nervous about weekend

LegacyUser

hey all,

well at the moment im very nervous due to me having to write a speech for something im doing in 2 weeks,

But this speech is kinda putting me up on the stand infront of 40+ of my peers and i have to explain to them what type of person i am, and what major things have effected me throughout my life.. i then kinda have to lead 5 of my peers through a life some-what life changing weekend (well it was for me) and i am scared that if someone comes out with a major problem and i dont know how to act, or respond to them. I am scared that i wont fulfil there needs of help from me.

its hard to explain, and im **** at properly explaining.. i dont know what i really want, maybe guidence on how to deal with leading group desccuions about major life experinces people had, and maybe on how to give a speech to a group and explain my points, ect.. really i dont know

Fajitas!

I'm sure you could look up tips online for this kinda thing. I have to do something like this quite often in college as regards what I'm working on. I guess the best thing for me to do is to write out a quick plan with keywords before going into it. Start with your introduction, use the key words to go from one area to the next, conclude each point the way you think suits.

Do you have any family or friends you could go over it with first? See what they think, if they can give any more info towards what your saying.

The above said, I've never had to talk about life changing experiences, but just practise, in your head or out loud.

BobTheBeat

Best advice one could give, would be to know your topic inside out. That said, how can you go wrong? Seeing as your excercise is to talk about personal experience,there's no better buachaill as the man says.

Not being au fait with presentations and speeches,I cannot really give you direct advice or points, only encouragement. Truly Believe in your ability to perform and fulfill all that is expected of you. It is as a result of what you have done in your life, that you are where you are right now. That is reason enough to get up there and speak.
As regards the weekend, it sounds like a more personal experience that resulted in the change for you. Examine whether or not your tutor on that weekend was responsible for all or some of that big change you talk about. In reality, a tutor is a 'facilitator' of sorts. It is up to the individual to make the most of the experience.

Confidence and experience are key to talking about anything. You have the second, now build on the first. Practise and actively seek advice on your presentation skills. Be open to criticism. Prepare keynotes and build on those. Anecdotal points are a nice way to drive an argument home.

The very best of luck to you!

Drift

I can't offer much advice about the guidance part but I have done quite a few presentations in my time. I think the key for this type of audience is to talk about things that happened to you and how you felt. If you are enthusiastic about what you're presenting then you'll find it will flow naturally and what could you be more enthusiastic about than your own life!!

I know its hard but when you're deciding what you're going to say be yourself. If you're a smart ass by nature then throw in some smart arse comments. If you're not the "witty" type then don't try any smart comments because you'll be uncomfortable using them. I would recommend practising the presentation in advance in front of someone close to you, family, gf, friends whoever. It really helps your confidence and allows you to iron out any difficult parts. Don't over practise it though or you'll end up sounding like a speed talking robot on the day .... I learned that one the hard way

From a technical point of view its much easier to do presentations if you have some kind of visuals, it also looks much more impressive. Are you using overheads or a laptop projector with powerpoint. If you are, 4 to 5 bullet points per slide is perfect and some sort of diagram / drawing on a few of the slides is a nice touch. Never put full sentences or paragraphs of text on overheads, just bullet points you're going to give the long winded description yourself. You should have about 1 slide every minute or two for the presentation (and you should aim for about 100 words a minute if you're talking in a relaxed manner). So for a 20 minute presentation, roughly 15-20 slides should cover you.

With regards to leading a group excercise visuals are important again - but more informally ... Could you get hold of one of them small white boards? or the type with the pages you flip over and a big marker? At the very least a pen and paper would be nice for everyone = most people won't use it or need to use it but I think people find it reassuring because it makes the organiser look organised and in your case if its a life changing event nervous people often find it nice to distract their hands in some way, by playing with a biro or something similar.

hunnymonster

I'm a lecturer so presentations are part of my job. The keys for me when I first started were
1. slow your speech down. When you're nervous you'll talk faster so make a concious effort to slow down
2. move around a little bit, this will help you to relax your muscles.
3. make eye contact with your audience. It really helps to see people nodding back at you.
4. Have slides or exhibits or role-playing or something as part of the presentation. Move the focus away from yourself.
5. Dress smartly, you'll feel a lot more comfortable.


I'm sure not all of these will work for you but maybe they'll give you some ideas.

Bosch

The above advice is really great...

Just wanted to highlight an excellent presentation, which is informative, funny, entertaining and delivered with style... I know I've changed my presentation style after seeing this... http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/06/the_art_of_the_.html

Kawasaki's "Art of the Start" book also has some great advice for doing presentations...

Hope this helps,
B.