Oh fuck! Presentation at work.

[TheChocolateTrain]

I'm working a temp job, due to finish in December. Desperately hoping a permanent contract will come out of it but no sign so far.

Meeting with boss's boss today. He wants me to give a presentation on my project to the entire department plus guest departmental leaders. Ok, you think, not so bad. What's all the fuss?

I tend to pass out when I have to give presentations.

I was the one they had to drag out of a cupboard feet first

They forbade me from giving any more talks unless I was sat at the back of the room.

My mind goes blank if I get asked questions. Yes, I'm the one who got their date of birth wrong in a university interview Boss at previous job would jump in and answer for me if I got too shaky.

If boss wasn't around a co-worker was my presentation colleague, either joint presentation, he dealt with questions. Or if it was lecture hall size, he did the entire presentation.

Literally my only chance of a job is to persuade these people I'm a confident professional. My boss's boss hopefully will apply to make a position for me, these people will be on the decision panel.

Tell me I'm not doomed!

Get it done as soon as possible and practice it.

If you can ask Friends/Family/Neighbours to listen to you and ask impromptu questions.

Of course you're not! It could be the start of something big. The secret is in THOROUGH preparation, and it's a good idea to rehearse the presentation beforehand, so that you're confident about what you're going to say. In addition, if you can, include something memorable and unusual so that it sticks in their minds.

I did a presentation on van Gogh recently and included music, and I enjoyed it so much I was tempted to do it all over again.

Go get 'em Tiger!

Drugs.

(or at the very least Rescue Remedy - got me through my fifth driving test)

Good luck!

You’ve got this op!
Don’t just put together a presentation and read it verbatim. Agree with pp, music, images and props can help.
Practice in front of a friendly group, but be willing to take feedback. Don’t practice in front of a best mate who will just tell you what you want to hear.
Sip water. Having a water bottle with you and occasionally taking a sip forces you to slow down, stops you talking too fast and can give you a few seconds to gather your thoughts.
Breathe!

Rescue Remedy

Water. Drugs. Practice practice practice. Drugs again.

Ask your gp for propranolol.

It’s magic and totally eliminates any shaky voice or sign of nerves.

I am a nervous public speaker, but 2 of these 30 mins before and I appear super confident. Still feel nervous inside, but the physical signs vanish.

Amy Cuddy's Ted talk was a game changer for me...helps me control the out of control feeling I get when I'm doing presentations. And remember most people hate doing these and your audience will be wanting you to do well. Good luck.

I was that person too, op. And I was going to suggest Amy Cuddy's talk too. Also, really knowing your stuff, and making sure you stand tall, speak slower than you think you need to, and breathing.
Good luck!

The secret is in THOROUGH preparation, and it's a good idea to rehearse the presentation beforehand

I did that. Many times. Still my memorable and unusual bit was passing out. Presentation of my dissertation to my new research group. I knew it inside out. Didn't change the outcome.

In this talk, the field is so broad, complex and interlinked it's not possible for one person to know everything about it. I'm new to the field. There is no way I can learn more than a superficial basic overview. Which is not helping.

I vote practice. Practice solo first, read it out loud, go over bits where you do it wrong first time. The words will become like muscle memory but sound natural, so they'll come out without too much conscious effort.
If you're going to take any drugs you haven't taken before then do a test run to ensure you don't go weird!

Oh God, I feel your pain.

Thorough presentation just isn't enough for some people, is it? It's not about that, it's about the physical act of speaking in public.

I don't know what to say to make you feel better, but can you work with your boss to really identify what the presentation should focus on in terms of your project, so that it's not too broad?

Also, there's no shame in not being able to answer every question - it's usual for presenters not to have all the answers.

Memorising something doesn't work for people who freeze up when all eyes and ears are focused on them. It doesn't matter how well prepared you are, and it's hard to explain.

If you aren't asthmatic beta blockers are your friend. If you can get to the gp.

Hypnotherapy.

You know your stuff. You know your project. You know what you're capable of.

Unfortunately you also know that your nerves overwhelm you. And, consciously or unconsciously, you give greater importance to that knowledge.

Hypnotherapy can help you get the balance right again. It can be incredibly powerful. It's not cheap, but it is phenomenally effective for this sort of thing.

Definitely propranolol!!

You need to be talking yourself into this - not out of it. Have you structured it yet, then filled it in? Then practise it out loud to a friend if possible.

Stop giving yourself a "get out clause" by telling yourself it'll be the same as last time, you'll pass out and lots of other excuses. Make reasons to do it and overcome fears.

As long as you don't start with the words 'I'm Angela Hernandez', you'll be fine.

Do it sitting down if you can. I'm a fainter and whenever I had to present anything at work (am now self-employed, so those days are thankfully behind me!), I did it sitting on the edge of a desk, which removed that particular worry.

Drugs. Truly. Get to the gp for some beta blockers. Do it.

Breathe. Speak more slowly than you think you need to. Sit down if possible. Don’t have any caffeine that day and eat something carby so your blood sugars are stable.

What happens just before you pass out?

It's like a fuzzy mist closing in from the periphery til I only have a small square of focusable vision. Then that goes.

In this case practising won't cut it. I'd say get the drugs personally, propranolol can really help (though have a practice run of the drug to check for side effects). Then you go be amazing

The GP might be able to help with an anti anxiety medication? If you're not keen then hypnotherapy is known for being helpful with anxiety/phobia.

Good luck OP!!

I just read wiki about propranolol. I have low blood pressure, go dizzy if I stand up too fast, that kind of thing. So I don't know it would be suitable?

That's classic hyperventilation.

Alternative to hypnotherapy - or as well as - could be to have a few sessions with a professional voice coach. They can teach you how to breathe properly while presenting, and avoid the drama.