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!

Hyperventilation? I thought that was breathing weirdly!

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

I had that. Overcame it by making sure I kept looking from left to right. That way the circle didn't get smaller.

I'm exactly the same..... just imagine they are all naked. I once was introduced as British Steel's Expert on Export Letters of Credit, I turned around to see who this person was, then thought oh fuck they're talking about me.

You really can overcome this - the more you tell yourself that you don't do public speaking and that if you do you'll faint, the more likely it is to happen.

Try the anchoring technique from NLP - present to a friend, and then tap on your wrist and really capture how you feel: confident, happy, in control. Keep doing the capture and tap and then when you present in a bigger group tap to bring back that feeling.

Slow your talking right down, and smile- it will regulate your breathing. Keep looking round the room, left and right, front and back

And practice, practice, practice - not necessarily the presentation you need to do, but rope in all your friends and family and talk to them about anything just to get the standing up in front of people thing

Teleconference in?

Assuming it's to a room, not a stand up gig at an event :-)

How about a small tipple beforehand? Should do the trick. Or, I did see a tv programme where a scientist talked about turning that feeling of anxiety / fear and telling yourself you feel excited as they are the same / v similar feeling and it tricks your brain. I think you need to start telling yourself how much you're looking forward to doing it and you're very excited, can't wait. Keep saying to yourself "I love doing presentations, I'm really good it presentations, I can't wait to deliver my presentation... repeat repeat..... rewrite your internal script.

OP, you don’t have to be an expert in the whole subject. What you need to do is pinpoint what is interesting or important about that subject, for your company, for your boss’s boss. Decide what you want the bosses to take away from your talk, and build it around that. Keep it simple and interesting.

As for performance anxiety, loads of tips and tricks available if you google. Practice, practice, practice. You’ve got to convince yourself that you would rather get through it with your head held high, than crumble and give up. You can do it.

Fast, shallow breathing can lead to the effects you describe. It's not necessarily panting. You likely won't even have noticed that you were breathing differently:

Increased self-confidence and strategies to relax and slow down your breathing will completely eliminate it.

The anxiety causes the disordered breathing, and the disordered breathing causes physiological symptoms that increase the anxiety, creating a vicious circle.

You can create for yourself a healthy, constructive cycle. With self-belief and the right strategies, the more orderly your breathing will be. The lack of distressing symptoms will enhance your self-belief, and the calmer you will be. Instead of worrying about fainting, you will be able to focus upon your presentation, and enjoy the attention and respect of your audience.

Speak to your doctor about propranolol, you get very low doses. You take a tablet about an hour before you present.

I was regularly having to give presentations to crowds of 250 plus, I genuinely thought my career was over as I got so nervous. So I saw my doctor, burst into tears in her room, she gave me this, said her husband took of for interviews, people now tell me I'm a natural presenter now, no shit and don't know how I do it.

Musicians take it for stage fright. Speak to your doctor.