Help Me! I need a way to stay calm while giving speech.

[Salbazier]

I'm a part of debate club in my univ. We will be going to a competition in a short while. Indonesian Varsities English Debate. I'm very thrilled because this one of the biggest championship

Problem is, I've always tendency to be nervous whenever I had to do some sort of public speaking. Usually, it just about stuttering and shaking. For a while I think I've managed to reduce the stutter (it helps when my friend gestures with their hands 'calm down' or 'slow down'). However it seems to getting worse in different way. I feel like hyperventilating or like that (unsure if that is medically correct) when I'm giving speech. I feel pain in my chest from breathing. That was never happened before (only around this month)

I need some way to maintain calm and manage my breath. Does anyone have a suggestion?

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Don't be afraid to close your eyes, take some breaths, and regulate your breathing in the middle of a speech. I realize that you ARE timed in a debate, but it is better to take a few seconds every so often to compose yourself than to hyperventilate and mess up.

[Ytaker]

Have you had some sort of bad experience that made you embarassed to give speeches?

[Salbazier]

^No, I just naturally nervous.

[Ytaker]

Ah. Just you said in the last month it got worse. If you have some specific problem we can't offer aid unless we know what that problem is.

Can you make speeches in front of friends? Practise debates.

[Dr.Epic]

Rehearse what you're going to say a head of time. Also, don't go to fast: let what you've said sink in so you can think clearly about what you'll say next. Know the topic thoroughly too. I get nervous when speaking in public but when I know what I'm going to say I calm down.

[Catch]

Hold a pen in your hand while you speak. You can gesture with it if you want, or just keep it in your pocket, but making a fist helps control your emotions (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1321939/Tensing-muscles-helps-summon-willpower.html). Several years ago, my father gave a eulogy for my grandfather, which was incredibly difficult, but he held it together and delivered a remarkable speech that our family still has on a recording. Afterward, when I asked him about it, my father explained that he always holds a pen while he gives a presentation, because it helps him focus.

Try it out, see if you notice a difference.

Also, listen to your voice as you speak. Don't just regurgitate your argument as you've rehearsed it, because it can come out robotic and without inflection. If it sounds like you're talking too slowly, you're probably around the right speed. Keep listening to your voice, notice when you're speeding up, or relying on a lot of vocalized pauses, and adjust your diction to compensate. The more aware you are of your speaking or reading, the more you'll be able to control how it comes out.

[Drynwyn]

I have found it is helpful to use a stressnball. Just stick it on the podium/table/whatever somewhere the judges can't see it, and squeeze the heck out of it. It works suprisingly well.

[Crow]

The best way to remain cool and calm when addressing a hoard of important people is to know your material.

Know your subject matter well and don't worry about it coming out exactly as you practice it.

Practice it. If it comes out different every time you practice it, this is good, because it means you know your material. Do NOT memorize a speech. You should be explaining it as you know the subject, rather than as you memorized a speech.

When you practice, speak at the volume you will be giving the actual speech, and stand as you will actually stand. Rehearse the speech in front of someone you can trust to give you unbiased criticism.

Once you know it inside and out, and have been practicing it, be sure that it flows. Speak plainly, and never use a large word when a small one will do. Do not ramble on. Plan pauses in the practice stage.

If you begin to get nervous, resist lowering your volume. Raise it instead. If you get tripped up, simply clarify and continue.

[Asta Kask]

^No, I just naturally nervous.

Remember that the beginning of the speech is in many way the least important. A good tip is to tell the audience that you're nervous. Everyone in the audience can sympathize with that, and it'll garner you some sympathy. If you can, get a book on rhetoric and read it. It's amazing how much less afraid one becomes when one knows the subject.

But don't get rid of all nervosity - that adrenaline rush is an important part of a good delivery.

[Trobby]

Since this is going to be a debate, make sure you review all the material thoroughly. If possible, get your friends to help you out. Run a few mock trials together with your friend on the opposing side. Get advice from them on where you can improve your speaking points. If you have a strong understanding and backing for your material, you'll come off much stronger.

[MoonCat]

Don't use pocket notes. They make you look down at them, and then you realize you shouldn't have, and you get flustered. Learn your material as best you can, with possibly some sound bytes on a topic. This gives you something to say when you mind blank. Try deep breathing and take some Valerian before you go up. Get sleep and break a leg!

[Salbazier]

Ah. Just you said in the last month it got worse. If you have some specific problem we can't offer aid unless we know what that problem is.

Can you make speeches in front of friends? Practise debates.

The chest pain/hyperventilation. It never happened before.

