Terrible at presentations
So I took a class in college for the heck of it. It’s a communications class that’s supposed to teach you how to do presentations and speeches better. So far, I feel like I’m the quietest and most awkward one in there. I’m terrible at presentations. So I wanted to take this class to improve but I think it’s only highlighted my lack of presentation skills. I get nervous and I try so hard to calm down but my voice is wavering and I feel like it’s so obvious I’m scared. I cannot even look people in the eyes for a full convo when I talk to them. How can I do it in front of a class?? It’s so stressful, I literally always feel like I’m having a panic attack in that class before every presentation. It’s only made it worse bc I always skip class on the day we do present. It’s frustrating. I’m trying to calm down before I go up and get this over with. Any tips? They would be greatly appreciated (:
Hi @braveWillow! I completely relate to this - every time I needed to present stuff in school I got super shaky, my tummy started hurting, and my voice wavered or I'd talk super fast so I run out of stuff to say before the time is up. I think the most important thing is to simply to face your fears and don't run away, but it's also important to make sure you've practiced enough and make sure you know everything you need to talk about beforehand. Having note cards really helped me to stay organized and know what I needed to talk about whenever I blank out mid presentation. Maybe you can try making eye contact with people you are comfortable with or what I do a lot of the time is just look around the room above people's heads so it looks like I'm talking to everyone without the nerves of having to actually make eye contact with anyone. Also maybe try practicing with people you know outside of class too so you can get feedback and practice in a situation that's a little closer to the real deal vs practicing by yourself. Not gonna say you'll become entirely comfortable but once you've done it enough times it'll start to feel more familiar and a little less scary (or at least that's how it was for me). Above all don't be too hard on yourself - you're making an attempt to better yourself and that's more than a lot of people do, so I'm proud of you! ☺️ Hope this helps, and good luck with your presentations.