Speaking in the front of the class

[oh yes.swayay]

This isn't really about girls, but it is about confidence which is what being a don juan is all about. I recently have become a nervous wreck at speaking in front of the class (oral presentations and such). It's out of nowhere too because I actually used to be okay at it (okay as in my voice didn't shake).

I don't know what happened to me. I thought I was more confident than ever ...and I am when it comes to social life... but the instant I'm in a classroom, I'm just not myself. If it were a rowdy class, I could speak in front of the room no problem but when it comes to formal good behavior classroom crap, I start to become nervous.

But anyways, any advice on oral presentations and public speaking in general?

 

[john paul]

Just think to yourself about when someone else is up, are you really analizing and care what they are saying and doing?
When you go up to speak just remember that no one cares that much unless you completely make a fool of yourself in which case they will laugh. Even then it shouldnt be a big deal. Its just a high school class

 

[Axcell]

I don't mean to sound rude, but there are tons of information about public speaking on google.

However, I tend to breath in and out, and have a few sips of water right before I do a big presentation. Just remain calm and make sure you KNOW the information you are presenting. (Yes, nobody enjoys listening to somebody who is reading information off a piece of paper.)

(I'm keeping this short, because the other tips you can find on the internet VERY easily, and if you truly do need help finding websites to help you out, PM me and I will be glad to help you out.) One last thing I want to say, a day or two before your presentation, listen to a radio host. Most of the guys have an amazing voice, and I realized that it was through listening to many of them, that I developed a nice charismatic, confidence voice of my own.

 

[duffman360]

i usual just focus on what i am sayin and shut off my surrounding until i am done speaking that way i am 100% in the zone

 

[lonewolf17]

I have a big presentation on the follies of Hitler tomorrow. I'm a bit nervous, because even though I know the information really well, my words often stumble over themselves when I give a presentation.

 

[Triple T]

Don't worry dude, the more you do it the better you'll get at it.
Just get really pumped up, thats what I do when I'm about to present and I am so relaxed and everything.

Just read your stuff, don't care about if the class is looking at you or not. Remember, your improving EVERYTIME you go and present.

I used to be a nervous wreck, never answering questions/going up to the board and presentations. I'm STILL nervous, but not nearly as much.

Nervousness is normal, dont sweat it. Just do your thing and try your best!

 

[oh yes.swayay]

thanks folks

It's weird because I know that no one really cares or pays attention to that stuff. And I actually enjoy talking and having everyone listen to what I have to say and letting them form their own opinions of me. But for some reason I'm always physically nervous... butterflies in the stomach, faster heartbeat, trembling... all that stuff. And there's usually nothing I can do about it.

I guess it's not really because I'm trying to impress the audience, I think it's more that I'm trying to impress myself. It's like I believe that I've grown so much in terms of confidence (thanks to this site) that I actually pressure myself to prove that I'm the confident macdaddy that I make myself out to be in my own head. And I guess I just get intimidated by my own challenge. Perhaps I used to not get as nervous before because I hadn't set any standards for myself yet. But now I keep thinking that I'm supposed live up to the self-image of being some sort of great speech maker and debater.

ehh, I need to do some soul searching or something

good luck with the presentation lonewolf

 

[ChrizZ]

A tip that helped me is to always hold eye contact with only one person in the room and then move on after each sentence or so.

 

[penkitten]

i stare at peoples noses but they think i am looking at their eyes , which works well in large groups.

if i feel intimidated in a very small crowd, or if i am bored, or just dont feel like being confronted about something minor and silly, i pick out a flaw on a person and stare at it while talking to them.
big nose, lazy eye, weird tongue ring, odd tattoo that is misspelled, big boobs, who cares,,,, after a minute they get intimidated about their flaw and they suddenly have to go and they leave me alone.
you would think no one would ever speak to me again, that they would think i was an odd ball, nope, no one ever leaves me alone at work.... all come to me with everything.
oh wait, you should just take the first sentence and run with that ,.,,,

 

[comic_relief]

I tend to use auto-suggestion (Think and Grow Rich) also known as affirmations that makes it so my subconscious mind believes that I am a really good public speaker. It works (took a while) because now I am on the career path to becoming a public motivational speaker.

comic_relief

 

[Midnight Carnival]

What works for me is putting myself in some kind of enraged state. Then when I'm out there I can speak loud enough. My tone of voice remains neutral, even too much so, it's kind of a trade-off, I can't put as much emotion in my voice if needed, but they hear me loud and clear and I don't stutter or anything. It also makes me impervious to annoyances such as people talking at the same time, entering the room or making noise (I'll just ignore them and carry on).

 

[ExcelNPrevail]

I just did a presentation today. It went smooth, most of the help was from a debate class I took.

 

[Snow Plowman]

You care what other people think of you...

Your nervous because you feel the social pressure of all eyes on you. You don't want to fuk up in front of ALL these people and so you try to micromanage everything that you do.

This has to do with confidence problems, your not confident in this situation and so you get nervous. Your best bet is to reframe it...

...Be confident, your about to go in front of a classroom and about to talk about this kick ass piece. It's going to be so fun, the words are going to fill the room and everyone is going to stand up cheering and yelling like you gave the best speech ever. Everyone is waiting to hear such a great piece.

Hey it might be your imagination but its still fun to think of it and see it in that perspective. Usually when I do stuff like singing really loud on the train, I don't actually think of me being on a train, I think of myself at my own concert singing to a crowd of millions. It's a fun way of reframing everything.

Note - I'm not some sicko on the train singing, I actually did it as an exercise because if I could do that I'd have no problem talking on a very quiet train during rush-hour.

To expand your identity you need to push out your comfort zone that way you can be more and more comfortable with social pressure.

 

[sandman6991]

I love the train example...helps me understand things