I have always been very shy and timid in person, and this semester I have to take a speech class. And today, I have to give my first speech, a self introduction. My insides are all over the place, and I start shaking when I think about having to speak in front of all those people.
Help?!
2006-09-13 04:35:03 · 18 answers · asked by Souris 5 in Education & Reference ➔ Higher Education (University +)
Well I got off easy. I didn't get called on to speak. So now I have until Monday to psych myself out...
2006-09-13 16:45:04 · update #1
Keep practicing the speech. Practice in front of a friend, or a mirror, until you feel like you can;t practice anymore.
And realize that your audience is your peers, they are preobably all as nervous as you are. They are not there to judge you.
2006-09-13 04:36:36 · answer #1 · answered by allforasia 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rehearse your speech out loud to yourself, you might feel a bit silly but do it anyway. Do it over and over so you are familiar with what you want to say and then you wont be as worried about the words.
Before you get up to talk just think about silly stuff that doesn't matter, try not to focus on the speech. The worst bit will be walking to the front, take deep breathes and speak slowly and clearly and raise your voice, if you concentrate on this you wont think too much about your worries and people will be able to understand you.
If you are worried about looking at people pick a fixed point on the back wall or choose a friendly face in the audience. Take pauses when you need to and it sounds silly but imagine everyone naked, they wont be so intimidating then!
You will be fine and you'll feel so proud of yourself after you have done it.
Good Luck
2006-09-13 11:44:40 · answer #2 · answered by gecko 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Practicing does not make nervousness go away. What you have is anxiety which is common among people who have to give speeches.
One side affect besides what you have described is dry mouth and having to go to the bathroom. Go to the bathroom at the last possible moment and take a water bottle but don't drink out of it until the moment before your speech as water will only irritate the first problem. Drink out of it when you are done too.
There are calming agents with few side affects on the market, but I don't know if you should go that far. Your parents could get some ideas from a health food store and then run them past your physician.
2006-09-13 12:36:00 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I had the same problem in high school. I would be terrified to talk in front of strangers, but not my friends. So before I was to give a speech in class, I would show up early and talk to the other students and get to know them a little bit. That way I felt like I already knew my "audience" and that they weren't judging me.
I felt like I was just talking to friends rather then giving a speech.
Just try to get to know the people your talking to and it will be easier! Good luck!
2006-09-13 11:49:05 · answer #4 · answered by Sunshine 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Remember that most people suffer from speaking anxiety at one level or another. The best way to prepare is to say you r speech out loud - slowly. There is a tendency when we practise to say it quickly because our brain thinks we are trying to make sure we know the words, however you need to get used to the sound of your own voice in 'speech' mode. Practise saying it to a teddy or doll and pause when you get to a comma or fullstop. You can even say 'comma' or full stop' to yourself to slow you down. If you find you keep saying 'um', try thinking it instead. There's loads of good infornation on the site below - try to look at most pages.
2006-09-16 11:09:07 · answer #5 · answered by batesserea 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They say if you imagine your audience without clothes, then they should be much more nervous than you. Practice helps, because you are more confident with the material. I would suspect you have dolls and stuffed animals. You can place them about the room and practice making eye contact with them as you give your speech. Then when you give you speech, you can pretend they are just a different group of stuffed animals.
2006-09-13 11:39:22 · answer #6 · answered by Mr Cellophane 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Remember that everyone in your speech class is in the same boat as you are, and most (if not all) of them probably feel exactly the same way that you do. Also, take it slow and try to talk to them like you're just having a casual conversation with friends.
2006-09-13 11:39:01 · answer #7 · answered by sarge927 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I find that when speaking in front of a large group, you can ease nerves and still maintain eye contact by training your eyes just ever-so-slightly over the tops of your audience's heads.
To the crowd, it looks like you're looking people in the eye. You, however, aren't distracted and worried by the expressions on people's faces, and you're not as aware of the size of the crowd.
2006-09-13 11:44:26 · answer #8 · answered by David W 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The best way to kick this fear away is to give a speech in front of a large croud, even if you pee your self. I used to be like that, until one day I had to give a speech in front of the whole school, and tha fear went away, I also danced in front of the whole school.
2006-09-13 11:40:22 · answer #9 · answered by enano 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
there are 2 ways to fix this problem:
1- maintain eye contact only with the person u feel comfortable talkin to and then deliver ur speech or;
2-maintain eye contact only with the person who u dont know and who dusnt know u then u wont care too much about other ppl's opinions
ALL THE BEST WITH UR SPEECH!
2006-09-13 11:41:26 · answer #10 · answered by drishti p 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