What is the best way to deal with anxiety before an important presentation?
473770
Be prepared. Know your topic. Get a good night's sleep the night before. Take deep breaths to try to relax. Don't think about the grade you need to get on the presentation. Try to think about how fun it will be to share your information with others. If you make a mistake during the presentation, don't beat yourself up. Take a deep breath and continue. Anxiety lessens the more times you have to give a presentation.
530061
Take a public speaking class. I had really bad anxiety attacks when I had to do this, but after taking a public speaking class I do fine at it!
1025302
You don't indicate whether this anxiety occurs when you are speaking in public, in front of a large audience, or if this is an everyday occurrence which happens no matter what the situation.\n\nYou also don't indicate who these people are: Strangers?  Friends?\n\nThere are different courses of action to take depending upon your situation.\n\nIf you fear speaking to strangers and to the public, don't worry, most people share that anxiety.  The key is to remember that it's not the end of the world- your bills aren't going to multiply and your health isn't going to deteriorate if you don't speak perfectly. \n\nTake your time and slow down your speaking.  Listen to what you are saying.  If you find you are injecting what I call "verbal commas" (sounds such as "um, ah......, uh, like,) that is an indication that either you are speaking too fast, or you don't know your material.\n\nIf you don't know your material, then how can you be confident with your delivery?  Also, while making eye contact is critical, it can be very difficult to do when you have anxiety.  Simply look at random points through out the room- it will look to everyone as if you are making eye contact with everyone else. \n\nIf you have difficulty speaking with ANYONE in general conversation, there could be some underlying issues you need to uncover.  More than likely there is a confidence issue at hand.  If you don't want to seek professional help, I suggest simply remembering that no matter what you say, it's not the end of the world.  Slow down.  Breathe, and be cognisant of your body- are your muscles tightening?  If so, pause your speaking, breathe, and relax, then continue.  \n\nThere isn't a time limit when you have a conversation with a friend or a stranger, so don't feel rushed or pressed.  Also remember that no one is making any sort of character judgements about you when you speak.  It's not how you speak, it's what you say that effects your character.\n\nIf you're worried about what you say, then I again say- know what you are saying.  Don't speak if you know nothing about the subject at hand- rather, don't speak as if you have knowledge about it.  \n\nAnother technique is to ask questions- rephrase what you want to say so that others have to do the speaking, and use their answers as a base for what you will say next.\n\nInstead of saying, "I really liked that movie" and being too nervous to list your reasons why, for example, ask- "Did you like that movie?"  The ball is in the other person's court- they will answer, "Yes" or "no", and then YOU are in control- you can now ask "Why?" Then again, the ball is back in their court.  You are having a conversation without really doing much speaking. \n\nAbove all, remember that we are all capable of fear and anxiety, and we are all capable of conquering it.  Everyone has different methods; it's up to you to find yours.  You're not going to find it if you're too afraid to try.\n\nGood luck to you.
543131
One way to deal with the nervousness is to just use that as a spring board for your conversations.  Talk about the fact that you are both nervous and you already be sharing something in common and start bonding.
175163
Stand up to them. Do this in a professional and respectful manner. Do not lower your standard to their level.Smile while you are doing this and last of all ask them if they need your help. Be sincere. Make sure you have had enough sleep the night before and if you take medicine to help you control your emotions, take it about 30 minutes before you have your day. Let us know how it turns out. You may want to practice in the mirror at home for a few times before you BLAST OFF. GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
203394
Pray.\nTake something for anxiety.\nBring a headset and listen to calming music.
1113167
Lots of people get nervous speaking in front of people. It is very daunting to see all those people who are hanging over your every word.  When you get really nervous, take a deep breath and count to 3, then just try to continue speaking. Realize that people aren't judging you and are probably more focused on what you are reading rather than the way you are reading it. If worse comes to worse you can just look for a familiar face in the crowd, like maybe a friend, and focus your attention on them. Make it seem as if you are just there reading to your friend.
546480
you are not alone,  public speaking is one the biggest fears faced by people.  you must feel confident, make sure your dressed to the tee, you smell good, your hair is done right.... beleive me the way you look influneces the way you feel about yourself.\nsecond,,,,,prepare,,,,  know whatever your speaking about.knowledge is power. power boosts confidence. \nthird, practice in front of mirror. \nthis sounds funny but it works , this is a sales technique , if you look convincing , you'll sound convincing. \ndont look anyone directly into the eyes. look above them but change the general direction of your look so they feel you are talking to the whole crowd.\nand lastly....... relax.you know what your doing.youll bee all right.... it will be over soon.
