To hate public speaking

[googlenut]

I've just started a new job that will involve me increasingly speaking in public and I loathe it. The worst bit is the build up of nerves in the weeks before hand.It's not the main part of the job (which is research) but is a key part of communicating results. Has anyone been like this and overcome it. Or anyone that enjoys public speaking - how did you get into that mindset?
This might have been better in employment but it doesnt get much traffic so hope noone minds it posted here.

Another thing is to analyse other people's presentations.
After a while we can begin to notice their shortfalls.
Only a few people excel at public speaking, so to realise that we are not perfect but most others are not either can also help with the anxiety.

It's not an opening of parliament speech, it's just a short talk about something you are the expert on. :)

I agree that Toastmasters is a great way to learn how to speak publicly with confidence. Both my partner and I have been members (he still is but as a SAHM I don't have the energy for it right now). It helped me and I made new friends from it too. I think public speaking rates very highly on the list of things people fear the most but there are loads of ways to overcome that fear and start enjoying it. Good luck. x

Thanks so much for all your help. I like the idea of thinking of it as passing on information rather than public speaking. Takes the fear out of it for me.
I'm a naturally smiley person but I find when I'm nervous it goes shaky!!

Agree with everything said here - practice, practice, practice, good clear notes, and SLOW DOWN in big letters at the top of every sheet.

If I am absolutely sure that I know my subject inside out and upside down then it makes it much easier. However I spent seven years in consultancy where too often you got dumped into presenting someone elses crap not-quite-how-you-would-have-written-it proposal to try to win a contract - no pressure there then. But with time it did get easier.

If you have any way of practicing before hand and videoing your self or at the least taping yourself I found that really helpful to identify dodgy bits.

I LOATHE with a passion any form of public speaking.

However, I went on a fantastic course run by my employer - presentation skills. It didn't promise to immediately turn you into a confident public speaker, however what it did was break down a clear and systematic approach to presenting - research and prepare your subject matter - then for the presentaiton itself, have a basic and clear structure - Intro, pre summary, key points, post summary, conclusion reached type thing. Start with bullet points, then do a slide/card per bullet point.

Obviously more to it than that, but it was just a good strategy that meant you would be unlikely to miss anything key out and you would deliver a clear message.

And although i still didn't relish speaking out, at least with a clear tried and tested (rather unoriginal!) methodology, I had a little confidence that at least I might make sense and get my points across...

I would highly highly recommend something like it, just to get through those testing times (I too dreaded such things for days and weeks and would lose sleep about it).

I know people who can just get up and "talk" and talk oh so well about whatever it is. They barely need notes and they make complete sense (and I am rather jealous!) but that will never be me, but I could do it now if I really had to, as long as I knew my subject and had time to research and prepare.

Good luck.

Oh yes, and we were videoed (grief, horror of horrors) but it did mean in the video I could see the annoying things that I did - waving my hands and losing eye contact too often... second video, a huuuuuuge difference!

Slow and clear, less is more, not too many words when short sentences will do.

And provide a handout if it is information which other people are expected to retain/absorb, so they concentrate on listening rather than scribbling.

Just as a follow on to this, my 10 year old came up with the brainwave of me delivering my talk to all the stuffed toys in the house!! Que me presenting in front of 12 stuffed animals Real thing in 2 days time eek! I can do this, can't I?

Resurrecting this thread....

Hope your presentation went well googlenut.

Can anyone recommend any good presentation courses in London? Particularly need to focus on dealing with nerves and projecting my voice.