advice about speech and being scared? (1 Viewer)

[pigas]

My speeches have never gone well.. the only time I feel at at least a bit of comfort is when I don't look up and just read from my cards. In year 8 I had a panic attack and the following years after I just got extreme anxiety. I think my last speech in year 10 went alright although I was still really scared, except the only way it felt alright was because, as I said, I never looked up and just read from my cards.

I don't know how I'm supposed to improve in a few weeks. I don't think I can. I am scared thinking about it. Even if I know my speech front to back, I get so scared that I forget everything and have to read from them - heck, that happens when I talk to people I don't know well, and they ask me something, and my mind goes blank because I get nervous.

Pleeeeaseee help I want to get at least 85% in this but I don't know how to be confident. even if I tell myself "no one cares, no point in being scared" and I know I shouldn't be scared but I just get scared anyway. any ways to help maximise marks for a scaredy-cat like me?

 

[michaeljennings]

I reckon practicing would help, fake it til you make it, pretend like its no big deal until you realise it really isnt a big deal. It's one of those things thats in your best interest to fix while youre in high school because life is gonna be pretty difficult if you have trouble talking to strangers etc. You should also remember that youre not a freak or anything for being nervous, everyone gets nervous to some degree. I used to get nervous for speeches in primary school because everyone else used to seem heaps confident and that and i wondered why I couldnt be the same but then when you ask people about it they'll tell you theyre jsut as nervous but youve jsut gotta get up and do it.

 

[Absolutezero]

Practice. Again. And Again. Know it. Personalise it. Then detach it. Breathe. Stay focus on what you need to do. Ignore other distractions. Mantras can help. Ground yourself. Realise the audience wants you to succeed. Speak slowly. Speak clearly. Embrace the fear. Go through the routine like you have all those times before.

 

[rumbleroar]

With speeches, you need to be confident (or pretend to be). Pretend you aren't talking to everyone and if you're nervous, just try and use your nerves positively. Practice your speech with your friends, so you're comfortable with talking to smaller groups of people.

Pretend you're someone you're not when you do it. Pretend you're Obama giving his presidential speech or something. Deliver with confidence, even though you are probably dying on the inside (don't worry - I know how it feels!!!)

Also, don't forget to breathe, take deep breaths and talk a bit slower so your teacher picks up on everything you say.

Best of luck!

 

[Elisa Sweet]

Pigas, I am the same, but this year I managed to get 100% on my speech. Just make sure you write a speech you are happy with, and practise. And I generally pretend that I am talking to myself. I've also been told that glancing at the audience from time to time makes it better. Good luck, practice enough and you can get those marks!

 

[GabbyS]

I have anxiety and a few years of debating under my belt, so I'll explain what I do. It's basically what rumbleroar said: channel the confidence of someone you're not. If you just imagine yourself as them for a few seconds before you start your speech and really try hard, you'll see the difference: your posture will straighten, your chin will be up and you'll project your voice and manner in a way that's captivating for the audience. And once you start this way, it gets the ball rolling and it's easier to maintain your 'presence' for the duration of your speech. Before class, listen to some upbeat music that makes you feel good and go in with an open mind! You'll be okay!! Remember that everybody is nervous, and nobody will judge you.

 

[strawberrye]

Visualise yourself succeeding-you have to believe in yourself before you can convince others you have one of the best speeches around, half of the success of speech making lies in the content, and other half in presentation-so you need to ensure there is a sufficient time to practice in front of a mirror or audience-would be best if you can have a marking criteria for the assessment and ask other people to mark you against it-consider elements such as variations in tone, pitch, creative intro and conclusion, eye contact, hand gestures, if your speech is shorter than 5 minutes, I don't think walking around is good-because it will distract the audience-make sure you are standing straight and planting your feet in two spots, smile-but a really important thing to keep in mind is never go over the maximum time limit because marks will be deducted... for further advice, check your inbox-hope this helps

btw don't look back over the past-don't let your past failures/pitfalls in speech making prevent you succeed in your upcoming speech-remember, HSC is a new year, a new start-what happened in all the other years gives you experience and knowledge in what to avoid and what works for you... remember, you have the potential to excel-you just have to believe in it first...

 

[Spiritual Bean]

Practice. Again. And Again. Know it. Personalise it. Then detach it. Breathe. Stay focus on what you need to do. Ignore other distractions. Mantras can help. Ground yourself. Realise the audience wants you to succeed. Speak slowly. Speak clearly. Embrace the fear. Go through the routine like you have all those times before.

wow bro

it's like you're progressively building the tension for the end of the world!!!!

 

[Absolutezero]

wow bro

it's like you're progressively building the tension for the end of the world!!!!

Speeches can feel like that for some people.

 

[kwu1]

1) Try practising in front of a mirror that way you can practice eye contact and your engagement with the audience.
2) Change up your tone and emphasise keep points.
3) Take a deep breath before you give your speech to get some oxygen flowing in the brain. Helps you relax.

 

[Julie M]

1 - Practice heaps
2 - Pace yourself when speaking
3 - Look up from your cards, but do not actually make direct eye contact with anybody, except maybe the teacher marking you. This will make the teacher think you are engaging with the audience well, but you won't actually need to look at anybody (which can sometimes be a bit awkward and creepy lol)
4 - Try not to trip or laugh or do anything else that might be embarrassing

Good luck and I hope you ace it!