Class "Presentation" tomorrow

[HeadFace]

If it's in groups, I'm not nearly as nervous for two reasons:
Because I know the other members are depending on me
and because I'm not up there alone.

But this one is individual. The subject has to be something that happened in your life that was significant or memorable. You have to make a comic about it then present it.
I can't present individually. I have in the past but the anxiety has just gotten worse and worse and I just don't want to do this any more... I can't do it. I feel like I'd rather fail the project than present. Maybe I'll get a good grade on the final that'll at least raise me up to a C.
I haven't started on it. But if I wanted to I could finish it up by tomorrow, and be ready to present. I'm thinking of just turning it in a few days late so I don't have to present, but still get points marked off for it. But then again, she'll probably still have me present. So yeah.
End of this week is the end of this semester.

 

[MsBuzzkillington]

I am going to be mean. I am going to give a little bit of tough love here.

You are just going to have to get over your fears and do it.

Everyone is scared of presenting. I'd say 90% of the population is afraid to give speeches. "They" say it's the second most feared thing after death.

You can't let your anxiety win. You can't try to manage your life around it. You have to take control of your life and live it normally.

Just get up there and get it over with. It's going to suck, but you aren't going to die up there. It's embarrassing sure, but no one else in your class is having an easy time with it (aside from maybe a few) and yet they are all still getting up there and doing it. Presenting always seems bad and sometimes afterward the anxiety still lingers, but all in all it's really not THAT bad. It's just a speech, that's it.

Just have to swallow your fears and get over it and get up there and do the speech.
l
Oh yeah, and go first. That way you aren't sitting there analyzing yourself and comparing what you have to what everyone else has. This makes it much worse because then you start second guessing yourself. Also, if you go first you will have the entire rest of the class to breathe a sigh of relief that it's over and you don't have to spend the rest of the class sweating.

 

[Ignace]

I wish you all the luck you need.
@MsBuzzkillington: offc, a lot of ppl are nervous for a presentation. But not like we are ...

 

[RN3]

Good luck! I know just how you feel. My last presentation 3 semesters ago
(I'm part-time) I was so nervous. There were 3 of us. (unfortunately 1 other girl is more shy than I am). Prior to beginnig the presentation one of my classmates said oh "RN3" speaks. once again I'm am preparing for a presentation and guess what? The same girl is in this class. I already feel intimidated. I really feel bad that I allow her to make me feel so apprehensive.

 

[RN3]

oh yeah but i really like MsBuzz... comment hard as it may sound.

 

[HH]

I always hated class presentations, from secondary school all the way through college-it never got any easier. Thankfully now they're generally a thing of the past although I have agreed to teach a class of kids next month.....what was I thinking!!!

 

[Phoenixx]

Ugh, I hate class presentations! I had to do an individual one before Christmas Break for my Economics class. I was terribly nervous, and I actually had anxiety attacks during the night for days before the project. BUT, I got through it. I just basically told myself "Suck it up! You can't get out of it!" and just presented it. I was still nervous, but it wasn't nearly as bad as what I thought it would be. And I ended up getting a B+ for a grade.

So, my advice is really no better than Buzzkillington's. Just tell yourself "Suck it up!" and force yourself to do it. I think that you'll have to present one way or another, no matter when you turn it in, so try to get it in on time. Good luck!

 

[Minty]

I think presentations are a form of torture. I have never learned anything from a presentation because I become completely focused on the anxiety instead of what we're supposed to be learning. When I go up there, I go through the motions without even knowing what's coming out of my mouth.

I have also noticed my more reserved teachers (I've learned to spot the reserved/anxious ones) never assign presentations. My most outgoing ones, that's all they did, plus group work.

 

[Phoenixx]

I have also noticed my more reserved teachers (I've learned to spot the reserved/anxious ones) never assign presentations. My most outgoing ones, that's all they did, plus group work.

^ I noticed that too. Like, my one history teacher I had for basically 3 years straight in high school not once assigned a presentation. He was an awesome teacher, even if he was quite reserved. I actually learned a lot from him. Too bad I don't have him again this year

 

[AsTimeBurns]

If you have a script to go by and rehearse it over and over again, you'll feel much more confident. It's difficult to get up in front of people and just talk and try and wing it, because you end up overthinking what you're saying. Just practice beforehand and recite it all for the presentation.

 

[Liam17]

Know how you feel man.

I failed my grades, cause i couldn't do presentations.

Teachers never cared or understood, even though i tried talking to them.

Try telling them, that you can't.

 

[Kat]

Good luck. I remember one year we had to do one every week and no I didn’t build a resistance too it, just make sure to celebrate with something positive when it’s over.

 

[Sorta]

I see you're in southern Ca, I know it's possible to get out of it here. See your schools counselor and let them know that you have SA, you'll have to do a little paperwork with them and then they'll give you a form to give to your professors that will make you exempt from having to do anything like this.

It's a good thing to have if you're in a place where you're willing to fail the class instead of present, but it will feed your avoidance, so I'd recommend using it as a last resort.

 

[MsBuzzkillington]

I wish you all the luck you need.
@MsBuzzkillington: offc, a lot of ppl are nervous for a presentation. But not like we are ...

