How can I give presentations without being nervous?

Question

Im in college for interior design and I always have to give presentations. However, depending on the class and social atmosphere in the room, I can get really nervous during them. Anyway, I have to do one Monday in a class that I really dont like which is going to make me nervous during my presentation. Any tips on getting through it smoothly?

thanks in advance :)

Answer 1

My recommendation is;

Forget about audience... Fully concentrate about you topic!, that helps me back when I started doing presentations, with the time, you´ll get use to... And you will come out naturally...

Answer 2

Here are the steps I use to get ready for presentations and performances:

1. Practice. The better you know your material the easier the presentation will go.

2. Be casual. Think of everyone as your friend and just flow with your presentation.

3. Be confident. Take a deep breath and believe you can do it.

4. Laugh. Make jokes or if you make a mistake, laugh and move on with your presentation.

5. Use tips from successful performances. I personally use things such as tips I learned from watching Cirque Du Soleil (which you can find as my source)

Answer 3

Some people say to imagine everyone in their underwear, but that has never worked for me.
What I find helps is being REALLY well prepared. Write out what you want to say, word for word, and actually read it out loud a couple of times. Then try to make yourself some note cards with just prompts so you can try to say it without all the words in front of you. Practice this a few times, and then try it in front of someone. I find that other students are usually very helpful to practice in front of. They can tell you if they have additional questions as well.
The day of the presentation, take some extra time to look nice (it makes a difference...if you feel like you are looking nice, it makes you feel more confident) and spend some time just sitting quietly or doing whatever you do to relax. Reading, art, whatever it is... just spend a little time doing that. In class, take deep breaths and try to remember that everyone else has to do a presentation too!
Good luck!

Answer 4

I dont think there is a way to *not* be nervous- nerves are healthy and often the adrenaline brought on by them will pull you through a tough thing like giving a presentation- the key is too see them as a good thing rather than a bad. also- make sure you know your stuff- knowing your presentation material inside out and back to front will severely lower your chances of becoming tongue-tied! other than that- take time out to your before hand to just relax- and remember their just people, whats the worst they can do? screw em'!

good luck!

Answer 5

The secret is to exploit your nervousness, allowing it to work for you and not against you and that is only possible if you learn how to control it. For many people, nervousness is controlling them; thus, they have no control over their delivery. They spit out their words as quickly as possible and thus are not communicating with their audience. Essentially they are talking at them instead of to them. Because of this lack of control, these same people wrongly believe that the answer is to eliminate their nervousness. I do not agree. All great performers, musicians, singers, athletes and public speakers are nervous. No matter how many times they have performed, they experience nervousness. According to NHL lore, Glenn Hall, considered by some to be the best hockey goalie ever, vomited before each game. In my opinion, the best means for controlling nervousness is to learn to breathe with the support of your diaphragm. In doing so, you will find that your upper body is relaxed while experiencing that wonderful rush of adrenaline. And that is what can give you an edge. That is what can make your delivery more dynamic, more exhilarating.

Answer 6

One way that I've learned to get over stage fright is to absolutely know your presentation. If I feel comfortable with the topic that I will be speaking about , I usually get absorbed in the topic while I'm speaking.

Another way is to challenge my fear of public speaking. Because I have had problems with stage fright, I took myself to an open-mic night at a local coffee shop and went up to the mic to sing a song before my first spoken word show. It was great because before I started reading or singing, I told the crowd that I was just doing this to get over my stage fright, so I apologized ahead of time if I was less than good, lol. I pretty much sucked, but the audience was quite supportive.

To this day, if I have a presentation coming up and I'm starting to feel quakie about it, I go to the coffee shop and stand in front of the music enthusiasts while singing badly.

After my self-induced public humiliation, standing in front of a crowd speaking about a subject I am familiar with is cake, so I'm much more relaxed.

Edit: it looks like Ravi Vora has the best advice for you. I'm copying it down for myself, lol.

Answer 7

In my college days, when I took a communications class, one of the methods our teacher did to help us improve on our verbal presentations was to video tape ourselves. Boy was that an eye opener. I'm sure your college has a classroom that is equipped with video equipment and you can easily practice your talk and record yourself. Then watch the playback and see what you're doing. Your gestures, the way you shift side to side, do you make eye contact? Seeing yourself will make you WANT to improve. Also...practice, practice, practice. I always practiced my presentation on my own, and also in front of my closest friends and boyfriend. The honest feedback you get from them will help you to prepare for when it's time for the real thing.

Just take your time, remember to breathe, be conscious of yourself and the speed and way you're talking. Importantly, make eye contact to your audience. Don't say "um" all the time. Be confident. Your confidence will emanate to your audience, and if they feel that you're in control of the presentation and are confident, then they'll be more attuned to what you have to say.

Good luck!

Answer 8

Rehearse.
Imagine yourself giving the presentation in front of everyone.
Try to go first if you can!
Take deep breaths.
Be confident.
Realize that half the time people aren't even listening to you, they space out! So know that if they do make a "face", they are probably thinking of something else.
Do not look people straight in the face; look at the back of the room if you can.

Answer 9

Hi, This is just my thinking, I believe if you get really involved in what your are speaking on and put your whole heart in it trying to convince your audience you will automatically take the focus off you and be more at ease.
Its when you're so self conscience which causes the problem of nervousness, Keep in mind there is still going to be a little nervousness.

I wish you the best.

Answer 10

I always got nervous, most people do. Just try not to show it :-) Teachers don't take off credit for being nervous, so stick to the content of the presentation and you'll be fine!

Answer 11

I'm a speech coach and the one thing I always tell my kids is that most people hate public speaking, so really, the whole crowd is rooting for you to do well. They really don't want to see you fail. Also, if you get up there and even do a mediocre job, everyone is going to be impressed that you got up there and did it, so it's really a win-win situation. Just always remind yourself that it frightens most people, so just get up there and do it! You'll feel awesome when you're done.