Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 9 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 20 years, 11 months ago by
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In sixth grade, I started having anxiety attacks when asked to read out loud or do oral presentations. This has made my life very hard, and now that I’m in college, it’s difficult to do well in classes that require oral presentations. What can I do to overcome the anxiety attacks that cause my heart to beat rapidly and make me feel like fainting?
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Name : Anxious, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Catholic, Age : 20, City : Los Angeles, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : behavioral aid, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Breathe is the first rule of order. What you experience is very common, so don’t think it is only your problem. What is occurring is that you are flooding your system with adrenalin; hence the heightened sense of body. It is all related to the fight or flight instinct. But more importantly for you is your ability to turn all of this anxiety into your desire to perform. Look at all this newfound energy as your talent wanting to come forth. View it as a friend, not an enemy. Harness this feeling as fuel for your performance to verbally and physically articulate your message. In addition to this, put yourself in more opportunities to experience this sensation. I know this sounds scary, but the more you experience it, the more comfortable you will become in these situations. Just be careful. This type of sensation can become addictive, and the next thing you know, you’ll want to become an actor/politician/preacher.
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Name : Matthew21850, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, City : New York, State : NY, Country : United States, Occupation : Actor, Education level : Over 4 Years of College,I can empathize with you whole-heartedly. I used to have a terrible stammer, and hated having to stand up and talk. I trained myself not to stammer by reciting passages from plays and poems (can’t stammer if you have to keep a rhythm). If it’s just the thought of having people staring at you that makes you go to pieces, try picking out one or two of your friends in the audience, and just talk to them. Ignore the people around them. This genuinely works, because after a while, the other faces tend to melt into one blurry mass, and all you see are your friends. I hope you come to grips with your challenge; it is awful to have that sicky feeling inside you that roots you to the ground. Just focus on those friendly faces.
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Name : Sara, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Methodist, Age : 27, City : London, State : NA, Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : Analyst, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,It’s normal for people to get nervous when they speak in public, but ‘rapid heartbeat’ and ‘fainting’ are not. I’m a certified public announcer (besides other things), and the first time I had to speak to large groups, I was very nervous. But in time, nervousness fades, if you work on it. You’re young, you’ve got a big chance. I started at 19. First, you need professional help. You’re in college, so have you taken any oratory classes? Have you taken any ‘speak in public’ lessons? Well, do it. They do wonders not only for technique but psychologicaly as well (the most important aspect). They give you a million tips like 1) practice presentations first with close friends 2) don’t look people in the eye (until you’ve mastered the art), look above their heads all the time 3) record your speeches and listen to yourself, etc. Do an internet search on ‘speaking in public’ or ‘talking to an audience,’ or get books on the subject. They do help. Most important, work on your attitude, be positive, be happy, feel good, it will show when you talk to an audience. Suerte hermana!
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Name : Nelson-A20196, Gender : M, Race : race=white, culture=hispanic/latino, Religion : Catholic, Age : 31, City : Caracas, State : NA, Country : Venezuela, Occupation : lawyer/business, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I used to have a similar problem. For me, it was mostly anticipation before actually doing it. What helps me is to try to prepare and be confident in the material in what I am trying to present or say. Another tactic I use is to guess what questions I will be asked and have the answers ready. I always say a little prayer before I get up. It tends to help, too. Then there’s looking over the people’s head and concentrating on the back wall, if you’re allowed to. I hope this helps somehow. God bless.
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Name : J., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 19, City : Sutter Creek, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : College Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,I have a degree in communications and have had to give many oral presentations in front of peers. It gets easier with experience, but I still can get sweaty and flushed before I get up there. First, recognize that others in your classes are feeling the same things about presenting. Do you judge them harshly when they are in front of you? Probably not. They understand the anxiety you are going through and will not think you’re stupid if you mess up or fumble your words. I think the most important thing to tell yourself is that the situation is not as monumental as you are making it seem to be. I did college radio, and the first time I got on the air, I felt like everyone was listening and I was the center of the universe. After a few times out I realized I was on a small station with a limited number of people listening, and it loosened me up. Try to put the situation in persepective. It’s just a class at a college, and most of the other people in there with you are in your same position. It’s all in how you look at it.
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Name : Marc22182, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 24, City : Morgantown, State : WV, Country : United States, Occupation : Grad Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,I used to have exactly the same problem until I did a short public speaking course four years ago. How did it work? Once a week I had to give a two-minute speech on any topic to the other seven people in my class, who were all very friendly students at my school. That’s all you have to do. Just start by giving a short speech to a few friends regularly. When I’m speaking to a large crowd of people, I also like to think that hardly anyone in the audience is actually listening to me{which is always the case in a school or work situation!} Good luck!
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Name : Netta, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 18, City : Armidale, State : NA, Country : Australia, Occupation : Student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,Not everyone is cut out for public speaking. I have these same feelings, and when I took a college teaching job, I read the same replies about how it gets easier, you can the feelings positively, focusing on individuals helps, &ct. None of it worked for me, and after three years of teaching the same course, I still couldn’t sleep through the nights before class. Although I was effective and well liked as a professor, with good evaluations and a secure place in the department, I never got over feeling dizzy, shaky, and upset during class. These were small classes, never more than 20 students and sometimes as few as 6. I learned from the experience that it was possible for me to survive this fear and do a good job in spite of it, and that was a valuable thing. But I also learned that I’ll never be happy or comfortable with public speaking: it’s just not for me.
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Name : Bathsheba, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 30, City : Santa Cruz, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Artist/entrepreneur, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Not everyone is cut out for public speaking. I have these same feelings, and when I took a college teaching job, I read the same replies about how it gets easier, you can make the feelings positively, focusing on individuals helps, etc. None of it worked for me, and after three years of teaching the same course, I still couldn’t sleep through the nights before class. Although I was effective and well-liked as a professor, with good evaluations and a secure place in the department, I never got over feeling dizzy, shaky and upset during class. These were small classes, never more than 20 students, and sometimes as few as six. I learned from the experience that it was possible for me to survive this fear and do a good job in spite of it, and that was a valuable thing. But I also learned that I’ll never be happy or comfortable with public speaking: it’s just not for me.
User Detail :
Name : Bathsheba, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 30, City : Santa Cruz, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Artist/entrepreneur, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I have the same problem, but I don’t have the fainting part. While others who don’t have it think you can overcome it with tricks, they never worked for me. I couldn’t read anything to a group, even just 2 or 3 people. Once I panicked reading a letter to my boss on the phone. I avoided the public reading situation for years, making whatever excuse I could to get out of it. I don’t really need glasses, but I was prepared to use them as an excuse if need be. I did 2 things to overcome the problem. I became part of a volunteer group that engages in public speaking on a regular basis. I worked my way to the point where I speak in front of hundreds (and have many times) when I know my subject, perfectly. Note that I’m not reading, just speaking using an outline or Powerpoint presentation. That didn’t solve the reading panic part. Next, my doctor gave me some pills to calm me down when and if I couldn’t get out of having to read something in public. The day came where I had to read a page, verbatim, to a group of about 300. I felt the panic. Bad. I’m happy to say that as soon as I began reading, the panic ceased. (I actually wished it would go on longer.) I now feel that I could do it without the pill, but I keep them in my briefcase, just in case. Ask your doctor about this. And good luck.
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Name : Jan, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 55, City : Philadelphia, State : PA, Country : United States, Occupation : CPA, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,
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