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Presentation dilemma
highking1014
Posts: 1,189 Forum Member
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I have a final year university presentation coming up in a couple of weeks, have never had any on the course before, it isn't actually worth much, 5% of overall degree, I would imagine I would only get half marks anyway even i could do them.
My anxiety has got worse over the past couple of years, so much that I couldn't even imagine getting through 2 minutes of the presentation, I was refused beta blockers last year at the doctors because you can't use them with asthma. I am unsure what to do, there's no way I can do the presentation, it's either just don't turn up or explain the situation to the lecturer, both options will result in the same outcome I would think. It's just embarrassing, the others on the course are such well rounded people and the lecturer has always went on about how important confidence is in the job and then i would have to tell him that. The matter isn't the same regarding job interviews though, I can do them ok.
My anxiety has got worse over the past couple of years, so much that I couldn't even imagine getting through 2 minutes of the presentation, I was refused beta blockers last year at the doctors because you can't use them with asthma. I am unsure what to do, there's no way I can do the presentation, it's either just don't turn up or explain the situation to the lecturer, both options will result in the same outcome I would think. It's just embarrassing, the others on the course are such well rounded people and the lecturer has always went on about how important confidence is in the job and then i would have to tell him that. The matter isn't the same regarding job interviews though, I can do them ok.
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This is true for anyone so i would say stop thinking the worse, prepare and just do it.
Another idea is do something equally as scary before then and get it out your system. Remember the image in your head is not true, it's just an image.
Good luck
it's not as simple as that though, my heart beats so fast that I wouldn't even be able to finish the presentation
i'd have to agree with this opinion. Nothing is ever as scary as you imagine its going to be. I suffered from anxiety for years and years, and the thought of public speaking would bring me out in a cold sweat, heart beating out of my chest etc. Fast forward to now, and Im a workplace trainer, and most days all i do is speak in front of groups of people! How did I do it? Well, basically, i sucked it up, and just did it because I had to - there was no easy way out (but god knows did I try and find a way out!!!). Fake it til you make it.
Know your presentation inside and out (but don't over prepare). Feel confident in what you are presenting. Pick a spot at the back of the room to focus on and go for it. Talk as if you were talking to someone one on one.
Everyone in that room will know how you are feeling and isn't against you. And at the end of the day, they are all human, they are the same as you, no better and no worse. Just get up there and do your thing, and get the marks that you deserve!
Don't let your anxiety beat you. You are better than that. Someone once told me that hell happens on your last day on earth, when the you you are is presented to the you you could've been. Be the best version of yourself.
Good luck :-)
One thing you could do to overcome your fear is to practise giving your presentation to a trusted friend, fellow student or family member. You can choose where and how you do it, e.g. with yourself standing or sitting or hiding behind a desk and with your audience friend looking at you or with their back turned. Then you can repeat it a few times to get the feel of doing it and get the measure of your actual fear. You may find that your fear does actually diminish.
You can't have beta blockers. Are you allowed to drink a small amount of alcohol? If so, my second tip is to buy yourself a miniature bottle of whiskey or brandy and down it just before you give your presentation. It should relax you sufficiently to get through the presentation. You could do a practice run with this as well.
you're right, i don't know your situation, but I do know my own, and how badly I suffered for so long. But there comes a point where you either let it beat you and you settle for half a life, or you beat it and be the best version of you you can be. Thats your choice to make. For me, i couldn't stand the thought of doing all this hard work and not getting the benefits or the reward I deserved, so I stood up, and I did it. Im not going to lie, my first presentations were terrible, but with each moment i got better, and felt better, and whilst my anxiety does still affect me (to the point of being sick prior) i do not let it rule me. I get through it, and I always feel so much better for it - so much better than the feeling Id get for refusing to even try - thats when it becomes a vicious cycle
You've said beta-blockers aren't an option for you - did your doctor say if there was anything else you could take? He needs to take you seriously. Imparting information confidently via presentations is a fact in many people's lives (and not just work-related) so it's worth finding a way to cope with them in the short term.
Of course, in the longer term you need to find a way of developing your confidence and skills naturally without relying on medication. But also remember that some degree of "nerves" is natural and are part of what can make a presentation good. Honestly!
Good luck on the day.
