Do you fear standing up and speaking?

mr_fegelien

I'll have a presentation in college next week and I'm dreading it. Have practice and know my speech off heart but the anxiety just gets to me when I start speaking

Someone suggested a beta blocker like propranolol or a benzo like xanax, valium to realize the anxiety. Anyone take these and did it help them?

I didn't think black people suffered from anxiety..

Oranage2

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I didn't think black people suffered from anxiety..

Just picture the hottest girls naked, probably won't help with the speech but you can have something for the wankbank later

Darc19

Probably too late, but some place like Toastmasters would be ideal.

That's a worldwide public speaking club and they have about 100 locations in Ireland

Go Home Paddy Cat!!

mr_fegelien wrote: »

I'll have a presentation in college next week and I'm dreading it. Have practice and know my speech off heart but the anxiety just gets to me when I start speaking

Someone suggested a beta blocker like propranolol or a benzo like xanax, valium to realize the anxiety. Anyone take these and did it help them?

Try do the presentation in a totally different accent to your normal accent. Like an american or french accent. I once saw a comedian do this during a set because he was so nervous. So he put on a scottish accent and it makes your brain focus on doing the accent instead of the anxiety, which will dissipate. He told me about it after. You might look odd but who cares. You'll forget why you were nervous in the first place. Plus girls love a foreign accent.

beejee

Eat an awful lot of honey, morning noon and night.

Kidnap a queen bee and sellotape it to your nose.

Allow thousands of bees to cover your entire head.

When you begin to sweat honey during the speech, the bees will become so excited that you won't be able to see the audience, hear your voice breaking, and the odd bee that strays into your mouth will provide the quick energy you'll need to leggit in shame.

TuringBot47

mr_fegelien wrote: »

I'll have a presentation in college next week and I'm dreading it. Have practice and know my speech off heart but the anxiety just gets to me when I start speaking

Then type it and have a voice synthesizer vocalize it.

You seem to have no trouble at all typing anything.

KiKi III

Don’t take drugs.

Keep doing what you’re doing, practice and more practice. Do it in front of a mirror, or ideally in front of friends who can offer advice/ tips.

Remember, very few people can tell the difference between someone who is confident and someone who is pretending to be. So fake it.

Speak slowly, don’t rush through it. Pause and take a breath if you need to.

Knowing your material well is probably the most important thing.

beejee

KiKi III wrote: »

Don’t take drugs.

Keep doing what you’re doing, practice and more practice. Do it in front of a mirror, or ideally in front of friends who can offer advice/ tips.

Remember, very few people can tell the difference between someone who is confident and someone who is pretending to be. So fake it.

Speak slowly, don’t rush through it. Pause and take a breath if you need to.

Knowing your material well is probably the most important thing.

Alternatively, speak really slowly with a touch of slurring and lean to one side. Then someone will call an ambulance and you'll be saved.

stargazer 68

beejee wrote: »

Alternatively, speak really slowly with a touch of slurring and lean to one side. Then someone will call an ambulance and you'll be saved.

I have a presentation to do in a couple of months and already feeling sick at the thought of it. As it's to a group of hospital staff I dont know if that would be a help or hindrance:)

vriesmays

Sit down and give the presentation.

wylo

KiKi III wrote: »

Don’t take drugs.

Keep doing what you’re doing, practice and more practice. Do it in front of a mirror, or ideally in front of friends who can offer advice/ tips.

Remember, very few people can tell the difference between someone who is confident and someone who is pretending to be. So fake it.

Speak slowly, don’t rush through it. Pause and take a breath if you need to.

Knowing your material well is probably the most important thing.

Only good advice if you know deep in your heart you’ll be fine and will start to relax during it.

However for others who have a genuine irrational terrifying fear of public speaking where the run away effect of nerves feels like it’s unstoppable to the point that even the most bored people in the audience will feel like wimping out of sympathy for how bad the presenter is crashing and burning in silence and half finished words and where weeks in advance are ruined because of it then I’d go to a doctor and ask for beta blockers.

That’s what I did and I’ve no regrets. Long term you should try sort it out properly though.

Fr_Dougal

mr_fegelien wrote: »

I'll have a presentation in college next week and I'm dreading it. Have practice and know my speech off heart but the anxiety just gets to me when I start speaking

Someone suggested a beta blocker like propranolol or a benzo like xanax, valium to realize the anxiety. Anyone take these and did it help them?

You’ve already admitted to taking benzos in the past. Didn’t you mention that the gardai caught you for writing a forged prescription?

mr_fegelien wrote: »

Benzos I must say aren't euphoric by themselves but extremely relaxing and more importantly, enable you to "power through the day".

I remember getting them prescribed then subsequently addicted. (Took 600 in the span of two months)..

munster87

wylo wrote: »

Only good advice if you know deep in your heart you’ll be fine and will start to relax during it.

However for others who have a genuine irrational terrifying fear of public speaking where the run away effect of nerves feels like it’s unstoppable to the point that even the most bored people in the audience will feel like wimping out of sympathy for how bad the presenter is crashing and burning in silence and half finished words and where weeks in advance are ruined because of it then I’d go to a doctor and ask for beta blockers.

That’s what I did and I’ve no regrets. Long term you should try sort it out properly though.

How did the presentation/speech feel while using the beta blockers?

EmmetSpiceland

Once you know your “stuff” there’s no need to be nervous.

beejee

Dovies wrote: »

I have a presentation to do in a couple of months and already feeling sick at the thought of it. As it's to a group of hospital staff I dont know if that would be a help or hindrance:)

Alternatives:

Set a fire in the adjoining room just before getting up to speak. Fire brigade to the rescue.

Rob a bank and become embroiled in a benny Hill style chase with the gardai. Walk calmly to podium and by the time you clear your throat a couple of times, the guards will save the day.

