Although I feel I am a confident person and am not very shy around people, I still get very flustered and confused when I have to present in front of my class. I dread getting assigned for presentations because it is very hard for me to face a large group of people and speak in front of them for five to ten minutes. I begin to stutter and stammer incessantly, and my palms get damp. It is very hard for me to stand still and face an audience and I fidget continuously. I feel nervous, tense and unconfident even when I am well-prepared and know the presentation and speech by heart. It gets very unnerving even if I have to speak in front of people that are my friends, and I am usually my confident, happy and jubilant self with them. I want to become excellent in public speaking because I know that even if a person becomes a powerhouse of knowledge, they are no good to the society if they cannot speak up amongst ten people.
Therefore, my goal is to overcome my nervousness and tension and try to become more confidence while delivering presentations. I want to become confidence enough to face people in the eye when giving presentations and be able to deliver the presentation with fluidity and smoothness.
Doing this will require a lot of practice and effort on my behalf. This is due to the fact that I have a fear of facing a large audience and being the only one doing all the talking hence I will need to enact discipline, preparation and lots of practice to be able to speak in public confidently. (Tech Republic).
There need to be a few things that must be followed in order to gain that confidence and self-assurance before a person can speak in front of a group of people. The first step is to convince your own self about being confident and telling yourself that you can do it. Nothing is impossible and that you have the nerve to face anyone and speak to them without hesitation. This can be implemented in real life by being braver in public and being outspoken with strangers and not fearing them or their opinion about you own self. The ability to speak publicly is highly recommended, and it is even better to speak slowly and hear oneself out while you are speaking.
More and more time should be spent on reading the material in the presentation and knowing when to speak what. Also, if you speak in front of the mirror, it helps you to know how well you speak, where your mistakes occur and how your body language appears. Practicing in the home is one of the best options, especially when the audience gathered can be one’s family. Talking in front of the family helps in encouragement and boosts confidence. It is also important that you read more books and read aloud because that helps to clear the speech and enables more fluency in speaking. At the time of the presentation, the words would then come naturally, and it would not be difficult to speak even if a part of the speech is forgotten. It is important to know why you get nervous, work on the issue and then eliminate the mistakes by practice and rehearsing. Moreover, the only way to overcome the nervousness is to understand and convince yourself that one should just have fun while giving a presentation and that itself provides a psychological effect of boosted self-esteem. (Tech Republic).
Therefore, the only way that I cannot get nervous and feel shy while giving a presentation is to practice, practice and practice and to talk to strangers and rehearse and talk in front of a mirror. Most importantly, it is best to enjoy the process and learn along the way.
Work Cited
The Tech Republic. “Gain confidence in your presentations by following these tips.” 2016. Web. 18 Feb,
2016.
