Learn Body Language - Shy when doing presentations in college???

Shy when doing presentations in college???

I often have presentations in college as i am studying BTEC business and finance, but i feel nervous and shy when standing up there infront of my lecturer and class mates, how can i try to get rid of this nervousness? how can i be more confident and have a more open body language? because i really need to pass my coursework which includes a lot of powerpoint presentations.

Public Comments

wall wart
practice in front of a mirror..i know it sounds stupid and you have probably been told this before..but i works.
If it's a real problem, contact your Dr. There is a RX they can give you to help with your problem with speaking in front of a crowd. I've heard it really works. Also, there are clubs called "toastmasters" and you join them to help overcome your problem with speaking in front of crowds.
before each presentation, pick someone you know from that class and practice reading to them. Then during the presentation you can focus on that one person and read there faces instead of having to focus on everyone else
"Practice is Perfect" Ask teacher and some friends to preview you and after so much it'll be easier. Imagine everyone in their underwear too. lmao
Why are you nervous in the first place? Here's the thing, college people are very accepting and understanding. Never in any class I have ever had has anyone judged a presentor unless they did exceptionally well. Perhaps if you realize that not only is 80% of the class not paying attention, the other 20% are not judging you maybe then you can improve your feelings. It also helps to practice until you memorize it. When you have memorized it, you can get through the whole thing without thinking and this helps allieviate the stress.
You need to become more comfortable with your presentation. Become more confident in the work and the rest is soon to follow. When you know the ins and out of what your presenting you'll be more comfortable.
practice, practice, practice. I've always had anxiety about standing up in front of crowds but the more I did it, the easier it became. Also, having direct eye contact with people when you speak can sometimes be intimidating so you can look at the top of people's heads. It's also good to be very prepared before your presentation (i.e-practicing in front of a mirror, making sure you have your materials together, going over it alone) so you don't worry as much about messing up or how you sound add: I think of it like going on a date. If you got ready and didn't look in the mirror or make sure you looked decent, wouldn't you be really nervous about the way you look when you're out with the person?
Just take a few deep breaths beforehand, and you should be just fine. Also, practice your presentation in front of a mirror maybe, or some friends/relatives. Good luck!
Ok, if you are serious about this and I mean serious. The reason you are nervous is because you have not been specially trained to give presentations. There is training available and it takes 2 days. It will be useful for now and the future. Look for "Train the trainer" courses. Although you are not currently training these courses prepare you for good presentations rather than "Death by PowerPoint" Giving a presentation is about being prepared, you do not have to know your subject (although it helps), it's about presenting the subject. If you are presenting a specialist subject, remember one thing, you know more than the people you are presenting to.
Hi, I suggest you that beofre the presentation relax, drink something fresh, take a deep breath and think to yourself how important is to get the presentation right, think that you are speaking to yourself and dont think what the others are thinking about you at the moment, is just about showing your personality with confidence and that means that you dont care about anything else at that moment than having a good presentaton and showing that you can. good luck!
prepare prepare prepare... know your presentation word for word.. pick 3 people in your audience and make eye contact with each one, making sure you address across the whole room... use your hands to emphasise.... use POWER words i.e.. fabulous, outstanding, fantastic..etc to describe what you want to get accross.. and of course a nice strong voice.. good luck the more you do the easier it becomes... x
Public speaking is all about confidence. The best way I know of to be confident in front of an audience is to be prepared. Before speaking I type up my whole speech in language that is comfortable for me. I highlight the key words from the speech. I do this so I can glance down at my notes and get back on track. Once I type up my speech I practice, practice, practice 12-15 times making changes as necessary. I also think that you have to remember that your classmates are too busy being nervous themselves to critique you so don't worry about them. While speaking pick a few people around the room with nice faces and talk to them alternately. It keeps them and those around them interested. Lastly- SMILE. It softens your look and puts people at ease.