Can it be medical problem rather? I even got it practicing alone just now.

I'll try the stressball streesball/holding pen tactic next time.

We are conducting training regiment everydays currently. (and I start to practicing by myself The competition is in two weeks from now.


Don't use pocket notes. They make you look down at them, and then you realize you shouldn't have, and you get flustered. Learn your material as best you can, with possibly some sound bytes on a topic. This gives you something to say when you mind blank. Try deep breathing and take some Valerian before you go up. Get sleep and break a leg!

I'm sorry, what is a Valerian and sound bytes?

Notes are obligatory in debate. Can't construct solid arguments impromptu and makes rebuttals without them.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

Definitely agreed on the stressball/pen thing. Find something that you can channel the stimming/hyperventilation into. I like the idea of taking time even in the middle of the speech to compose yourself.

[Asta Kask]

The chest pain/hyperventilation. It never happened before.

Can it be medical problem rather? I even got it practicing alone just now.

Sounds more like you are nervous that you'll become nervous. And I'm not facetious - the fear of fear is very powerful, as anyone with an anxiety disorder (like me) can tell you.

Hyperventilation can't hurt you - it can make you very uncomfortable but it can't hurt you beyond that. Again, I have personal experience of this. And it's very, very unlikely that you have a heart condition and even more unlikely that it's triggered by practising (NB: I am not a doctor). I would bet a lot that this was fear of fear.

[Silverraptor]

Oh my gosh, I rememeber going to different championships in my speech and debate class. I remembered the closer I get to the event, the more nervous I would become. Often times, it felt like my heart would explode.

Though the weird thing was that the moment I started giving my speech, the nervousness evaporated immediately. My body just moved and stated everything on its own, that my mind actually wandered and thought of different things that had no relation to the topic at hand. I still don't understand how I kept getting 3rd, 3nd, or 1st place in some of those events when I hardly remember what happened there.

[Jack Squat]

Don't use pocket notes. They make you look down at them, and then you realize you shouldn't have, and you get flustered. Learn your material as best you can, with possibly some sound bytes on a topic. This gives you something to say when you mind blank. Try deep breathing and take some Valerian before you go up. Get sleep and break a leg!

I had to use notes for my speech class - the teacher would take off points if we never looked at them. This was always a problem for me, as I always knew enough about the topics by the time I went up and did the presentation that I didn't need them. If nothing else, taking a moment to glance down at them gives you time to organize exactly what you're going to say next.

As far as calming down, I always found that drinking something helped me; whether it be water, coffee, pop, milk, etc. didn't matter. Just don't make the same mistake I did and finish off a litre of water half an hour before having to go up and speak :smalltongue: I still always grab a cup of something before I make an important phone call.

Some physical exercise can help calm the nerves too. I like jogging beforehand personally. Just don't do something that'll make you sweat.

[MoonCat]

Sorry, I guess sound bytes is a phrase only I use. They are short sentences or starters you can use to lead into some topic. It works if you have a mind blank to say, buying you time to calm down. Valerian is a root, the extract of which soothes and relaxes. If you need to use pocket notes as a requirement, try to avoid looking down into them too often, just have them there so you can say you used them.

[Savannah]

Unfortunately, with the competition only two weeks away, you don't have a ton of time to work on the anxiety. You could try doing meditation or something that relaxes you and pairing it with some sort of cue you can do while speaking (maybe a specific way of holding your hand, or way of standing, or something you can hold in one hand) until the cue relaxes you. The idea is to train your body to associate whatever you pick as your cue with relaxation. Then you can use the cue to relax yourself when you're doing a speech.

[Meg]

Like other people have said, if you can, hold something while you give your speech. If you're not afraid of people calling you Lenny, a small piece of velvet or some other smooth fabric is great.

If you can't hold anything, try to gesture while you talk. Failing that, clench your fists or make some small mechanical movement with your hands at your sides. I don't debate, but I am on speech team.

This may be trite, but if I'm really nervous before I speak, I try to just relax and stop thinking. If you're well-prepared and just trust yourself and your voice to carry you through, you'll do fine. Break a leg!

[randman22222]

Don't be afraid to close your eyes, take some breaths, and regulate your breathing in the middle of a speech. I realize that you ARE timed in a debate, but it is better to take a few seconds every so often to compose yourself than to hyperventilate and mess up.

Even in timed speeches, I take a second here and there to compose myself. I also make sure to know my speech and the subject by the back of my hand, by rehearse and research.