Inhale as much helium as possible. Once you begin to speak at supersonic levels, a flock of dogs will crowd into the room, saving the day.

Ted_YNWA

Do the presentation using interpretative dance.

beejee

EmmetSpiceland wrote: »

Once you know your “stuff” there’s no need to be nervous.

What if you have a pimple the size of a melon drooping from your cheek?

8valve

Best advice I ever got on this subject, was from a guy I worked with years ago, who dabbled in amateur dramatics and comedy onstage...break the ice with a funny one-liner; something appropriate to the subject matter. It puts the audience at ease (they basically want you to succeed, it's just the nature of any audience - nobody wants to listen to someone who is dying a slow, nervous death while making a speech - it's painful for both speaker and audience)

At 21 years old and painfully shy, my friend asked me to be his best man, which entailed standing up in front of 200 strangers.....I couldn't eat the wedding dinner I was so nervous about having to stand up at the top table and speak to these people.

I took my co-workers advice...and it worked.

I thanked everyone on behalf of the happy couple for all their gifts and thanked the hotel staff for the fabulous meal....if anyone in the room wondered why they were only served a ham sandwich....they should have spent more on the wedding gift. Undisputedly corny and lame but everyone laughed, relaxed and the whole thing went fine.

Over the last three decades, I've had to speak to audiences through work, usually, varying from 5 people to 1500 people....and I still use that guy's advice.

Works every time. And yes, I still get nervous beforehand, but I just say ''Fu(kit, it has to be done, might as well get on with it''

Hope this helps and best of luck.

Leg End Reject

Spray the audience with your urine to assert dominance.

beejee

Leg End Reject wrote: »

Spray the audience with your urine to assert dominance.

Spontaneous combustion works a treat also.

completedit

Don't mind it but I hate learning stuff off and regurgitating them but I'm not good speaking on the fly either. Both combine to KILL me.

05eaftqbrs9jlh

Dovies wrote: »

I have a presentation to do in a couple of months and already feeling sick at the thought of it. As it's to a group of hospital staff I dont know if that would be a help or hindrance:)

You'll be great, they're probably the most professional people you could be doing it for. Especially if you know what you're talking about and it's in their best interest to listen!

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I didn't think black people suffered from anxiety..

Jesus Christ what's wrong with you.

wylo

munster87 wrote: »

How did the presentation/speech feel while using the beta blockers?

When I realised my body was never going to kick off I became quite relaxed , proper presentation panic attacks are due to not being able to deal with a small bit of nerves so when you realise your body isn’t doing anything like that you can focus on the actual content of what you’re saying.

I would recommend a test run first though just so you know what to expect physically.

Purple Mountain

When you're standing at the podium, visualise the scene from Police Academy where Cmndt. Lassard is giving his presentation and a young lady hidden under the podium unzips his fly.

Stevieluvsye

mr_fegelien wrote: »

I'll have a presentation in college next week and I'm dreading it. Have practice and know my speech off heart but the anxiety just gets to me when I start speaking

Someone suggested a beta blocker like propranolol or a benzo like xanax, valium to realize the anxiety. Anyone take these and did it help them?

If your speech is anything like the quality of your threads i'd take a box of xanax

heldel00

I'll offer a bit of advice, minus the usual "titties cum willies" offerings that are usually mentioned here!
Ya know when you get that nervous shake in your voice? Well, just breathe out until lungs are empty and the take a good deep breath in. Do this a few times and it will rid your voice of the shakiness.
Best of luck

Leg End Reject

beejee wrote: »

Spontaneous combustion works a treat also.

It's not really spontaneous if it's planned.

You really don't have an eye for detail.

Spanish Eyes

Video yourself doing the gig at home. Neutral background.

Develop laryngitis on the day and play the clip instead.

Ah look it’s friday night. But it’s a thought!

I’m a veteran at giving presentations but I still get the wobbles. Only advice I have is to know your audience, know your topic inside out and time yourself. The audience really do want you to do well.

Stevieluvsye

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Video yourself doing the gig at home. Neutral background.

Develop laryngitis on the day and play the clip instead.

Ah look it’s friday night. But it’s a thought!

I’m a veteran at giving presentations but I still get the wobbles. Only advice I have is to know your audience, know your topic inside out and time yourself. The audience really do want you to do well.

Exactly. I present to senior directors once a quarter. Know your content. And i mean know. Expect questions you are not going to expect. And never answer with a bull**** answer.

beejee

Leg End Reject wrote: »

It's not really spontaneous if it's planned.

You really don't have an eye for detail.

Obviously, I meant that once you hear your voice cracking like a tweenager, the idea spontaneously occurs to you

Giving speeches isn't any big deal. Know your stuff, to the point you can ad lib. A conversational manner goes well (yes, it's one-way, but it's captivating and personalises the subject).

Don't stare at notes. Less reading is better. Project your voice confidently, you have something to say, not to squeak. Don't joke unless you really know the audience, REALLY. There is nothing more enfeebling than being the only one chuckling at your joke.

If you truly are nervous, then one of the best openers is to state as much. It will relieve both yourself and the audience. Not so much a joke, more an honest start that relaxes everyone.

Or spontaneously combust.

Rufeo

I have a presentation in college next week and I'm dreading it.....


Mate, you could be dying from coronavirus. Man the fuk up! Practice in front of a mirror

Fr_Dougal

Rufeo wrote: »

I have a presentation in college next week and I'm dreading it.....


Mate, you could be dying from coronavirus. Man the fuk up! Practice in front of a mirror

I agree.

Op, practice dying from the Coronavirus in front of the mirror.

Your Face

Watch "Triumph of the Will" for tips on how to work a crowd.

Arghus

I'm not a fan of it.