Presentation Jitters

What's the one application on my computer that I hate using more than anything?

Yep, you guessed it...Microsoft Powerpoint.

As I nearly finish out the semester, I've been faced with quite a lot of projects that my teachers decided to graciously (not) wait for the last minute to assign. One of these projects was to present a lesson plan for teaching ancient Egypt. It was due today.

Doing the work is one thing, but when I have to present the material that's when I freak out. Normally my heart starts racing, I forget what I need to say, and (don't laugh) my voice starts getting shakey as though I'm about to cry. Yes it is that bad.

Well today I presented my lesson plan in front of my teacher and my classmates and it went great! I stayed calm and my teacher even remarked on how she really enjoyed how I set up the lesson.

So now, although I'm done with one of my presentations, I know that many of you are now facing the same dread. If so, here are some tips that I try to remind myself before I present:

• Prep! Before I present, my heart is always racing like crazy! To combat this, I take realllly slow, deep breaths to try and relax. In addition, my old speech teacher used to tell us to bring a stress ball and squeeze it as hard as you can before you go up. They work really well.

• Find your focal point! During today's presentation I would continuously scan the room, but I would only really focus my sight on my teacher. I noticed from the beginning that she was smiling, so I felt encouraged to continue!

• Know what you're talking about! I think I get the most nervous when I'm not entirely confident in my topic. It really helps if you're passionate on what you're discussing.

• Keep your composure! If you're doing a powerpoint presentation, you've probably felt the urge to hide behind the computer as you present. Instead, try and move around to keep everyone's focus on you!

• Speak out! Make you sure you have that voice level turned up and avoid sounding monotone! 

• Compliment Others! I feel as though sometimes the immediate aftermath can sometimes be the worst part of a presentation. You're wondering if you looked ridiculous up there and if anyone even cared. Earlier, I noticed that the girl that went before me was really nervous while doing her presentation. Once she concluded her presentation and sat down, I tapped her on the shoulder and complimented her on how much I loved her presentation and how I could see myself really using her project in my classroom. She looked instantly relieved, and looked a little more light-hearted about how she did.

 

This is what I wore for my presentation. The teacher told us to dress casual so I wore something that I would feel comfortable wearing anyway, making sure that I had a cardigan to "cover up" and look more polished.

Do you have any additional tips for presentation jitters?