1114681
FIrst off, make sure the speech is something you could say off the cuff so you are comfrortable speaking on the subject.  It's hard to talk about something if you're familiar with it and could wing it if necessary. \nPractice in front of a mirror, make sure you aren't fidgeting ro making unnecessary hand gestures.  \nPractice in front of family or friends.  If  you can laugh with them while giving the speech, it'll help break up the jitters.\nTHe more you speak it out loud, the better.  In the end remember, you may think you'[re there to impress people, but in the end they're just people who were just as bervous as you at one time.\nBREATH!!!  You can do some deep breathing exercises before you go up to speak.  Try not to focus on one person, but don't sweep the room either. I've never had a problem speaking in front of people, not because i'm oujtgoing as it is, but because I jsut remember that it's just people and I'm up there doing my best.\nTHis is my experience, but the link below could help as well.
617413
LOTS of preparation is needed.  \n\nFirst, know your topic back to front so that you don't have to memorize what you're going to say.\n\nPlan out what you'll speak about and when.  Outline the whole thing. \n\nUse visual aids, like power point or old fashioned tables and charts.  But, be prepared should something fail.\n\nTry to involve your audience.  However you can.\n\nPretend you're talking to friends.  Most people want to be interested if you'll bring them in.  Smile and think happy thoughts.  And smile.  Oh yeah, also, smile. ^_^\n\nDon't let the numbers scare you.  Presenting for 400 is the same as presenting for 30, 'cept you might need a microphone to be heard in the back!\n\nGood luck, have fun!
9459
if something awkward happens (like you spill somethimg, or trip) make a little joke about it. or try to laugh it off.\n  but try to remain confident and relaxed. just have fun
1001233
Before or after your presentation, you could distribute some simple (but yes, make it attractive as well) flyers / pamphlets to your audience.. It helps them know that you've put in a lot of effort to your presentation and that you're really interested for them to know what you've got to present to them.. That was what my groupmates and I did for our final year project's presentation and we got an A for it! The panel of lecturers liked it a lot! The other students did not have such flyers for their presentation, so that was advantageous to us as well..\n\nPresent your points and speak with the fullest confidence you can(but not arrogantly, as though you know everything - it's a turn off).. That's the most important - confidence.. Also, give the right body language (hand gestures, etc) and do not speak in mono-tones.. Speak clearly and loud enough for your audience to hear you as well.. Maintain good eye contact to your audience too, so that you can keep their attention focused on your presentation.. Rehearse a bit of all your important lines the day before, so that you will be fully prepared on what you want to say for the presentation.. Use proper English (I assume your presentation is going to be in English) with the correct wordings and grammar (I'm sure you've got all these taken care of).. \n\nOh yeah, since you've got killer presentation slides, try your best not to read "everything" from the slides - or it will kinda defeat the purpose of having killer presentation slides anyway.. \n\nTowards the end of your presentation, perhaps you could also present a demo (if relevant) to your audience - it helps them see the practical side of what you've been trying to convey to them earlier.. Make the demo interesting and do it creatively.. =) Your audience will like it.. \n\nFinally, do dress well for your big day and all the best for your presentation!
244668
I've had to do a lot of public speaking events, and like most Americans, i would have preferred death. one thing i learned, to make it easier, is never look at the entire group at once. Only look at one person, or two, at a time. Then, it's just like having a normal conversation. it make it seem less overwhelming. Also, don't try and memorize what you want to say. Have a very BARE outline, of points you want to cover, then speak to each one as you go down the list. trying to remember EVERYTHING you want to say, not only will confuse you, but if you miss something, you'll throw yourself off. remember, they don't KNOW what your going to say, so if you mess up, they don't know. Last, but probably most important, never apologize. You lose all credibility when you start out with "I'm sorry, this is my first....". i wish you the best of luck!!!
1131919
Concentrate on your breathing.  If you start to panic, just start thinking slowly about your breathing, breath in and out again, and in, and out, do this slowly, don't take huge breaths or fast breaths, just in and out.  Then think of something happy, something that you enjoy, do NOT concentrate on what you are panicking about, say if you are anxious because of all the people, don't sit and stare at them, or think about them at all.  If you have to, go into the bathroom and imagine that you are somewhere else, vedge out for a minute until your nerves get calm again.  \n\nI would also suggest talking to a doctor, they can prescribe medicines that you can take when you first get that panicky feeling, or even before you get into a situation that you know you may feel anxious about.  This stuff has worked for me, I have found that I can breathe my way through just about any panic attack, I haven't had one in about seven months now.  Try it, and seriously, talk to your doctor.
