i always get SO NERVOUS when i speak in public!!?

Question

...even when the "pulic" are only 20 friends whom i already know well.
i'm really upset about myself for being like this. but i'm determined to change this and i'm confident that i can make it in the end.
i know i need practice. but how? i'm an undergraduate and i have a lot presentations to do in my group, and until know things are OK because i always make my presentations sweet and short---i need to end it before i get panic and start shaking. and i want to point out that if i ever be seen shaking or obviously nervous, i'll feel so ashamed that i don't think i'll ever have the courage to face my class any more!!! i mean it!!!
can anyone give some suggestions? or can you tell me some personal experience, how you cope with it?

and i find deep breathing just doesn't work for me, nor does visualization.

i'm ok when chatting with a bunch of people, things only get difficult when i need to do something serious in front of them, like a presentation, speech, etc.
last time we were playing games and i lost, and i was asked to sing a song. i knew i could sing very well, for sure!!! but somehow i got nervous and my voice trembled. it was such a disaster!!!
a consellor i visited said people get nervous when they don't have confidence. but the thing is, i still get nervous when i'm pretty much familiar with the topic i'm talking about.

and i don't get nervous in interviews with people who are my superiors. i got an interviewe before being admitted into the university, by the man who is now my supervisor. he thinks i'm talented, confident, focused and so on because that's what i was like in the interview. and at that time, it felt like i could be whatever i wanted.
i think i'm afraid because i know i'm going to face my peers' judgement.

Answer 1

C'mon, you're a Dada, you shouldn't have a problem :)

Answer 2

I am an undergraduate speech major and I have given many speeches. When I gave the first series of speeches, I was terrified. I became very self conscious of how I thought I looked in front of my audience. The tide turned for me when my professor gave me the most valuable advice I've ever used. He said to come into class and walk around talking to everyone and establishing a good rapport with those who would be my audience. I did that until I knew all of them by name and looked upon them as if we had known each other our whole lives. We joked and smoked with each other and developed a very informal but effective rapport with each other. All of us went on a first name basis. After that I asked my professor what the second phase was and he said,"When you're up at the podium in front of the entire class, always look at the top of their eyebrows but never directly establish eye contact with any single member of the audience. They cannot tell you are doing this." I did as he instructed and I've had no problems since. Give it a try.

Answer 3

hey, its a normal stuff, you know having that kind of feeling while being sorrounded by a group of people or audience for a fact whom you're going to do a report , ewkk! thats really a heart pumping xperience, but you know, try to do some of these tips, becos i also used to experience that sort of chest bumpings before, but when i learned these things , and tried it out, now every time i need to stand in front of an audience, wether in the office, church or even in small groups gathering, i can freely talk and speak as cleary as i want to be: its not a formula, but simple steps to overcome shyness.
1. be prepared, if i need to report in my class, i extert all efforts to really study the subject/topic that was assigned to me. i researced not only for that subject alone but also to other subjects related to that topic. i alwasy keep a writen note of all the thoughts that run thru my mind as i read on,.....your nervous will be lessen if you are sure of what you were telling, keep records of references, for them to check out
2. i alwsy prepare an ice braker question or a trivia that would pacify the tension im about to get as i started to stand infront and talk, and also a good way to catch their attention and started to create a simply converstaion invironment among us. its not the usual type of teaching- a -class- environment.
3. before i do it, i keep on saying to myself that i am so good in audio reporting and try practising infront of a mirror whatever gestures and actions i have to make.
4 and lastly, dont be afraid to commit mistakes , even infront of your classmates. instead of getting embarrass, laugh along with them and add up your good sense of humor to the mistakes (if ever) you have just done, ok.
and lastly , be confident. not be so serious but alwasy add up good humor to whatever you do.
hope it helps even a bit. charge to my own experience. smile :)

Answer 4

first i silently say to myself "no matter what happens,I love you" before i am in front of the group then towards the group I say the same thing. sometimes i have to repeat this a few times but it works! and make sure you feel and believe that no matter WHAT happens you WILL still love yourself and everyone else and they will love you! if at any time you get nervous just pause and think I LOVE U!

Answer 5

I just psyche my self up before presentations....dont get nervous....just get stubborn about it and say NO!! I WILL NOT GET NERVOUS IN FRONT OF THEM DURING MY PRESENTATION.........you just gotta be firm (about yourself)and in control of yourself and NOT care....

dont be afraid to speak in front of your mates....its obvious that you dont feel very comfortable around them or you wouldnt have this problem.....theyre you friends and you could be how u want around mates....just be yourself and talk and try and dont worry...

also you could practice in your bedroom or with your career counsellers in your college if you have any....mine are very helpful when I need help with interviews, presentation etc.....good luck and you will overcome this one day so dont worry too much...

Answer 6

Here is an interesting question: Why don't most Teachers feel nervous when they are teaching & making presentations??? You should study Good teachers in action, and analyze why they are good at teaching/speaking.