Lastly, to impart the final bit of confidence I need, I convince myself that I am a speaker unrivalled by anyone in my class, that my voice and poise will rivet everyone's attention on me, etc. (That's a two-way process. You have to pay as much attention to the audience.) The confidence goes a loooong way, I assure you. Well, my audiences have assured me. :smallsmug:

Oh wow. Just thinking about how I boost my own ego has made my ego inflate...

At any rate, I hope this advice works for you. :smallsmile:

[averagejoe]

Rehearse what you're going to say a head of time.


The best way to remain cool and calm when addressing a hoard of important people is to know your material.

This, this, this, this, this. If you know your material well enough, it won't even matter if you're nervous, because the part of your brain that knows what to do will automatically take over. Dunno if you have enough time to get to that level, but the importance of practice and study cannot be overstated.

Alternatively, picture everyone in their underwear.

[KenderWizard]

I've just started giving presentations for college this year, so here's what my advice would be, based on my own experiences:

The key is to be prepared and reasonably relaxed. The worst thing is to not be prepared for what's going to happen. Write and rewrite your notes, hopefully writing less each time, until you just have key points to remind you in case you need them.

The tightness in your chest sounds like an emotional problem relating to the nervousness, but if it gets worse, or doesn't get better over time, if you find yourself having dizzy spells or difficulting getting enough air, you should definitely see a doctor about it. Better safe than sorry!

But if it is an emotional response, there's lots you can do right now to try to relax yourself. Practice breathing. It sounds obvious, but most people don't breathe efficiently, and it can help a lot to be able to breathe slowly and gently when you're nervous. Lie on your bed or on the floor with your hand on your stomach. Concentrate on your breathing, on keeping it steady and deep. You want that your stomach is moving in and out as you breathe, not your chest. This is proper relaxed deep breathing. Once you know how to do it, it can be a really good way to relax, just lie or stand straight and breathe with your stomach.

So, as you get closer to the speech, imagine doing it. Imagine yourself giving it and think about what could happen and how you could deal with it. Practice it as much as possible, and if you get nervous and panic when practising, stop. Take a deep breath. Apologise and smile at your imaginary or real audience, and carry on. That way, if you get nervous in the actual thing, you've also practised coping well!

Right before giving the speech, make sure you aren't thirsty or hungry, and that you've used the bathroom! Needing to use the bathroom will make you seem nervous and uncomfortable even if you're not! Try not to overthink what you're going to talk about right before you go on stage, just relax and take a look at the audience and the stage, so you know where to walk on and walk off and where to stand, etc. I personally wouldn't recommend taking something to relax you, but everyone's different and it might help you. If you decide you want to try that, take it the week before and practice your speech when you've taken it. If it makes you drowzy or sleepy, or you can't concentrate, don't take it on the day. You're better off being nervous!

During the speech, open with a smile. It relaxes you, and makes the audience like you! Talk louder and slower than you usually would, especially if you usually speak quietly and/or quickly. If you mess up, do like I said: stop. Breathe. Smile and apologise, and move on. Try to keep your hands out of sight so you can fiddle if it helps you, but don't be afraid to gesture to make a point, it looks good. Look at the audience. I usually end up looking at a couple of people and making eye contact with them for a couple of seconds. Making eye contact with people in the audience is a good way to engage them, rather than staring off into space.

I hope you work this out - being able to speak well in public is a really good skill to have! I'm sure you'll do fine on the day. :smallsmile:

[Kislath]

Forget the audience. Just focus in on the idiots you are debating as you would any other argument

[Don Julio Anejo]

My suggestions:

1. Valium. You'll be giving a crappy speech but you simply won't care.

2. Alcohol. Will also give you something to laugh at with your friends. Just make sure I'm Too Sexy isn't playing in the background so you don't start stripping.

3. A distraction. Have a hot female friend stand next to you and make pouty faces.

On a serious note, however... Yes, you have time to work on your anxiety. Find a group of friends (the more, the better, but at least 3-5) and give a presentation in front of them on a non-related to this topic. An actual presentation, as in they're sitting behind desks or something, you're standing in front and talking. 3 sessions like this and your actual speech will be significantly easier.

[bluewind95]

I'm a person with bad problems with nervousness. I always got blood pressure low enough to get my hands tingly (though this part IS because of a medical problem. My nerves just triggered it). And yet, somehow, people never seemed to notice in the audience. There's a few things I did.

* Didn't look at the audience directly. Always focused on a spot very slightly above them. Very slightly. Gives the impression you're looking at them, but you don't see their faces much, so it helps calm the nerves. You can do this with whoever you'll be addressing. If it's one person, you can switch the focus to the nose/lips. It also gives the impression you're looking at them directly when you're not, and it may give you some timing cues. I've always found looking at people in the eye makes me more nervous somehow, so this helped.