i used to be terrible at things like that, i would literally just not turn up, or make excuses etc. practice as much as you can in front of friends, but seriously no giggling and being silly because thats just nerves, if you cant face it in front of them to start with, try in front of a mirror, then do it in front of them, then family. if its too much to start with, ask them to put their backs to you, then the 2nd or 3rd time they can turn round, then move on to people you dont know so well or neighbours whatever. if you find it too nerve wracking to look at people when you speak, speak looking between two people or focus on a spot somewhere. its practice im afraid that gets you more confident, good luck
it'll be good for you.
The more you do it the more comfortable you become with it. I won't say that's always true. I love giving speeches in front of large groups, but small groups still make me nervous. Practice is the only thing that will really help. If you're confident about what you're going to say then you've little to no reason to be nervous.
Can I suggest that when you are about to speak try and focus on the fact that everyone in the room is exactly the same as you! Preparation can help but it is the pressure of your peers that is making you nervous. convince yourself of this and realise you are an equal to any one of them and the anxiety and stress will ease and the confidence will shine through.Take your time and relax. Practise in front of your friends and family first,if you dont feel the strain from them you will sail through your next presentation.
Heather did make some good points about how many people are not paying attention. Most people will not judge you simply because they are generally too worried about their own presentation or relieved that theirs is over and could care less about yours. The only way someone is going to mock you for a bad presentation is you have to be seriously bad (I have one case, a football player could read the 3 sentences he had for their presentation without including about 50 ums and restarting each sentence about 4 times. Granted it really shouldn't be funny because he probably has a problem, but it was funny for a whole different reason I'm not going to ramble about). As for memorizing the speech- dumbest thing you can do. If you lose your place and have it memorized, you will have to stop and get your place, which doesn't look good. Know the outline and the main points you want to make, but leave room for an example that suddenly pops into mind or in case of a distraction of some kind. It just takes time. I was very much like you- I struggled through any presentations in high school and the beginning of college. But realize that the majority of the people watching could care less, and those that do are not going to be that critical. Soon you will be doing it like an old pro!
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I used to be like afraid of public speaking and there is a very good and cost effective way of doing this. I joined Toastmaster's International (almost every location has one) and learned the art of public speaking. The great thing about Toastmaster's is that encouragement is their feedback. I took some comunications classes in college and speaking; when you got the chance to; was very brutal. Most of the brutality came from students wanting to impress the teacher by being critical of another student. Toastmaster's doesn't believe in that philosophy. The first speach you give will be a success just getting through it. Your speach will be critiqued, but in such a way that you will know what you did that was right and what you could have done to maybe make it better without being berated. The second speach, more is expected out of you. Each speach has a goal with more than just body language, although that is one of the speach's goals on one of the units. Other things that Toastmaster's will teach you is how to conduct meetings and host events, how to critique individuals in a way to encourage them and improve them at the same time, as well as it is a great networking source as most of the members are involved in businesses. I went from being nervous to winning speach contests. It didn't happen overnight, but after a few speeches I gained confidence. There are probably a number of Toastmaster's clubs in your area and I wouldn't waste a second to find one. You will learn public speaking in a stress free environment.
you wont be the first to feel like you do you are only 16 and were not all the same are we the world would be a boring place if we were. so lets see , read you lines over and over just like a play so you can concentrate on the way you can act it out , you've worked hard for this so give it all you can tape it and have a listen to it walk up and down as you do even shout it out try not to be to serious try to enjoy it is hard for you i know go for it
Face your fears. As people say do it again again again use mirror friends talk about it. At first use visual aids hand outs to help get your point over. Be well prepared. As I am sure you are aware that it takes loads of info to fill ten mins. Talk to your course tutor. I remember going through 4 years college and no tutor ever spoke about what they were looking for in a presentation I was failing and did not know until the end of the course. Join an drama society it might sound Geeky but it will help.
Get one of your friends to sit part way back. Tell them you are nervous and want their help. Every time you feel nervous look at your friend. They should be nodding, smiling and encouraging you. Do you have a cam corder? i so record your presentation and look back at it to see ow you appear to others.