out with a fear of public speaking, but had learned to get it under control by focusing on one person in any given audience. In his mind, he was just talking to that one person, although he admitted he would occasionally have to look around a little bit just to keep up appearances.

After awhile, he was able to broaden the focus to include two or three or more people. As he got more comfortable with his subject matter, and more comfortable speaking to people in general, he became less self-conscious about doing it.

I asked him once if anyone ever said anything about his looking only at one person. He said nobody ever noticed it, as far as he knew; said that the audience couldn't really tell exactly who he was looking at. He must have been far enough away that it seemed he was just looking in a general direction.

I personally wouldn't do the "underwear imagery" thing. Disconcerting? Yeah.

But public speaking is really no big deal, if you can get to the point where you just don't care what your audience thinks! Remember, the instructor is the only one you have to impress!

The best thing to do is take a deep breathe

and realize

you gotta do it!!! Once ya come to terms with it you'll be ok

it's easier than ya think....really

I love it!!!! The attention ..... I LOVE all eyes on me!!! Haha

hey ya know what????

Think of me soaking up the spotlight!!!

Shizz kickin grin on my face...

Shouting......

"you love me!!! You love meeeeee!!!!!!!

..Well you could always do what i do..ya see i don't envision everyone with their clothes off,but before i give a speech i remove my clothes..now one of two things will happen..either everyone will drool over your hot bod..and not really care what you have to say..or like in my case they will run to the bathrooms in order to puke..

..except for the ninety something year old women who will drool over my hot bod..but they can't hear so well so it doesn't matter that i babble like an idiot..either way it works for me...

I am no help, I enjoy public speaking.

I am still nervous, heart races a bit, a little sweaty.
I like the rush.

Thanks guys. You both have great points. I try to breathe, try being the key word. I get short winded fast and you can definitely hear it in my voice while I'm speaking.

The room is set up in a horseshoe shape with me at one end and the screen with my Power Point slides front and center, so I'm lucky in that I'm in the corner. Should make it a wee bit easier as far as them not being able to see me shaking.

Thought about just being myself but I'd get in trouble.

I'm a wisearse. The presentation is about social anxiety. I suffer from it, so I could use this to my advantage. But not sure if I dare to be a little different, although I'm a 40 yr old in front of a room full of 20 yr olds; guess that ship's done sailed.

All the "kids" have just done their blah, blah, blah, boring spiels. Thought I might spice things up a bit but not sure how that would go over with the prof.

I don't know. I'll muddle through it one way or another. Either that or if I'm totally freaking when I get there, I just won't do it. I'll take the zero, save myself the embarrassment, and slink back to the cave. Live to fight another day. (It's only worth 10% of my final grade, which as it stands now is an A+ so...viable option? I'd say so!!! )

But I'd rather just get friggen over it!!

Gotta go practice. Thanks for your input. Much appreciated.

You're my hero!

I am soooo using you today!

BAD idea! There'd be a stampede for the door, and they'd all trample the professor at the back of room by the lone exit door. They're used to seeing hot, naked co-eds! My word son, whatdya trying to kill someone?

xanax.

In all walks and moments of my life my M.O. is that it ...

Life is a party and I am the Hostess!

Really helps me stay loose, comfortable, happy, in the moment, free and able to make every single person I meet more comfortable in their present moment ...

Even w/ waiters/waitresses ... I more host them ... makes for INCREDIBLE service given everywhere.

All of life is a HUGE party and we've ALL been invited ...

... Keep a smile on the dial and breathe ... Enjoy!

Party on ...

picture everyone naked lol

So misswright....

Stand up before this group of millions

let us all fixate on you for awhile...



Tell us


How did it go??


Good I hope!

Funny you should ask...this is from my profile for yesterday.



I was on my way to class today to give a presentation on social anxiety disorder, ironically. Being a card carrying member of the club, I was anticipating this event about as much as eating glass. And I don't mean just chewing on a bottle. I mean crunch that baby up, swallow it down, and poop it out. A glass bottle that holds 97 gallons of rootbeer, in fact. If it'd been an option, I'd probably be a bloody wreck right now.

