About to start college/fear of public speaking

[[Ca...]]

I'm about to take my first on-campus colleges classes beginning next month. I'm about fifteen credits into a 72 credit program, so I want to continue with my degree, but I'm panicking about the possibility of have to speak in front of the class. I don't even want to have to introduce myself on the first day. The last time I spoke in front of a class was more than twenty years ago in high school. I was giving a presentation and had my first panic attack. I tried to give another presentation in another class soon after and the same thing happened. Since then I have avoided public speaking like the plague. To add to the matter, I still have enough benzo withdrawal fog that I'm afraid I won't be able to organize my thoughts at all. I've been sitting around today looking for school alternatives, but I really want to get a degree in what I've been studying (Biomedical Equipment Technician). Can somebody give me some advice please? 

[[Pr...]]

Just realize that no one else wants to do that either. I took

A speech class in college a couple semesters ago. It was nice to see that no one else wanted to do a speech either and almost everyone else got nervous like I did. Some even worse than me. If you have to inteoduce yourself keep it short and sweet.

[[Ca...]]

Just realize that no one else wants to do that either. I took

A speech class in college a couple semesters ago. It was nice to see that no one else wanted to do a speech either and almost everyone else got nervous like I did. Some even worse than me. If you have to inteoduce yourself keep it short and sweet.

 

I wish that helped, but I have crippling panic.

[[Da...]]

Hi Caddo, I realize that has to be a difficult thing to do but cross each bridge when you come to it. It should be quick to introduce yourself to the class. Dreading things that are going to happen in the future is a lot of bad energy. I know exactly how you feel because I have a ton of anxiety myself but if you want to be a Biomedical Equipment Technician then you probably are going to have to introduce yourself to strangers sometimes. Remember classmates and instructors are people like us. They are there to learn as well so try your best not to feel nervous in front of them.

 

I know you feel that this is easy to say and not so easy to do but if you try you should be able to get through it try to be open to the idea that everyone else feels the same way..

[[Da...]]

Hi Caddo, there is one more thing I meant to say. You were able to write up your fears and post them here. We are all other people too. So you are communicating with others. I know it is different you are writing and we are writing it is way different from 1:1 communication. But try to think about it though. Maybe communicating with others by just introducing yourself may not be all that scary.

[[Te...]]

I still wouldn't be able to give a speech, and I'm 64! I used to look around the room and KNOW that nobody was as nervous as I was. One time I was taking 19 units, it was at the close of the year, and as the time came to give a speech in one of my classes, I couldn't do it. I dropped all 19 units and had to make them up at another school.

 

Some therapists do virtual reality exposure therapy. I was thinking that if I had to do a speech, I would videotape myself and see how I looked. I would also have a trusted friend or family member listen to my speech. I know that it helps to be prepared or over prepared.

 

I was going to have to take a class for a job, and one of the things was talking to a group and introducing myself. Instead of just forging ahead, really nervous, I thought that what I would do is tell everybody how nervous I was. People tend to be supportive when they realize that you're nervous.

 

Then again, sometimes people don't pay attention to what you say because they're thinking about what they're going to say.

 

I really feel for you because I've been there.

[[lo...]]

I had to speak publicly as part of my work.  I had no choice and I hated it.  It made me ill.  But I still did it.  I had to attend conferences to present the results of research projects and was never sure how many people would be in the audience.  It was variable.  Anyway, the things that helped me were:

 

(1) practising over and over again what I would say and listening to it to see how I sounded and looked (video)

 

(2) listening to other speakers ... some were terrible which made me feel better, others were excellent and I learned from them.

 

(3) a little bit of humour is a great thing to put into a talk .... it lightens the atmosphere for everyone.

 

(4) being videoed practising a talk ..  this might help ... it helped me to realise that I looked and sounded okay even though I felt  terrible. I realised that other people had no idea how terrible I felt because I looked quite confident.

 

(5) And of course remember that many people hate public speaking and are just as nervous and this will definitely be the case in a class of students.

 

(6) And Terry is right, most people will be worrying about their own talk if everyone has to contribute.

 

It gradually got a bit easier for me but I still hated it!!  >

 

Best of luck

 

Fiona 

[[Ca...]]

I'm thinking I may need to drop my classes and maybe get an online degree. It won't be in something that I want to do, but it's better than not having any kind of education.

[[Te...]]

Well, I definitely  understand, especially going through benzo wd and the terrible anxiety/panic it causes. It'll be a lot less stressful. Good luck!! 

[[Ma...]]

I used to be shy and couldn't speak in front of people and then had a job in which I did that every day and was a group leader. I trained that in front of teddy bears.

 

That is no joke. And later I read that in an article..

So my advice is:

1. imagine the situation

2. build up some teddy bears or other stuff with faces:-) and say it loud in front - several times until your voice is loud and clear

3. add a mirror and speak to yourself (thats wonderful for your neurons in the brain)

4. train to stand upright and proud

5. PRETEND to be strong. Train that. Talk to people in supermarket, at the station, to strangers, practice small-talk

6. love yourself. you are a beginner, you will get better and better and if you smile no one will hate you!

 

All of these steps are working, I still train them.

The most important is the last one.

 

Like everything this can be learned.

Hugs,

Marigold

[[Tr...]]

I gave a TEDx talk a couple years ago and the best thing I did was do the talk over and over by myself to get used to it. Practice really helps feel prepared.

[[fe...]]

I'm so sorry u are so scared. I was sooooo shy when younger I hated even going to bridal showers when we had to introduce ourselves. U need to ask yourself why u are so fearful. Then address that. U might have low self esteem. Most people fear making a mistake ..I'm still fearful but I usually notice that others are pretty nervous too. I had to take speech in college. I called the teacher and told her I was afraid, and that helped a lot. Don't be afraid to tell them u are a little nervous.

[[Ph...]]

I had this problem when giving technical presentations to groups.  I found that it really helped if I mingled with the audience and had casual conversations with some of them just prior to starting my presentation.  That relaxed feeling just carried over into my presentation when I started it.  I felt that I had already broken the ice, so to speak, so there was no need to feel nervous or self conscious.  Something shifts in the brain, from "me being evaluated by them" to "just us together, no big deal."

[[be...]]

I had to speak in public as part of my job. And in front of 5,000 people no less. But I knew my material well and as soon as I started hanging up charts and stuff I forgot about it. The best phrase I kept using was, These people would not have paid to see me speak unless they knew what I was talking about. After the speech began, I focused on it and the anxiety disappeared. I guess you can call it a great distraction. This was before benzoland. If I was on benzos at the time, I suspect I would take a rescue dose that would become a very bad habit. I'm glad I did it w/o any medication.

 

Betsy