I’m really upset- public speaking can anyone help pleo

[FanOfTheCheese]

I’m 8 months into a job and have been organising a couple of projects. Someone put me forward to talk at the next all company zoom update. Normally it’s the chief director or very senior staff that talk.
I was told year that director wants me to do ten minute update at the start of the next meeting.
I can’t do it I’m a terrible public speaker i had some horrible experiences when I was younger and I cannot do it. My boss is normally really good but she’s basically said just get on with it.
I know it’s zoom but it’s still talking in front of hundreds of people and I know I’ll make a fool of myself I get tongue tied, stutter say the wrong thing etc
I’m genuinely in tears st the thought of doing it :(

I do a lot of public speaking, and talk to large groups, so can tell you that, although it can be daunting at first, it is really no big deal. Please remember that, whatever experiences you had when you were younger, people grow up and are generally not interested in ridiculing you or having you do a bad job. Also, the presentation is not about you as a person, it is about a project that you have lots of knowledge of. So you are already ahead of the game, in that it is asking about things that you know. The people listening wont be trying to catch you out, and if they ask something you cant answer, you have your boss as back up, or you can tell them you will have to get back to them. Rehearsing is great - could you also identify your worst fears head of time (i.e. I will shake and people will notice) and then do a trial run where you film yourself? You will generally find that what you fear is not noticable or not as bad as you fear. Having someone else you trust also review it can help. And remember that, even if people do notice you look a little red or shaky, they usually dont judge you harsh. As well as notes and rehearsal, practice some breathing techniques for just before you speak, slow your delivery so people can hear you properly, and remember you dont have to cover immense detail in 10 minutes. If people want to know more, they will ask. Telling yourself you cant do it will set you up for failure -I bet you have done a lot of hard things in your life and managed them fine. If you did them, you can do this. I am not a fan of relying on chemicals to help, because I think it is more powerful to learn you can do this yourself, but lots of people find them helpful. good luck. You can do it.

Watch some TED talks on YouTube. Fake it til you make it etc
You can do this, I can, anyone can. You just need to believe you can. Or fake it!

I also hate public speaking, but I can teach, present, deal with high level serious meetings by teams and in person. I would prefer not to but I can do it.

Make a list of your most important points/things you want people to remember.

And remind yourself it is not YOU on display but the information you need to share.

I am like this. Practice, practice, practice - I swear by it. It doesn't take the extreme nerves away but somehow once I am on I can rattle off what I need to say easily. Also with time it becomes less difficult as you become more used to it. I completely understand as I feel physically sick before public speaking (but apparently I come across really well - amazing given the mess I am inside!).

I can understand the poster who raised their eyebrows about medication but for those of us who relate- believe me, sometimes medication is the only way

A one off low dose is totally benign. The gp makes sure no low blood pressure issues before prescribing anyway.

Op, Musciisans take it for stage fright and it’s one of its purposes. It really just stops that adrenaline rush that causes physical nerves symptoms, so you can get on and present.

If you don’t want to or don’t have time, then practice is the key, and keep notes. But if this is going to be something you have to do often, just speak to your gp.

I think there’s a lot to be said for being proactive and explaining to your boss how strongly you feel and that you are genuinely unable to do it at this stage. Say it’s a skill you would like to develop but it will take time and you need to start small. Could you ask to do three short bullet points and for your boss to take over from there? Or could your boss present and then say “anything to add?” and you have one bullet point kept back for you to add.

I really sympathise. CBT can be very effective. It works by gradually doing things that make you a bit more uncomfortable while challenging your thinking around the scenario, 'everyone will think I'm an idiot etc'
It sounds like your boss has confidence in you and maybe you are in line for a more senior role? If you stumble people will not think badly of you.
Try and address this rather than avoid it, if you can't do it this time, maybe you can say to boss, I have a problem but I am going to try and tackle it, please support me through the process

Write your script and practise in front of a mirror several times, or to another person if you have willing partner etc. One of my DC used to do this on the phone to me - sent me the Powerpoint then talked through the presentation on the phone asking me to time it or comment (positively with minor suggestions).
If you do a Powerpoint with key points you can share that on zoom and people will see that instead of you. If you do get nervous they can still get the gist of what you are telling them.

I used to be horribly nervous about presentations and not very good either. It really helped me to visualise the presentation going well. I visualised myself sounding relaxed and cofident and ran through the presentation. This really helped.

A good thing with online is that you don't have issues with voice projection. If you can't see any faces it can be a bit like talking into a void so try to practise so you are not thrown by that.

Lots of people do poor presentations too. Even if you're not very good try to be well prepared. The worst presentations I've ever seen were nervous people who didn't prepare and thought that adrenalin would carry them through and they totally dried. People can tell if you're reading but do it if it's the only way youll get through but try to slow it down. If it's not very good, thats not the end of the world. Presumably you weren't hired for your public speaking. Each time you do it you get a bit better.

You are almost certainly not going to be as unlucky as one of my colleagues who nearly knocked himself out on stage in front of hundred of people and had to exit bleeding.

Lots of good advice on structure above

Start early and practice with a friend (on zoom) till you get it, have queue cards with you. You could also do a final practice w your immediate boss. L

If necessary get hold of the medication suggested above. Overall I’d sat always best to try To do without, but may not be possible in the time/for you.

Most people have to do this stuff so you do have to get on with it. You will be fine and the more you do it the easier it will get.

Can you start small? Practice at small team meetings with short presentations to get into the feel of it so it becomes normal?
Then it's just the same when you present to a larger group - and ignore the numbers of participants, use some slides so you're focussed on them rather than the gallery view.