But it wasn't, so I'd made up my mind that I was going to do this or die trying, because dammit, I can do anything I put my mind to. Or so I'd like to think.

Of course, I'm not always right and such was the case here. I didn't chicken out. Fate intervened instead.

I was patiently sitting at the Burger King window, because truth be told, I think strawberry milkshakes can cure everything from the common cold to Ebola. I figured one might work for glossophobia, which is the technical term for fear of public speaking, although it sounds more like fear of getting your nails painted, which I coincidentally also possess accounting for my lack of shiny fingertips.

But I digress, where was I?

Let's see...ah yes, waiting for my bigger butt in a cup at the King's drive thru. I had just accepted my flavorful concoction and pulled my arm in the truck window when I was suddenly jarred forward with a tremendous lurch, effectively squishing said cup between the steering wheel and my propelled body.

Covered in strawberry shake and stunned momentarily, I looked in the rearview to see another Ford truck literally on my bumper. The man driving was both horrified and panicking, so he threw it in reverse and then was trying to go around me. I, of course, jump out yelling "What the bleep?", waving my slimy arms, pink droplets of milkshake flying everywhere.

He says he's just moving to get out of the line. Considerate dumbarse apparently, didn't want to delay anybody else today, other than me that is.

So we do the exchange info thing, except he doesn't ask me for anything. Just keeps saying how sorry he is, that his foot slipped and hit the gas. His kid is in the truck screaming "DO IT AGAIN DADDY!DO IT AGAIN!" (probably about four or five years old and obviously a boy!).

The dude tells me he's a vet, 5 tours, he'll pay for the damage, he's sorry. I felt bad for the guy. I think he probably thought he was in neutral, let his foot off the clutch, and viola, suddenly he's eating my bumper. I suspect the guy might be suffering from PTSD but who am I to say? I'm just a psycho psyche student on her way to give a presentation in psyche class.

While I initially was beyond irritated, I had to laugh after a minute. I reassured the guy for the next twenty minutes until he could calm down enough to drive little Bobby home, and proceeded to campus, although I was more than a half hour late by the time I cleaned myself up.

I didn't go in (see the first paragraph if you really don't know why). I waited outside and snagged the professor, explaining my unbelievable tale. At least I had the strawberry covered interior and the big old dent in the bumper as evidence. I can't blame her though. It does sound like a far fetched story. Only in my world.

She agreed to let me go Thursday instead. Great! We get to do this all over again. I can tell you I won't be stopping for a milkshake!

Sometimes I wonder if fate is looking down lauging at me. I'm glad I can amuse somebody. And hey, there's always this...

I got a guy's phone number!!! Maybe it's an omen. Fate intervening. Hell, maybe he's "THE ONE". Now wouldn't that be a kicker, a real cause for celebration. We'd have strawberry shake toasts at the wedding.

Wait a minute... Wedding? I must have hit my head in the accident. Maybe I have an aneurism. Oh well. If so, I'll be dead by Thursday and at least I won't have to do this damn presentation.

Life...it's just a matter of perspective.

That's to much!!

But ya know

if you speak in public even half as well as you write

( that was great)

I can't imagine you having a problem!!!

That was the best milkshake story I've read in ages.

Good luck with your speech. I'm sure you'll do great.

Unfortunately I don't speak anywhere near as well as I write. In fact, the term polar opposites comes to mind. As great as I write (thank you by the way) is akin to how horrible I speak in public. I've written a great presentation, it's the enunciating it aloud part in front of a room full of staring people that kills me! I don't like the spotlight.

I think it's a problem with my retinas or something.

TY

I'm sure I won't be wearing a milkshake when I give it, but that whole doing great thing...

I'll get through it one way or another. I'm stubborn like that.

Practice and preparation.

And like they said, don't forget to breath.

hrmm..it almost sounds like the perfect man trap..

find a guy you like,then stage an accident..yeah...
good thinking MS

that could be a classic first date too,both of you wearing your neck braces n all