I'm so nervous during presentations and meetings, how can I improve my public speaking?
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Last Updated: 02/16/2021 at 9:38am
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Top Rated Answers
Practice makes perfect in almost any situation. If you're uncomfortable, just keep doing it until you're comfortable. After 10 presentations, you'll realize you're not that nervous anymore. It's not really that scary at all.
Tip for presentations is to prepare well. Memorize everything when you first start out if you don't want to mess up the first few times. After a couple practices, you'll realize you have much more leeway to adlib.
Anonymous
September 12th, 2015 6:34am
Develop your confidence level and feel that you are explaining something which is of very important and critical and Believe in Yourself :)
First practice your presentation in front of the mirror ,Alone in a locked room.When you feel confident enough ,Try it in front of one person on your closed circle.If he/She appreciate it ,Try the same in front of more people in ur circle.And you are ready to go!
Before all these ,Make sure that
1.You have enough resources
2.You know the concept of the presentation well
3.You have done maximum research on the topic
4.You have got quick points to refer in a handy piece of paper
All the best!
Anonymous
September 19th, 2015 7:34pm
Try not to look directly into people's eyes. Have notes in front of you, incase you forget what you need to to talk about. Believe in yourself, and be confident! ^~^
Prepare well is the best thing you can do.
For example in front a mirror. But you also can record yourself in front a webcam for practise ;)
First of all remove that one thing from your mind that you are nervous.Thinking about a problem and it's afffects only hearts doesn't heal.
Anonymous
October 23rd, 2015 9:57pm
Hello there... Yes public speaking is dreaded by most which makes it all the more impressive when done well. Your own interest and knowledge of your subject should give confidence and of course the little note cards with helpful bullet points on the lectern
Anonymous
October 24th, 2015 9:11pm
Something that really helped me was to "give" the presentation by myself in my room or in the bathroom in front of a mirror. Just like if you are in your classroom, and start talking, then jus imagine what type of questions your classmates would ask and try to have some answers. go slide by slide and pretend you are there :)
Anonymous
October 25th, 2015 3:20am
Practice a speech in front of a mirror or try it in front of a person you know well. You could also try and improve charisma by staring random conversation with a stranger, I mean what's the worst that can happen?
Anonymous
October 25th, 2015 6:10am
Calm down. Its all okay, so stop worrying about the crowd. Think; your here because you got here and whatever you say counts, it matters, and it will make a significant difference. So dont worry-be confident and be yourself. You can do this. Tell yourself that because its true. The crowd doesnt matter- the people you are addressing and you, only these people matter
Look in the mirror & practice..speaking confidently and just trust urself and be ready with the stuff..u want to present.
Try to focus on an inanimate object in the room. And speak to that object. Graze the room with your eyes but keep coming back to that object. Don't lock your knees. And remember to breathe
Anonymous
October 28th, 2015 7:26am
It happens when you are new to these things, but you will gain confidence in time. Getting prepared would do a lot of good. try not to look at an individual. but focus on the whole group. bring some humor from time to time in your presentations to extract their attention and smile.
Anonymous
October 28th, 2015 1:06pm
simply by remembering to breathe, cause when we get nervous the first thing we do is freeze at the moment. But when we remember to breathe we gain a little self calm and we can clear our minds so we can think more better before we speak.
Every time you deliver a speech, you are, in fact, leading. Whether you are a student, an executive, a politician, or a professor, you must lead your audience toward a particular objective. Your job isn’t simply to communicate ideas to your audience members—it is to show them you are a leader.
As part of this process, you must think about how your audience members perceive you when you are standing in front of the room. You must examine what you do well and how you can improve
Try speaking in front of the mirror and always look at the eyes. Repeating this exercise will help you shed your anxiety and nervousness and also boost your self confidence
You should probably practice approaching people first. Learn how to keep the conversation going. Get used to talking with people. Once you get a hang of it, you won't be having a hard time in public speaking.
Anonymous
October 29th, 2015 9:31pm
Maybe try doing it in front of the mirror. Record yourself. See what you are good at/need to improve on
Anonymous
October 30th, 2015 12:33am
When I get nervous in front of other people I just imagine that I'm talking to the one person that I'm the most comfortable talking to and forget everything else.
Anonymous
October 30th, 2015 6:04pm
Be confident first of all since its required evrywhere. Practice it several times and you will master it in few days
Audience doesn't want you to fail, in fact they want that you succeed. Mistakes are part of our life and you won't be a worse person if you make them.
Practice, practice, practice! This advice might sound cliche and all that, but it honestly works. I was horrible at public speaking initially; I could barely get out one sentence out properly and I would tremble so violently whenever I have to speak in front of a crowd. BUT try to build up your confidence by practicing in front of a mirror, or a friend or just anywhere, really. Confidence is really important when it comes to public speaking and with enough experience/practice, you'll foster the courage soon enough. Good luck! :)
Meditation, friend, Picture that you are speaking with confident in front of the crowd. Good luck!
Imagine that you are putting your audience at ease by giving them a confident performance. When you're comfortable, so will the people listening to you will be.
Anonymous - Expert in Work Stress
November 5th, 2015 4:13am
Always look at the wall right in front of you, avoid eye contact and pretend like you are talking to a crowd of friends instead.
Anonymous
November 5th, 2015 10:18am
Prepare yourself by speaking in front of a mirror. Test your presentation in front of people you trust, like family or friends.
When I used to speak in public i got nervous too until someone told me "they are just people". You are talking to people who have their own insecurities, their own problems, their own fears and worries, just like you. I follow one saying, nobody is better than me, and i am not superior then anybody. We are all human and we are all imperfect. Though we might have different fears and problems, everybody in the crowd has experienced the same anxiety you are experiencing now about one thing or the other. You will be talking to a crowd of people who are all on your level and are all equal to you and that way you wont be scared of them.
Anonymous
November 6th, 2015 4:23am
I've found that simply practicing as much as possible and knowing the material as well as I can has been the best way to calm my nerves. Practice a rough outline of what you want to say but stay flexible so you don't feel stuck and can adapt to the situation. Preparation has been the best help.
I definitely understand the feeling of nervousness during presentations and meetings. Something that really helps me is practising as much as possible - practice in front of the mirror, in front of someone you're comfortable with, even in front of an animal. Another thing that could help is meditating/relaxing beforehand. I hope this advice has been useful and helps with the nervousness.
What you can do is create a mini outline of the points you'd like to discuss. Be sure to read and understand the topic before your presentation. Speaking more by memory of the topic is much easier than read off a note card. It will help you seem more confident in what you are saying. Also when in front of a large group seek a friend in the audience you can make consistant eye contact or choose an object to look at possibly at the back of the room. Eye contact is key! :) Just remember the audience has no knowledge on your topic! They are clueless you aren't. ^_^
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