Life is full of occasions which require public speaking, so try looking at this as 'jumping in at the deep end'. This might be scary, but everything else after this will seem much easier in comparison! I speak from experience - as a former teacher in a tough comprensive school, my definition of a 'tough crowd' is one where furniture gets thrown, and everything else is much easier after you've faced year 11 on a Friday afternoon! I've spoke at conferences, to 200+ people - but I didn't get there over night.
As someone who did used to suffer terribly with anxiety myself, my advice would be:
1. Focus on your breathing. Research breathing techniques and use them as soon as you start to become tense. If you're breathing properly you can't start hyperventilating, and it helps you to relax.
2. Remember that most people in the audience (if not all!) want you to do well. If I found myself getting nervous I would find a friendly face and looking at them for a few seconds would be enough to quash the rising panic.
3. Act confident. Act as though you believe totally in what you are saying. People will not be scruitinising and judging your every word. Most people have a recall of only a few seconds. If you fluster, move on and forget it, and chances are that by the end of the presentation they will have forgotten that you ever stumbled. The worst thing you can do is make one mistake, panick and let it snowball so that you become a bumbling, jibbering wreck. Take a deep breath, move on quickly.
4. This sounds bonkers, but it works for me. Just before you present, hide in a corner and smile like a Cheshire cat for a few seconds. Smile until it hurts! This is supposed to release endorphins to relax you, but if that fails at least you'll look happy to be there.
5. Practising doesn't work for me (i just tend to re-read my notes), but it might be a good idea to suggest rehearsing with a group of mates. If you all take turns it isn't scary, and you can learn from watching others.
6. Nudge yourself out of your comfort zone every week. Contribute to a seminar. Ask a question at the end of a lecture. Do something you're not entirely comfortable with, to break the habit of not speaking in public. I did it when I went to conferences where I was usually anonymous, so that by the time I started attending meetings with senior management and running my own conferences and events, I sounded more like someone who is used to having their voice heard. People take me seriously, which is quite an achievement when I am usually the youngest in the room by at least a decade!
Don't you dare not turn up! You owe it to yourself to give this a go - as your tutor says, it's important for your future, not just for 5% of the degree. You are not who you were 5 years ago - you can do this!
As others have said I think a great first course of action would be to talk it through thoroughly with your lecturers and see if an alternative can be agreed upon- would you feel more confident if you were talking to just your lecturer? In which case could that maybe be an option- doing your presentation just for them?
Failing that, even though everybody else on your course seems well rounded I will bet you anything you like that at least a few (but probably more) are bricking it about this too- maybe not to the same extent as you are, but I will bet that they wish they didn't have to do it too. When we did presentations at Uni I was surprised by how many people weren't happy taking in front of a group and lots of people talked fast or got out of breath or had to stop for a minute to find themselves again. Something we did as a group was firstly obviously ignore anything like that that happened- nobody referenced when anybody looked nervous, just the presentation itself, but also, when one girl who was particularly nervous about talking in front of the group was up, a few people took that as their cue to nip to the loo (obviously you can't walk back in during the presentation so that took the audience down by a few members) and quite a few of us pretended to be focusing on writing notes for our own presentations and such- if you have a supportive cohort of students they can help make it not easy, but an easier experience for you. Also, if you will be asked questions at the end, plant one or two on other students :P it eliminates part of the panic (IMO) of having as many questions to be asked that you might not know the answer to
Best of luck to you- I hope you can reach an agreement with your lecturer.
Edit: also if you have to do it I would highly recommend going first- that way you don't have to sit and panic all day about doing it and I will again bet anything that everybody else will be in full on panic mode about theirs and so they won't be paying as much attention.
Most people feel anxious about public speaking, at least until they have some practice. Even those people you see as supremely confident will be suffering similar physical effects. They just have better developed coping strategies including a more positive internal dialogue. The physical symptoms of anxiety won't harm you and they will recede if you breathe slowly. The more you expose yourself to them the less potent they will become. Telling yourself you can't do it and other negative messages are self fulfilling, if you repeat those ideas to yourself they will prevent you trying and they will become true. Telling yourself that you can do it will make it more likely you will succeed.
People in your audience will know you are nervous and will be willing you to do well.
a few jars probably won't hurt and they don't expect you to deliver a pitch perfect delivery worthy of an oscar