Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Getting your nerves under control
• Part 2 of 3: Prepare the presentation
• Part 3 of 3: Address the class
• Tips

Speaking in front of a class can make your mind race and make your palms wet with sweat. It's something that a lot of students fear, but it's also something almost everyone will have to go through at some point. While speaking is undoubtedly difficult in front of a group of classmates, it is not impossible. Good preparation, exercises and presentation will help you to stay calm, cool and collected during your lecture or speech.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Getting your nerves under control

1. Find out why you are nervous. Are you afraid of getting a bad grade? Do you think you'll embarrass yourself in front of your crush? Once you have these thoughts in place, try to find reasons why they are not valid.
   • For example, if you think, "I will be embarrassed in front of my friends in a minute," try to think something more positive, such as "I'm going to prepare so well that I sound smart enough to impress all my friends."
   • Remember, fear of public speaking is very common. You are not alone in your fear and there are an abundance of resources to help you figure things out.
2. Talk to someone whose fluency you admire. Talk to a respectful friend or adult who can speak well in public and whose skills in that area you want to imitate. Ask how they handle important presentations and what they would do in your situation. Talk about how they prepare and how they don't get lost while they speak.
   • If the person is someone you really like or trust, ask them to act as a test audience.
   • If your campus has a speech and debating club or association, you can ask to observe one of their meetings and then talk to a few members about how they interact with it.
3. Practice in everyday life. You can practice public speaking every day, even when you are not assigned. Challenge yourself to do something every day that makes you feel a bit uncomfortable, such as raising your finger in class, talking to a classmate you don't know very well, or ordering food over the phone instead of online . Then use these challenges as an opportunity to practice public speaking.
   • For example, if you know that you tend to speak quickly, use your daily challenge as an opportunity to practice speaking and articulating more slowly. If you know that you are speaking quite softly, try to be louder.
4. Visualize your success. When you're nervous about giving a speech, it can make you focus on what you think is going to go wrong. Whenever you see something like this happen, try as hard as you can to fight back, thinking about a successful outcome. Think about the best ending to your speech possible, be it a ten for your assignment or a standing ovation.
   • This may feel strange at first, but the more you visualize your own success, the easier it will become to get rid of negative thoughts.

Part 2 of 3: Prepare the presentation

1. Start your speech well in advance. It makes sense to be nervous if you don't start thinking about your topic until the day before you are due to deliver the talk. Start preparing as soon as you know you need to speak in front of your class. Start thinking about the points you want to include in your paper and how you are going to divide the time you have for them.
   • You don't have to memorize your speech weeks before the deadline. First, just start thinking about your time schedule. Set aside a little time each day to work on your presentation.
   • Depending on the type of speech, you may not have to memorize the text completely, or you may be allowed to keep note cards in order not to get lost.
   • A day or two after you get the assignment, try to have a topic and a general overview of the points you want to cover. Then take 20-30 minutes every day to do some research and write some of your speech.
2. Take notes regarding your primary points. It seems counterintuitive, but you don't want to read a script when you speak. Instead, you take notes that summarize your main points and provide one or two blocks of information per point. If you can, print these notes on an outline that fits on one A4 sheet. That way you don't have to worry about pages or cards out of order.
   • For example, if you are going to talk about historical events, make an outline with the headlines giving the name and date of each event. Then under each of them you write one point with the most important people, and one point in which you briefly summarize what happened.
   • Do not read directly from the summary. Just use it as a guide to help you remember the key points and stick to the structure. It's there to help you if you get lost, but it shouldn't be a script.
3. Practice your speech until you memorize all the points. Once you have researched all the points and created a script or outline, start rehearsing your lecture or speech. Start rehearsing in front of the mirror while learning all the information. Once you have memorized all the points so that you don't need a script, ask a few friends or a teacher if you can recite the text to them.
   • Practice two or three times every day. The better you know what to say, the more comfortable you will be on the day.
   • When you practice in front of a test audience, use their feedback to learn. Remember, they aren't trying to make you feel bad. They just want to help you improve your facts or presentation.
4. Check in advance the room where you will be giving the speech. Whether you are going to speak in a classroom or in the auditorium of your school, try to view the room at least once before giving the talk. Think about where you will stand in relation to your audience. Make sure you have access to resources, such as a stage, and think about where you want them in advance.
   • This is especially important if you are speaking in a different room from your class. Unfamiliar environments can make nerves worse. You can reduce this by familiarizing yourself with the environment before speaking there.
   • Even if you don't think viewing the room will help, do it anyway. It's easier to relax in a place that is at least a little familiar.

Part 3 of 3: Address the class

1. Start slow on the big day. Try not to let your nerves get over you before you speak. If you find yourself getting nervous, think about what you want to talk about, instead of thinking about what could go wrong. Then you focus your thoughts on your material again.
   • Accept that you will make mistakes. Understanding that everyone makes small, fixable mistakes while giving a speech will help you feel less nervous and avoid making bigger, critical mistakes. Most small mistakes often go unnoticed.
   • If you make a minor mistake such as mispronouncing a word or skipping a small piece of text, don't stop your presentation or read back into the text. This can hinder the flow of your talk and even make you more nervous. Correct the mistake if you notice it immediately. Otherwise, don't worry about it.
2. Do deep breathing exercises. Close your eyes, take a deep breath from your stomach, slowly count to three and exhale completely. Repeat this process until you feel calmer and can focus on your points, rather than your nerves. This is a very useful tool to use just before speaking.
3. Be an actor while you speak. Actors say and do things on stage that they would never say or do in everyday life. That's because the actors play a character. Think of yourself as a character who looks a lot like you, but is completely comfortable speaking in public. Play that character when you need to speak in front of your class.
   • This helps some people because when they play a character, it's easier knowing that if you mess it up, it's the character's fault and not yours.
   • Being an actor is an approach to "pretend until you can." Pretend to be someone who is controlled and confident. If you give it enough time, your confidence will become a fact.
4. Do your best and have fun. You've worked hard to make sure this speech goes well, so show it. Your classmates will appreciate listening to someone enjoying the material. The more enthusiastic you are, the less likely they are to notice small mistakes and misses.
5. Think about your speech, but don't dwell on mistakes. Congratulate yourself for the courage to speak in front of your colleagues. You will always be harder on yourself than anyone else. Ask yourself what you could do better next time.
   • You can even make a list. Write down two positives from your presentation for each negative point. This way, you can focus on areas for improvement, without feeling like the whole speech has failed.

Tips

• Don't target the audience. Looking someone in the eye can make you extra nervous. Instead, focus on your text. When you look up, look at the tops of the heads, instead of the faces.
• When you see people talking, don't immediately think it's about you. Look elsewhere and keep going.
• Keep practicing public speaking even when you don't need to give a speech or comment on something. The more you practice, the easier it will eventually become.
• Talk to everyone as if you were talking to your friends.
• Avoid caffeine and other stimulants right before your presentation. They can make the anxiety worse. Instead, try to get a good night's sleep the night before to keep your head clear.
• Remember that everyone is nervous.
• Don't laugh at other people's presentations. Everyone is just as nervous as you are. If you support others as an audience, chances are they will support you too.