i'm awfully nervous when speaking in public!!?

Question

tell me, from ur own experience, is it true that when students are doing presentation one by one, on the same topic, the earlier i go the less nervous i'll be?
i find myself secretly freaking out when i'm sitting there waiting my turn, and i just can't stand it!!!!! does the waiting makes things worse?

Answer 1

Public speaking is simple, and really nothing to worry about .When it's mentioned in classes and schools - it's a way of getting worried easily because you know you're getting assessed on it. Public speaking is not all that bad - it's about going up there, and leaving an impression on the audience with your words. When you talk, try not to be self - conscious, but rather concentrate on the people you are speaking to. If it makes you nervous to look at the faces directly, then just glance at them long enough it won't look like it's rushed and it won't make you uncomfortable. A better idea, is to have a few faces around the room to look at. If you have friends in this class, you can ask them to sit in certain places so you can glance around at your audience - making yourself look like you're confident.

Another thing, is to stand up straight, and not pace around TOO much or move too much. There's nothing more odd than watching a speaker who looks like he's busting to go to the toilet or something or performing some sort of dance. Trust me, it's obvious when people get nervous up there. Stand in one spot (move around a little if you must), and don't fold you arms in front of you or keep your hands in your pocket. That’s a defensive posture. A good idea, is to always keep your hands behind your back or maybe on your sides (if you're going to talk, using cue cards). I always use gestures because it seems to distract the audience a bit, and make me act more natural.

When you're doing a speech, always remember that you're trying to persuade the audience into what you're talking about. Remember, you want THEM to believe YOU. So, talk about something interesting that'll make them care or listen. Or better yet, write your speech in such a way, it'll MAKE them care! Use words like 'YOU', which are strong words - making it appear you are talking to EACH and EVERY person in the audience. Better yet, combine these words with powerful (yet simple) gestures like pointing at people. If you're not going to use gestures, it's always important to keep your voice loud enough for people to hear. You want people to hear you, because what you're going to say to them is going to be 'important'.

And finally, tell yourself - "The sooner I get this over and done with, the better". Don't rush yourself into it (breath calmly and slowly) , just remember you're up there to make a good impression about what you're talking about. Stay relaxed, and you'll be fine! =) Good luck!

Answer 2

Most people get at least a bit nervous before speaking in public. I know people who have worked for 20+ years in a job that requires a lot of public speaking, and they still get nervous before they have to get up and talk. And it's more than likely that just about everyone else giving a presentation with you is just as nervous as you.

But yes, if you are under that much stress waiting your turn, the longer you wait to give your presentation the more the stress levels inside you will build up. When I was in school, I always tried to give my presentations 2nd or 3rd - that way I wasn't first and could see how a couple other people did it, but I also got it out of the way as soon as possible. You'll be a lot less nervous if you go first or near first - just plung in and do it!

Answer 3

Im not sure if you going first will help much, but I guess its better to go first then wait ur turn. Reason being, when u wait & u see everyone else's presentation, u start to get really nervous & freak out.

Then u ask urself if urs is good enough... Its like u start to loose confidence in urself.

But I hope u know, as long as u do ur best, everyone will know u did. No matter what the result, u should be proud of urself. Cause if u were to do it all over, u know u cant do any better than now :) Thats the satisfaction u should get. Make sure ur best, is really ur best :)

Take care!

Answer 4

Sometimes waiting for too long makes you more nervous, while being second can give you an opportunity to breathe, gain confidence while watching the other one present. The other thing is that, everyone is still nervous and they aren't really paying much attention until they had spoken. I'd say second is best. Read this article about how to deal with fear of speaking in public:
http://www.public-speaking-solutions.com/fear-of-public-speaking.html

Answer 5

You should try to work it out yourself by preparing your topic thoroughly and practise with a few of your friends/close class mates. You can ask them to make honest positive and negative comments on how you perform.
As they say 'practice makes man perfect' so just keep practising until you're damn confident about yourself. Eventually you'll overcome this fear.
When you're really confident about yourself, it doesn't matter anymore whether you're the first or the last to make any speech.
In case you're still unable to overcome this fear, you could opt for hypnotism.

Answer 6

a good idea whould be hynotism

Answer 7

Early is best
Anticipation is a killer !!!