talking in front of the class...

[lia]

I have to take a foreign language course at my school and give a presentation in class. I'm incredibly shy, I don't speak in class at all (my grade has suffered considerably) and there's no way I can get out of this assignment. Is there any way I can turn this around so I can get the students listening to talk more and discuss the topic instead of me having to?

 

[16]

Hi there

I've only just signed up on this forum myself, but this topic is so familiar. Like yourself I'm also very anxious in these situations (red face, blushing, losing my place, shaking.. ) So I can understand your concerns completely, I've lost lots of sleep over this.

One thing I will say is rehearse what you are going to say in advance, lots! I usually make the mistake of not practising until the last minute, which builds upon my anxiety three-fold. Get someone you know (could be family) to sit infront of you and listen to the presentation a few times - so you are more at ease with what you have to say. The whole scenario should become more familiar and comfortable. Then when you're in this presentation imagine it's simply an old friend watching you.

I'm not sure how you could "turn it round" exactly, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it. I've tried many a things to get out of speaking (once successfully). But in a way, I really regreted it afterwards - realising my life is simply a learning experience, and by avoiding these situations I was ultimately achieving nothing. Building upon my fear.

Hope this helped a little!

Could I ask how old you are?

 

[PunkyMonkey]

You could try building a lot of questions into your presentation. Asking things of the audience will probably help you to appear much more comfortable in front of them. It might even help your grade, because you'll get a lot of attention and you'll be involving the people listening.

But practice, like 16 said, as much as you can. It will help you so much. And when you are in front of the class, focus on what you are saying and not on the things you are doing because you are nervous.

 

[spurs]

i hate public speaking, but evry time i ahve to do it it turns out much better than i'd anticipated, and poeple forget about it straight away - you're the only one who remembers. try and give it a go as getting through situations you're scared of is what helps you get more confidence.
if you can do a power point presentation or a slide show with lots of visuals people will be looking at that and not at you.
or you could have a relevent video on silent while you're talking to take focus off you. if you do something like this you could also have the lights off so people can see the image better and this may make you more comfortable.
you could work discussion topics into your talk and get debates going on issues you bring up. i don't know what the subject of your talk is, but you could bring up issues and breifly present two sides to each issue, and then ask people what they agree with and why - something along those lines may stimulate discussion and also get the teacher involved too.
if you bring up controversial things this will be more likely to pique interest and get people's input as well as the teachers.

my advice would be to make the talk as interesting as possible, because then people will be engaged with your content and start to think, wheras if it's boring and you're jsut regurgitating things they already know they will focus more on you.
if you have an organised slide show, and cards to read from this should take alot of pressure off.
good luck, and remember most people aren't looking out for negatives, they are just happy that they don't have to do any work while you're talking.

p.s. i just remebered, in high school a friend and i who both hated public speaking had to do a talk, and we talked to the teacher about how hard we found it, and she let us do it at luch time in front of an audience of only about 3 friends that we brought along. so maybe you could ask to do something likt this!

 

[lia]

Hope this helped a little!

Could I ask how old you are?

It definately helped. I tend to dwell on all the possible ways something could go wrong rather than how I could prepare myself to make a situation go well.

(16, by the way)

Asking things of the audience will probably help you to appear much more comfortable in front of them. It might even help your grade, because you'll get a lot of attention and you'll be involving the people listening.

I added a bunch of questions into my discussion, thanks for the insight! I hope it makes me look more at ease...

poeple forget about it straight away - you're the only one who remembers.

That's true. I know that I obsess over things that don't matter in the general scheme of things, I just can't help it.

you could work discussion topics into your talk and get debates going on issues you bring up.

I did take this advice, I chose a more controversial issue so that I could ask 'why' type questions (I still have to get it approved, though) that might get the rest of the students to discuss the issue rather than me.


Thank you all for your help, you have no idea how much I appreciate this.

*Lia

 

[2invisible4u2c]

eeep! Im so afraid of having to do this 10 minute project for health that I might not even do it, and Ill risk summer school!! Thhis is no fair. i asked my teacher if there is ANYTHING else I could do, but she said no. I really dont wat to do this or go to summer school...