I am sorry, but how do you know how they are feeling verses how you are feeling?

The majority of people out there say the only thing they fear worse than giving a presentation is death. That seems like a pretty serious fear to me.

I have felt dizzy, sick to my stomach, sweaty palms, short of breath, can't see straight, can't think straight... and I still manage to get up there and present. Because the bottom line, everyone is afraid. There's nothing that you can't do just because you are afraid. Just because you are afraid doesn't mean it's impossible.

 

[LazyHermitCrab]

....Presentations are horrible. Wish you luck, maybe ask to write a paper? If the teacher or professor says they want you to have experience just say you interact outside of class and to give you a break I'm sure you can get through the presentation though. Usually presentations don't get graded strictly.

 

[Time2Begin]

So how did it go? I'm curious.

I've always DESPISED class presentations (and talking about them brings back some horrible memories....oh my god). Something weird happened to me once though that made me realize something. One day in speech class the teacher caught me off guard and told me to go in front of the class, I didn't even have time to think (he was picking random people, I happened to be the first). So I go up there and he asks me a question I'm supposed to answer with more than one sentence. I don't feel a BIT nervous, at all. I was completely comfortable and spoke confidently. I had never experienced public speaking like that before, I just didn't care. It was like I was in my room talking to myself. I realized it was because I didn't have time to THINK about "how horrible it will go" or "how many mistakes I'll make" and *insert other stupid illogical things we think about presentations*.

When you know weeks before that you have to present, those weeks will be torture because all you will think about is how bad it will be and it'll make you nervous for no reason....since it's never as bad as you imagine it. So it's really not that presentations are hard. It's the time, the anticipation (it's called anticipatory anxiety) that gets to us. I'm sure you were probably aware of that, but I still wanted to share. Well, it's not like realizing this helped me in any way, since I can't control when the teacher assigns me a "presentation", could even be a month before the actual presentation...and there goes my month. It would be nightmare and anxiety filled.

But do tell us how it went.

 

[Richey]

I think that the trick to this is more then just studying what you want to say. Often i have studied all week and when it comes time for me to talk i end up making no sense and lose concentration fast, even with notes.

For me the only way to do well in a presentation is to stay calm, breathe calmly and talk slowly but the real key is that you have to be really interested in the content of the speech.

There have been occasions where i had to give a presentation but the content was chosen by the teacher or someone else, so deep down i didn't care about the subject matter and couldn't even fake being interested so of couse I gave a rubbish presentation.

The trick to tackle that is to pretend that you are interested enough to become interested.

Imagine that the subject is your favourite book or music etc.

 

[HH]

So how did it go? I'm curious.

I've always DESPISED class presentations (and talking about them brings back some horrible memories....oh my god). Something weird happened to me once though that made me realize something. One day in speech class the teacher caught me off guard and told me to go in front of the class, I didn't even have time to think (he was picking random people, I happened to be the first). So I go up there and he asks me a question I'm supposed to answer with more than one sentence. I don't feel a BIT nervous, at all. I was completely comfortable and spoke confidently. I had never experienced public speaking like that before, I just didn't care. It was like I was in my room talking to myself. I realized it was because I didn't have time to THINK about "how horrible it will go" or "how many mistakes I'll make" and *insert other stupid illogical things we think about presentations*.

When you know weeks before that you have to present, those weeks will be torture because all you will think about is how bad it will be and it'll make you nervous for no reason....since it's never as bad as you imagine it. So it's really not that presentations are hard. It's the time, the anticipation (it's called anticipatory anxiety) that gets to us. I'm sure you were probably aware of that, but I still wanted to share. Well, it's not like realizing this helped me in any way, since I can't control when the teacher assigns me a "presentation", could even be a month before the actual presentation...and there goes my month. It would be nightmare and anxiety filled.

But do tell us how it went.

I think this is a good way to go about it, try and keep busy on something else so you're not thinking about the presentation

 

[Moo]

I really hope it goes well for you.

Presentations are really tricky.

Best experience, I was 15 presenting coursework in a media class and everything went perfectly. My voice was a little quiet but I still got top marks and was not nervous at all.

The worst experience I had was a month ago in a geography class where i was presenting some research I had to do. As soon as I started talking and my voice went all shaky and I said that I couldn't do it anymore. My teacher said I could have a few minutes to gather myself... well... I went to sit down and could feel my eyes watering. The next thing I know I run out of class and sit in the toilets crying until the lesson finished... which was another 2 hours. It was so awkward seeing everyone again, I could have died.

Basically, if you do well that's fantastic and if things go to plan, just think, it can't go much worse than my worst experience did. :: Anyway even through that I'm still alive haha and if anyone thinks badly of me for getting so anxious they're not really worth my time.

Be positive and good luck x

 

[pinkputter]

I hate presenting probably as bad as you do. But can you remember a time you had to present and you did well? Didn't you feel better afterwards? I have presented, quite a bit. I have had failures and I have had successes. But the successes always make me feel good after. Think of it as practice, and you may get really good at it. Wouldn't that be awesome? I would love to be a great public speaker. And practicing is the only way that's possible. I have a presentation coming up and I am already nervous, but I hope it ends in a success so I can feel good after. Hope yours goes well too. You can do it!!