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[-Plasma Reus-]

I've prepared my presentation, and I have to speak in front of about 100 people tomorrow, and I have anxiety.I want to do it, and I want to do it well. What can I do to make sure I don't black out in the middle of my presentation?

By the way, I nearly black out with weekly meetings because I get so anxious about people staring at me, am I already dead?

 

[Nyx]

Don't look into people's eyes but try and find a point behind all the people to look at.

Then for the crowd it will look like you are looking at them while you actually aren't.

It helped me during my most awful talk in front of a crowd, at the cremation of my mother. (the hardest crowd-talk ever)

 

[John Kowalski]

There is nothing you can do.

 

[OttomanScribe]

Made a thread about this a while ago. Gaf helped me out. I'll find it for you.

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

Start with a dirty joke to lighten the mood

 

[OttomanScribe]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=545061&highlight=

 

[ElbowRocket]

Tequila shot with a light beer chaser, have a few and you'll be fine.

 

[ronito]

Imagine you're in the audience's underwear.

 

[Bulbo Urethral Baggins]

What helps me is to stand near the front where you'll be speaking and get comfortable with the number of people in the room. Watch them come in and sit. Talk to some of them. You don't want to sit there and when you go up to the podium suddenly face the realization that 100 people are staring at you.
And when you start talking it makes you and everyone else comfortable if every once in a while you point at someone in the crowd and wink at them.

 

[harrytang]

oh man. when my buddy told me i was best man i dreaded the thought of speaking at the reception for months beforehand. i know how you feel.

came down to the following for me: writing it out ahead of time, practicing it over and over out-loud to myself, and taking beta-blockers to cancel out the nerves. as soon as it was over I felt incredible.

 

[TechnicPuppet]

I read a stat recently that more people were afraid of speaking in public than dying. I have had to do it to hundreds of people, its terrifying.

 

[thesoapster]

Practice your speech over and over. That's the best you can do beforehand. Otherwise, you just have to do it a lot. After a number of speeches, I don't really get nervous so long as I've made sure I've prepared and know the subject matter.

 

[Noisy Ninj4]

Yeah, I find public speaking easier as the size of the audience increases. After about 50, it stops being as personal. You won't know most of these people much if at all.

At that point, it's a matter of who is interested and who isn't. The interested ones will respect you and listen, while the uninterested will ignore you and don't matter.

 

[REV 09]

low dose of propranolol about 30 min before speech.

 

[Divius]

Pretend you are Charlie

 

[TigerKnee]

Start with a dirty joke to lighten the mood

"What do you get when you cross an owl with a bungee cord?"

 

[NekoFever]

Stop worrying about it. You're prepared, you know what you're going to say, and it'll be over in no time. The people in the audience are on your side and probably don't care anyway. And the feeling of relief when you've finished and can sit down and watch other people talk is immense and a great reward to look forward to.

Seriously, I hated giving presentations in school, but eventually I just realised the above and it was like flipping a switch in my head. Now I can stand up and talk without prep in front of people, and I'm not exactly the most gregarious person.

 

[Rawket Lawnchair]

Practice, practice, practice. By the 10th time you'll be good to go. Also, write down your speech and read it lots of times.

Presentations are one of those things that the more you do it, the better you become at it, and the better your performance is. There's no secret recipe or a spell for good presentations.

 

[Watevaman]

Practice your speech over and over. That's the best you can do beforehand. Otherwise, you just have to do it a lot. After a number of speeches, I don't really get nervous so long as I've made sure I've prepared and know the subject matter.

Agree with this. If you know the subject matter, then it's not as much a "speech" as it is just talking about something you know or enjoy. If you're spouting stuff line for line and don't put any thought behind it, it's going to be harder to make it through without any mistakes. Just relax, know your stuff, and start talking. If you fudge something, just keep going and don't linger or let that suck you down because chances are people attending won't mind.

 

[Zips]

Prepare well so you remember the material well when you're up there. That tends to be the key thing, as my unplanned/vaguely planned speeches have gone by far the worst. Also remember that you'll be nervous, but that it's natural to be and things will be just fine when it's over. Practice done prior to the event (i.e. not the same day) can calm nerves the day of as well.

The majority of the audience won't care what you say/do either, really. They'll also not know if you forget to say something.

 

[params7]

Talk slowly, and believe in what you are saying, even if you know its bull shit.

 

[AllIsOneIsNone]

I feel for you, man. I hate public speaking and I have a best man speech coming up real soon. I wish I could give you advice but I'm pretty awful at it. I've just kind of accepted that I'm going to look like a dumbass at my brother's wedding.

 

[Fury Sense]

Just remember that almost nobody in the audience cares about your presentation or about you. Once you acknowledge that, you'll realize you're effectively speaking in front of a small group of people, which is much easier.

 

[-Plasma Reus-]

I'll try to practice over and over again. I hope it helps.

 

[shanshan310]

If you're getting so nervous at weekly meetings I honestly recommend seeing a psychologist. I have panic attacks in those kind of situations too and it got to the point where it was interfering with my life and preventing me from doing things I wanted to. So far cognitive behaviour therapy is working quite well.

Someone also said betablockers. +1 to that, really helps to stop shaking.

 

[Brandson]

What has been successful for me is not worrying about necessarily memorizing the exact words you plan to say, but rather know the points you want to make and in what order. If you don't get the phrasing of your talk exactly how you had it written in advance, it doesn't matter. It's better to have a more natural flow like you are talking to the group, and not reading a script. So if you don't draw attention to the fact that you can't remember what you had written for a particular part of the talk, no one will ever know, or care.

 

[-Plasma Reus-]

Well, I did it. It wasn't a smooth experience, but it went better than it could have went.
I was good for the first 5 seconds, then my nervousness began to sink in and take over, my voice was audibly shaky to the point that I had to stop for a second and explain I wasn't used to speaking in front of such a large group, the people were sympathetic and friendly so they encouraged me to try my best, which helped. It went a bit smoother from then on, and by the end I was somewhat comfortable with the experience. Still, the build up and first few minutes of it all is something I never want to voluntarily put myself through again.

Practicing helped a lot, so thank you for your advice!

 

[condompickle]

you are the man. tell yourself that 3 times. walk out and give the best speech ever. because 10% will actually listen. 80% will be lookin at the ceiling or their phones. and the other 10 will be eying you down. be natural and own that fuckin room.

 

[Community Forum]

Memorize your speech. I had a very brief presentation that was 30 seconds long, but I memorized it and practiced it for days, so my confidence level was through the roof. Even if I looked away from my notes, I could have recited this to you like the best voice actor ever. Everyone clapped for me at the end.

 

[SwiftDeath]

Everyone is giving you the wrong advice. You don't drug yourself, you drug the audience.

 

[Syf]

It's all in the bit of champagne you down before the speech. Then you're good.