Maybe it's because:
1) Good teachers know what they are teaching, and really believe that it's valuable or helpful for students, and their main attitude & mentality is = trying to HELP & Share, not really "teach", and most don't "talk down" to their students. Having the Helping attitude should "help" you feel less nervous.
2) They present what they're teaching in an interesting way which actively engages the students,
3) They've already taught for a long time (since I heard that many teachers are also nervous when they first start teaching)

I've been teaching part-time for 6 years. To me, the most important things in teaching a class =
1) Valuable Knowledge/Information: You must have this, otherwise there's no point in teaching/speaking. If you don't have this, then you need to do more research. Ask: "What is it that the students probably don't know, that might be interesting & useful for to them to know?"
2) Preparation: Prepare & organize the Knowledge in a way that is interesting to the students, but also in a step-by-step way that they can understand. Ask: "How can I share what I know, in the easiest, simplest, most engaging way? If I need to learn this, how would I want a teacher to teach this?" It's not about you being nervous, but about you being prepared with Valuable Information & knowing how to organize & present it simply, understandably, & powerfully. Think of it as Gold - if you feel your Information is like Gold, and you know how to present in a way that other people can see it as Gold, then you won't feel as nervous when you share it. Share Gold with passion & enthusiasm!

Some tips I use:
1) Look students directly in the Eye, and looking at different students - why? Because that's the only way you can know if they are bored (you're doing something wrong) or interested (doing something right). If they're bored, then you know that either your Knowledge is not useful/interesting, or that you are Sharing it in a boring way. So change the Knowledge, or change the Presentation of it. It's hard to do that on the spot, so learn from your mistakes for your future presentations. In the meantime, just skip on.

2) Usually a presentation is 1-way:
Teacher/Speaker -> Student/Audience. A traditional speech.

This is usually a very boring, tiring way to teach/speak. You can always "feel the boredom in the atmosphere" when this kind of presentation goes on for too long. (This is why it's VERY important to look at your audience and try to feel what they are feeling, and NOT just focus on how YOU are feeling (nervous)!!)

The better presentation method is almost always 2-way:
Teacher/Speaker -> <- Student/Audience. Like a conversation.

The best way to do this is by Asking Questions to the students/audience, or making them do something (mostly for teaching, not presenting). Think of engaging Questions to ask when you're preparing your presentation. Put the Questions inside, to lead them through the information you want to share.

For example: If you are doing a presentation of Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computer (Macs, I-pods). You can ask: "Does anybody know what university he graduated from? Can anybody guess?" (A good question that tests people's assumptions of success + education.) Even if they don't want to guess, they will look like they don't know. Wait a couple seconds. And then you drop the "bomb" answer: "He didn't graduate from any university. He went to Reed College for 6 months, but then he dropped out because he felt guilty about spending his parents' money." And then, you go into the "presentation" of his background story: where he grew up, family background, etc.

Then later on, you ask another question: "After he founded Apple Computer, a few years later business started getting worse, because PCs were more popular. Do you know what Apple Computer did to try and solve this problem?" (This is a good question for a business class, because it tests their own ability to consider possible business choices.) Again, look around for answers. If they don't want to guess, you can look students directly in the eye, and put out your hand, and wait for a guess... get 2 or 3 guesses... and then answer: "Apple Computer fired Steve Jobs." And then you go into story presentation again.

Questions make people think, and they also give You time to Rest and be Quiet. If you're nervous, when you ask a Question, you can become less nervous, because you're giving the audience a little pressure, and putting them "on the spot" and, and making THEM a little nervous! Which makes your nervousness feel less. You don't want to feel stupid - but guess what, the audience doesn't want to feel stupid, either!

Asking questions also gives you a time and chance to see your audience's boredom/interest level + Knowledge level. It's also a good way to Slow Down a presentation (if you are nervous, you will tend to move fast through the presentation, which usually isn't good). So, I love questions!!! (Which is one reason why I like looking at questions here on Y!Answers. Actually, I think questions are some of the most important things in life.) But remember, they have to be Good questions that 1) Make people think, 2) Lead into your presentation material.

One last thing about questions: If you're doing a casual group presentation, then you can always ask between your presentation "blocks", "Before I move on, does anybody have any questions about X? Feel free to ask." It's a good way to make sure your fellow students are satisfied, get feedback, and also fill in material that you left out that was less important. DON'T just ask for questions at the very end (unless it's a formal speech presentation).

Well, that's my presentation! I'm sure it was too long, but I hope some of it was helpful for you. In the simplest terms: Help. Prepare by Research & Organizing Information/Knowledge. Focus on audience feeling, not your feelings. Use your instincts. Ask questions.

I'm sure after awhile, you'll do OK! If you have the determination & confidence to not give up, learn from your mistakes, and to always try to get better, AND to ask questions when you want help (like you did here), I'm sure you'll eventually find the Answers that you want!!! And thanks for asking the question - It made me think and analyze how I personally teach.

All the best to you --- !!!

Answer 7

Me to i'm quite nervous when i'm presenting public speaches in public,i feel so strange and feel like running away from every thing that is around me.

Answer 8

Focus on a spot above their heads. Or imagine that your audience is naked.