Stomach
Anxiety is perfectly normal and experienced by almost everyone. Public speaking is well known to outrank fear of spiders, heights and even the fear of dying. When many of us stand up in front of a group of people we feel terrified. Sometimes we feel butterflies or outright nausea in our tummies, shaky legs, sweaty palms, dizziness, and the list goes on. We need to take a deep breath, relax and channel the anxiety to our best advantage.
Think about what you are really scared of. If you are well prepared it is unlikely that you will get too lost. Tell yourself that it is ok to make a few mistakes. Most of the ACU students interviewed cited fear of being assessed in front of and judged by peers as a major challenge. No one wants to “look bad” in front of their class mates.
Trust yourself, trust the research you have done and the preparation that you have put into it. Assure yourself that you have something to offer the audience. Your classmates don’t want you to fail. They are not a hostile audience. They want you to succeed. They are almost always sympathetic and encouraging. Use their support, harness it and believe that you have something that everybody needs to hear. The very worst that can happen is that they will stop listening to you, and this is unlikely to happen if you are well prepared.
Remember some anxiety is good; use it to your own advantage. Initially you may be terrified, but act confident even if you are not and you may even convince yourself.
Some excellent advice on how to overcome stage fright can be found on the following website:
http://www.canberra.edu.au/studyskills/learning/oral
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