Manager is asking me to give presentations to clients, I just can't do it

[ijustcantdoittt]

I am in a role where I produce work for clients. It's my first job in this field and I thought it would suit me as I'm quiet. I produce work that is good and that clients are happy with, so I was enjoying my job. However, a part of the role that I wasn't expecting was I have to present my work to clients and lead meetings. I've been in the job 8 months, but I haven't had to do this yet as our client was on maternity leave so I never got introduced to the people covering for her, if that makes sense. She's back now and I have to start presenting my work in our team meetings.

I cannot begin to explain how much this terrifies me. I somehow managed to get through university presentations but this is quite literally my worst fear. I have a three month notice period, have taken sick days that bring me just below the threshold of it flagging to HR. I feel so trapped and I don't know what to do.

Second this! I've done Toastmasters for a year - best £100 ever spent

You can do it OP. Giving presentations used to be my number one fear and the way I got over it was to force myself to do it. Even now I have more experience I find it nerve wracking but it has got better. I found the best thing was to do a few practice runs in front of colleagues, family, friends whoever. You can then get feedback and refine it. As someone else said PowerPoint notes are your friend. Print them out and just have them near you so you can glance at them if need be. One really useful thing I got told was if someone asks a question and you don't know the answer then don't lie. Just be honest and say I'll have to check that and get back to you. If you are prepared you will be able to do it!

Literally came on here to say 'Beta blockers'.

Speak to your manager. Explain that it is the first time that you've had to present to this client and you'd like some assistance and support. Everyone is nervous first time.

Suggest that you do a run-through with your manager the day before. Use it to check that the presentation is correct and complete, hits the right level of info and is in keeping with the company style. It also lets the manager become familiar with what you're going to present.

Suggest that perhaps your manager does the introduction and the summary/questions, and you just present the "meat" in the middle - which is the bit you know best as it is your area of expertise.

In other words, take both the challenge and the solution to your manager and get them to support you. If they are a good manager, they'll a) understand and agree; b) help you by sharing the load as described - they can set the tone of the presentation while you focus on the detail and c) be the safety net if you stumble (which you won't, because you'll have the safety net there).

You won’t look unprofessional for saying you find it very challenging. Honestly.

Great advice above about how to broach it, what help to ask for (shadowing, co-chairing etc) and beta blockers too. With practice you will overcome your fear.

You don’t need to be amazing. You just need to be good enough. And please please remember anyone you’re presenting to is not waiting for you to fail - they’re on your side.

We got some very good advice here. Thanks watching this thread while jotting down notes for future reference

Please go to your Gp and ask for propranolol. With respect, the op can’t really take up the great advice here until the crippling anxiety is under control. I’ve been there and now I take a very small dose of propranolol to return my thinking brain to me and turn off the flight or fight response.

If you are absolutely terrified then I recommend you book yourself onto this two day course for people with a fear of public speaking: www.speaking-infront.co.uk/overcome-public-speaking-fear-anxiety
I've been on this course and it has changed my entire outlook (and maybe my entire life!)
Forget well-meaning advice to 'practice, practice, practice' etc - that works if you're nervous, but not if you're TERRIFIED. You need specialist help to nip this in the bud, quickly.
Good luck, you can beat this!

Go and join your nearest Toastmasters club. We've helped thousands of nervous speakers overcome their fears. Google 'Toastmasters International' to find the nearest club. My company paid for me to go and I've never looked back!

Thanks for that link. Have just been reading all of his blog posts for the last hours and he sounds like he really gets it.

Is it in person or virtual?

I've heard Toastmasters is good. Never used it myself though

Make a fantastic PowerPoint or whatever visual display on whatever it is you need to present and have written notes. Think of it as reading aloud not presenting. Use some props if you can and try and think of some ways to involve the audience, maybe with questions or senerios or try handling out samples. Basically avoid having to present. The important thing is to convey information and to make it interesting.

Good luck

Stop looking at this as giving a "presentation." It's really not that big of a deal. You're simply talking to someone about your work. That's it. Practice, learn some coping skills, and get on with it.

OP I totally empathise. @shade78 and others suggesting Propanolol, can I ask what strength you recommend for the circumstances?

