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Explanation and tips on overcoming fear of speaking to your class in school. Also refer to reports, lectures, success, confidence, homework, good grades, excellence, Ron Kurtus, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions

Speak to Your Class with Confidence

by Ron Kurtus (revised 20 October 1999)

Have you ever had to speak in front your class—perhaps to give a report—and you got real nervous? Perhaps you stammered, started to sweat and even started to shake. Many students have this problem. In fact, the fear of speaking in front of a group is one of the worst fears people have. It even ranks above the fear of death (but not as great as the fear of snakes).

When I was in high school, I was terrified of speaking in front of the class. I would tremble and my mouth would fill with saliva. The only way I could effectively give a presentation was to sit in a chair when I was in front of the class. My English teacher frowned on this and thought I was just trying to be different or difficult.

I later learned to have confidence when speaking in front of a group. Sure, there was a little nervousness, but I then was able to speak without fear.

Questions you may have include:

• Why am I so afraid?
• What can I do about it?
• How can I become confident and a champion?

This lesson will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz near the end of the lesson.

What are you afraid of?

One big reason students get so nervous when they have to speak in front of their class is because they have a fear of looking stupid in front of their fellow students. This fear holds for all people, when they have to speak in front of others.

Another major fear is that you will forget what you were going to say or that your mind will go blank, such that you will just stand there like an idiot, while everyone watches you. You fear that you will look so stupid in front of the whole class that they may laugh   and make fun of you. What a terrible feeling!

To top it off, when you get nervous, you may get flushed in the face, start to tremble, start to sweat allot and who knows what else. Being humiliated like this can destroy your ego and confidence. In fact, it can really ruin your day.

Tips to overcome those fears

There are several tips or tricks to use to overcome the fear of making a mistake or looking foolish when you speak to a group:

• Know your subject matter
• Know your speech
• Have a backup, in case you forget what you want to say
• Realize that the audience isn't so special
• Practice, practice, practice

In the following material, I will explain each of those points.

Know your subject matter

If you are going to speak to the class about something, you should know the subject matter thoroughly. Since it is usually something you have just been studying, you should be able to answer questions from students who aren't as familiar with the subject as you.

You should always know more than the material you are presenting, so you can answer questions. Also, you must be prepared for the "smart-aleck" in class who knows the subject well and asks a question to try to stump you. There is more about this later in contingency plans.

Knowing the subject matter gives you a feeling of confidence before you give your talk.

Know your speech

A big fear students have is that they will forget what they were going to say, especially if they must speak without notes. You should know your speech or talk very well before presenting it in front of a class or an audience. Don't try to wing it. Rather, write it out ahead of time and practice it at least once.

Don't wing it

The worse thing in the world to do is to not be prepared and try to "wing it" by talking off the top of your head. Some students who have the "gift of gab" can pull this off, but it is really setting yourself up for failure. Speaking in front of your class is too important to take the risk of going blank and looking like a fool.

Write it out

The best thing to do is to write out what you plan to say. Some students will write a word-by-word report that they will later hand in to the teacher. Others will use an outline of the important points to cover, if that is their working style and they don't have to hand in the report.

Practice speech

One way to make sure you know the speech is to practice giving it many times before your actual presentation. Practice by yourself, in front of your friends or your parents. The more you give the speech the more confidence you get.

Tips on practicing

Try standing in the corner when you practice your speech out loud. The walls in the corner will reflect the sounds, so that you can hear how your voice sounds, a fraction of a second after you speak. It is strange, but effective.

Practice giving your talk into a tape recorder. Surprisingly, having a tape recorder running puts pressure on you to know your material.

Have a backup

It is worthwhile to bring along a "security blanket" or "safety net" in case something goes wrong in your presentation. For example, have your speech outlined on 3 x 5 cards. This is a good backup in case you have a mental lapse. Referring to your notes is certainly acceptable to refresh your memory.

Of course, though, you should be prepared enough that you don't have to completely depend on your notes for your material.

Tips on using notes

It is not good to read a talk word-for-word form a report you have written. In such a case, why not simply give out copies and let people read it for themselves?

To some degree, you must memorize what you are going to say. The best way is to highlight key words or phrases from your report. These will be cues to stimulate your memory and to guide you through your talk. You might simply put these words or phases on 3x5 cards to refer to if you need it.

Note that your teacher should allow you to use some sort of reminder device like 3x5 cards. It is not fair to require your to completely memorize everything word-by-word, unless that is the purpose of the exercise. Check with the teacher before you use such an aid, so you don't get penalized.

Reduce fear of your audience

Speaking to important people or dignitaries can create fear in a person. This fear can be overcome by visualizing the people as not all that important.

Old trick

One old trick is to imagine that the audience is naked. Or perhaps imagine them all in clown outfits. A ridiculous image will make them seem not all that important. It is surprising how such an image can relax you.

Remember that they are just other kids and that they are there to hear what you have to say.

Consider your teacher. You don't see your teacher getting nervous in front of the class. Think of yourself in the role of a teacher. You are teaching the class something.

Be prepared for trouble - contingency plans

Whenever you give a demonstration or perform an experiment in front of the class, it is possible that something can go wrong. it is always good to prepare for any possible problems. At the very least, you should be able to think on your feet and get around the problems. Don't stop or seem flustered. Usually the audience or the class will be on your side.

Beware of the troublemaker

Another type of trouble is the troublemaker. Some other student may try to give you a rough time or heckle you. Just as professional entertainers have comeback lines to handle unruly drunks in the audience, you need to handle the troublemaker in your class.

You don't want to appear flustered by his or her remark. Instead, have a mellow comeback, such as, "Thank you for the intelligent comment. Now, may I continue in my report?" This is a good put-down and yet shows you mean business.

Your goal is to get a good grade and not to let someone get under your skin or to get flustered by some problem. Prepare to handle them.

Practice, practice, practice

Practice is extremely important. The more you give a talk, the more automatic it becomes, the more meat it can have, and the more confidence you have in your abilities to give the speech.

Practice alone, to small groups, to friends. Practice.

Feel confident

If you are going to have to give talks in front of your class, why not feel confident about doing it? Then you can feel like a champion when you successfully complete the task.

Make an extra effort. The more you successfully do something, the more confidence you have that you can do it again—even better.

Not only do you want to be able to get through your ordeal of talking in front of your class, you want to be able to feel confident before you do it and like a champion when you are through.

Summary

The way to overcome the fear of speaking to a group is to make sure you are well prepared, have some backup material ready in case you forget your lines, visualize your audience as not so important, and practice as much as you can before you speak.

Answers to Readers' Questions

Be confident, give a good speech, and feel like a champion

Resources

The following are resources on this subject.

Websites

Succeed In Public Speaking

Great Speeches

Good Grades Resources

Books

Top-rated books on Public Speaking

Miscellaneous

Mini-quiz to check your understanding

1. Why do students get so afraid to speak in front of the class?

2. What can you do about your fears?

3. What is another way to overcome fears?

If you got all three correct, you are on your way to becoming a Champion in School studies. If you had problems, look over the material again.

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