A
male
age
26-29,
*ammy296
writes:this may sound petty, but i am soo worried. i have to present a book i have been reading to my class, and i am so nervous. recently when i read aloud in english, i get really nervous and i sound nervous and i have to take deep gasping breaths between each scentence. it never used to happen before but now it does, and i'm going to sound so nervous and i get stomach ache every time i think about it. the presentation is tomorrow. does anyone have any tips to stop my nerves??? Reply to this Question
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male
reader, sammy296 +, writes (8 May 2008):
sammy296 is verified as being by the original poster of the question to "a female reader anonymous" @ the top, i couldnt really do alot to get over the nerves, i just walked up and said what i had to say.
i found that the more i talked the less nervous i felt, and i was so nervous that i didnt end up thinking about my breathing, so i ended up breathing normally. but when i am picked to read or something i usually just try to think of something different and not breathing.
or just try to think that this is the class that ive been with for 3 years so i shouldnt be nervous.
A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (31 March 2008): ok well i have this same problem. I always think about having to read aloud in class and i get so scared when i have to because like you said i always sound nervous too, and i take deeps breathes at the end of each sentence, and i also sometimes lose my place well actually i do alot. But yea i was wondering how you did on the report and what you did to get over the nerves? i thought i was like the only person in the world that got nervous about reading a loud and it really sucks too because it makes me not want to wake up in the morning sometimes :(
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A
female
reader, Tisha-1  +, writes (11 March 2008):
 Good for you, and thank you for following up with us. I did want to hear how it went. Well, you've learned that you do live through these things, right? And you'll do better each time you have to give a presentation because you did everything you could to do a good job! Everyone thinks they sound nervous, even if they truly don't.
Well done! You deserve some applause...
clapping here....
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A
male
reader, sammy296 +, writes (11 March 2008):
sammy296 is verified as being by the original poster of the questionwell, i had my presentation today, i was shaking and i think i sounded really nervous. i even got the authors name wrong! but anyway, its over now. im glad for that at least.
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A
male
reader, sammy296 +, writes (7 March 2008):
sammy296 is verified as being by the original poster of the questionthanks alot every, my presentation was moved to next week so ill say how it goes.:)
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (5 March 2008): No advice. I also am a nervous public speaker. I shake and sometimes even black out, but once you get through it, its over. So at least you can look forward to that, right? And usually others either don't notice how nervous you were or will never let you know that they did. Most people go through this, so they are very sympathetic and good about handling it. Good luck
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (4 March 2008): Hi,
Everyone gets nervous,some more than others. I myself really suffer with nerves sometimes to the point where I make myself ill or simply can not do the task in hand. Dont let your nerves take over your life, you could speak with your doctor but I think this is more down to your age than anything medical and you might find that as you get older it goes away completely however, I am sure that there is a herbal tablet on the market called CALMS, you can buy it from anywhere like boots and superdrug and this should help with your unsettled stomach.
Hope this is useful. Take care x
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A
female
reader, O Connor  +, writes (4 March 2008):
 hey chicken - everyone gets nervous about something or other. i am a singer, and i get really nervous singing in small groups!! but you just have to tell yourself that everyone else in the room is probably just as nervous abouth their presentations, and it will be over before you know it! practice alot before you actually do it, so that you know it off by heart. this will make it easier for you to get through it. before exams, i used to take a little drop of Rescue Remedy - its a small bottle of liquid that calms nerves. you just put a drop on your tongue - it used to help me anyway. hope this helps - and GOOD LUCK in your presentation!! I'm sure you'll knock 'em dead hun xxx
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (3 March 2008): P.S. Also a great tip I once got was 'don't forget to breathe'! It also may sound silly but it's true, remember to breathe normally inbetween sentences and and that will help a lot I guarantee it!
Good luck, you'll do great! x
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (3 March 2008): I have a tip! Im a singer and I get nervous sometimes and have noticed that a spoonful of a cough syrup called 'Robitussin' that you can buy at Boots or Tesco really helps my nerves as well as my throat sometimes!
You'll see it on the shelf behind the pharmacy bit, and they usually have a red box and a purple box, I get the purple box.
It's non-drowsy and I can't explain why it always seems to calm me down whenever I happen to take it but it really does!
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A
female
reader, Tisha-1 +, writes (3 March 2008):
This is completely normal! Almost everyone in the world gets nervous before speaking in public. Even famous actors & singers.
A couple of thoughts that might help you.
If this is a class where everyone else has to give a report, then most people are too worried about their own presentations to pay much attention to how nervous you seem.
Also, you might think you look nervous, but most likely, you won't look as nervous as you think.
You have to remember that you know more than everyone about the book you're presenting, so you don't have to worry about your knowledge.
A common thing that people suggest is that you picture your audience sitting there in their undergarments, but that has never worked for me.
What has worked for me is to practice the talk I'm going to give, several times, with a recording device to play back how I sound. The more you do the talk, the more comfortable you'll be with the sound and scope of your words. I also recommend having people who love you, your family and friends, listen to the talk before you give it. Use them for practice; they won't mind if you have to stop and start again a couple of times. This way you can get over the initial presentation jitters with them.
Don't forget that eye contact with the audience helps a lot. Pick two or three people in the audience that you can focus on. I would choose the students that have just finished their presentations; they will feel so relieved to be done that they will nod & smile and kind of give you a reassuring feeling!
Practice a lot, listen to what you sound like on the recording, and relax, you WILL live through this! Really, you will!
Good luck, and I think you will do just fine.
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