Hey OP, I used to be exactly like you - the fear was immobilising. I stuck it out, did some courses, stuffed up a couple of pressos, was embarrassed, kept doing it anyway, got better and better and now I sometimes get paid as a presenter 😊 (it's not my main job but it's nice to get a bit of cash and have flights/hotels/cars paid for). And I'm usually not scared any more (although I still get butterflies until I start to speak).

The main things for me were making the tone conversational rather than formal, and using questions I'd been asked in the past by clients as the basis for my presentations.

Tell your boss you find public speaking tough and would like some mentoring from someone within the team, then ask to do your first 2 presentations jointly. Having another person next to me to answer curly questions helped my fear 😁.

Also voted yanbu. In my case enjoyed my job until conditions changed. Had to take on a responsibility. In itself insulting. Not paid more, stuck between unpopular government advice and having to impart it. Important for government inspections. So INSET, paid management who needed to know but like me didn't agree, likewise to colleagues.
Never went for paid middle management as very unsuited. Public sector.
Its very unlikely that your audience will be so hostile!
In my case made source of info clear. Plus how to evidence hoop jumping.
Difficult to advise as depends on what employer wants you to portray. And impart. Would ask

I used to blush, sweat, shake and all that. Now I give presentations to hundreds of people at conferences and get the best feedback regularly.

It's practice. You shake, sweat and blush through the first few, and the symptoms lessen. Use all the tips here to get through the first ones. Then it does get easier.

I also now fly, which I was phobic of.

i found that visualising the presentation going well really helped. I mentally rehearsed the whole thing in my mind with me being confident and relaxed. It made a huge difference to my presentation. It panned out exactly as I imagined it.

I hate presentations and giving training but it's part of my job. The more you do it, the easier it gets. Some people may disagree with this, but early on I would just hands up admit at the beginning I was nervous and ask them to bear with me. Everyone was always lovely about it and very reassuring which would instantly make me feel better. Also, by saying I was nervous out loud, I worried less about appearing nervous and actually managed to relax a bit. A difference with my job to yours is, that I work as part of a huge organisation and my presentations and training is always with people from my organisation. If you're working with clients outside your organisation, admitting your nerves might not be something you feel comfortable doing. In which case I would talk to your manager and see if you can get some extra support. What you're feeling is sooooo common, your manager will have possibly even felt the same in the past too, so do share how you're feeling.

You won’t look unprofessional raising it with your manager. You’re showing initiative by raising your concern, asking for more details about what’s required. That is professional. Everyone knows that some people aren’t confident public speakers but how they deal with it is what matters.

I agree with @aria about admitting it upfront too. Even just a throw away comment humanises the situation. People are sympathetic.

I have definitely been in your shoes! I avoided anything like that for years - it dictated a lot of my work choices. However, it is something you can learn to navigate with time and also giving yourself a break. It's normal to feel like this.

I'll be honest, I used to take Diazepan before big presentations as it would at least stop my voice shaking 😅. However, what I've found is that it's just something you get more comfortable with over time. Just think of it as relaying information that you know already, and try to stop thinking about it as a PRESENTATION.

Also, people always empathise with nervous presenters as nearly everyone listening will have felt the same at some point.

I’m sorry, this is me. Or was me. I could potentially do it now having not been asked to for many years, but I’m not sure. Many years ago I couldn’t. It filled me with anxiety. I did have panic attacks doing it. It was a crippling anxiety which did eventually reduce with age. I also now know I have adhd and a big part of it was fear of losing my train of thoguht.

I used to hate this, but it is a normal part of working life, so I decided to view it as a skill that I needed to master and threw everything I could at getting better at it. I never used propanalol although I know some people who do, I have taken diazempam though. I was not keen on Toastmasters but I took a beginners course in Improv (improvised comedy), the other thing I had heard recommended, and that helped loads. It especially helps with handling unexpected happenings and questions from the audience. I even went on to take a course in stand up comedy complete with performance, something I never would have thought I would do(!)

I also took in house courses in public speaking and read a couple of books on the topic, and if the presentation is important I always practise beforehand with colleagues. I still pretty much hate it and get pretty nervous but I am able to do it now.