106152
Stay on Top-ic\nHow would you like to prepare a presentation in half the time and with better results? Do you think this is possible?\n\nIt's all a question of getting organized, even for a one page paper, or a 10 minute presentation. There is a basic technique which works well for the preparation of many presentations, reports or articles:\n\nChoice of topic, brainstorming, research on the Internet and in libraries etc., sorting, table of contents with chapter headings; key words for the chapters; writing the chapters; conclusion; thinking of more interesting headings or a better title. \n\nThis principle is valid for the preparation of both, spoken and written presentations.\n\n1 The Topic\nFirst you need a topic. If the topic is not given, you can use a working topic at first and find a more attractive one later, e.g., working topic,  How One Can Use a Towel.\n\n2 Brainstorming and Research\nWrite down all ideas for the topic which come to your mind, without judging them. Have fun with it, be inventive, creative, even silly. E.g. for drying skin, body, ink; for making a sun roof; for cleaning the floor, the car, the sofa; for carrying laundry or other things in it; for playing a trick on the teacher; for making a jacket; for filtering water, etc. Research all possible sources, make notes.\n\n3 Sort\nSort out the ideas from your research notes and your brainstorming you want to consider, e.g. drying things; carrying things etc. You may not want "playing a trick on the teacher." You may want to limit your ideas to very few examples, if you want to write a brief report or article.\n\n4 Make a Table of Contents\nThe general order is:\nA Introduction, \nB Main chapters or main paragraphs,\nC Conclusions. \n\nNote down in key words the thoughts, ideas and facts you want to place in each section of the table of contents. This helps you to avoid unnecessary repetitions. Do not start to write the introduction or the chapters, before you have the table of contents.\n\nExample: I once saw a book with excellent material, but the writer had not made a table of contents before he started writing. The result was that he repeated the same thoughts in different words all over his book, which is boring to the reader. To repair the repetitions, when the book is done, is hard, hard work and sometimes impossible. It is much easier and better to do the table of contents and then start writing. When writing books, the table of contents may sometimes change in sequence while writing the chapters.\n\n5 Introduction\nE.g. ask a thought provoking question as introduction for a report: Is a towel merely good for drying the skin? Yet, do not give the real answer here, but later. Or give a funny answer. \n\nOr state a problem you have come across, e.g.: There are people having too many towels, these could serve others, who need them, in many ways. \n\nIn the introduction, you have to get the attention of your audience or readers! Be thought provoking, funny or original: Today, I wanted to tell you about my towel I wore on my head (everybody may wonder what this is all about).\n\n6 Main Chapters or Main Paragraphs, Headings\nChapter 1 - Towels in the House\nChapter 2 - Towels on the Beach\nChapter 3 - Towels on Boats\nChapter 4 - Towels in Space Crafts\netc. \nE.g. you want to cover the towel colors in Chapter 2, the quality of towels in Chapter 3, and the size of towels in Chapter 4, instead of a more tiring approach to cover all three thoughts in every chapter.\n\nRethink Topic\nIn the end, you may sometimes want to formulate the headings for these chapters or paragraphs with more variations. Instead of saying "Towels in....," "Towels on....," you may say, "Beach Towels," or, "Is there Space for Towels in Space Crafts?"\n\n7 Conclusions\nHere you summarize what you found and elaborate on it, or you state what you feel is further interesting, e.g. the space for towels in space crafts, if you have not
1129645
Practice makes perfect! You only need to concentrate on your presentation for tomorrow. Short term memory is not the problem. Go on! You can do that!\n:)
153840
I had suffer from anxiety attacks a while ago, the best thing to do is not to think of them, if before u go on the plane or the cruise u are already thinking that u are gonna have an anxiety attack, u are programming yourself.....just be optimistic about it, dont think about them...if u have one..the best thing to do, that works with me...think that it will soon pass....just dont loose ur head....it will pass it will pass....and if u have a partner, couple....try to talk about anything....anything at all...the worts thing is to be left alone with yourself and your nervous mind. Talk to the guy next to you..sing a song...anything...to distract for a moment your mind.