* Do not stare into one place for a long time. Focus on the entire area occupied by the audience, otherwise you look robotic, rather than like a person addressing a group. Speak a little to one side, a little to the middle, then to the other side, sweep your gaze through the whole space when pausing after an important point, so on.

* I always used a lot of gestures. Now, I do gesture a lot when I speak in the first place, but basically, if you use gestures as you normally would, it makes the whole thing seem more fluid and relaxed. And pay attention to your gestures, too. They will help you pace yourself or tell you when you're going too fast.

* For the hyperventilation, there is really little you can do but force yourself to take deeper breaths. This you can practice, actually.

* I agree with those that say smiling is the way to open a speech. Definitely. A smile *will* relax you a little, and it will connect with the audience.

I can't say anything about clenching the fist because my medical problem means that is not a thing I should do (accelerates the heart rate).

And... try not to take anything that will alter your mental state, be it medicines, or things like alcohol, nicotine or caffeine. This will NOT relax you. If you take alcohol, you will be too slow. Nicotine/caffeine, you will be too fast (BAD for nerves!). Any of the three will also impair your thinking, especially alcohol. Nicotine I hear messes with the neuron connections too and inhibits them, so I'd also recommend against that.

[DrizztFan24]

A few things thanks to the dabble of NLP that I know of. Trying saying great a few times before you get up in different tones. Make them as silly as possible. It is just a very positive word and your brain knows that...so you start to feel positive. Also, try to build a trigger (like the pen) for a relaxing effect.
All you have to do is relax yourself as far as you possibly can. Imagine a time when you were the most relaxed you have ever felt. Make the scene as real as possible. Add the smell, the sights, the sounds, the feel of whatever you are touching. Then double the feeling. Double it again. Make all the colors in the scene as vivid as possible. Then mentally countdown from 10, each time you go down a number, imagine taking a step further down into the relaxtion. After this, use your trigger (clench a fist, squeeze/push a pen, squeeze a stressball) and imagine tying that feeling to the item and hold that tying feeling for 7 seconds. Now do the process two more times. Now when you conduct your trigger, you should begin to feel those feeling of relaxation spreading through your body...since you have just trained your body to do just that. You have taught your brain that doing "X" makes me feel relaxed.

Try it and see what happens.

and to back some of the other posts, it does sound like you are more nervous about not getting nervous...especially since you get nervous on your own. Don't even think about it. Use the trigger and just keep your mind on the material...don't think about the judges and your brain shouldn't start running down that path.


Nicotine I hear messes with the neuron connections too and inhibits them, so I'd also recommend against that.
The reason smokers feel relaxed when they smoke (usually) is because they are inhaling deeply to draw on the delivery product of their choice...so yeah the actual drug does nothing positive for you...it's just the calming effect of deep breaths.

[Mikhailangelo]

In my experience, breathing is by far the most important element. Make sure that you focus on regulating your breathing as you speak, taking long, deep breaths. Hopefully, in addition to it being beneficial to the sound of your voice (Apparently, you sound better if your breathing is regulated as such, never noticed it myself, then again I love the sound of my own voice anyway ;)), you might be so focused on maintaining that pace of breathing that you forget to be nervous :P

Just remember; if you have notes, or a written speech in front of you, don't simply read off it! I avoid writing speeches, preferring to ad-lib, simply because it can be so tempting to hide behind that little scrap of paper.

[Salbazier]

Some good advice there. Thank you.

Well, It seemd I made some improvements on todays practice. :smallsmile: Still need to work some more.

[KenderWizard]

Some good advice there. Thank you.

Well, It seemd I made some improvements on todays practice. :smallsmile: Still need to work some more.

That's great! If you're noticing an improvement already, you'll be well set by the time it comes to giving the speech for real! :smallsmile:

[Melayl]

The chest pain/hyperventilation. It never happened before.

Can it be medical problem rather? I even got it practicing alone just now.



**Note: this post is no substitute for seeing your physician about this subject**

It sounds like you're describing an anxiety attack (legitimate medical condition). I suggest speaking with your physician about it. There are plenty of ways of dealing with Anxiety, from medications (many different strengths and types) to therapy. I realize you've got a short window to work on it, but it can help. You might not need to have treatment for very long. Or at all, but that'll be between you and your doctor.

Also to echo what others have said: Knowing your material well will help a great deal.

Good luck on the debate!

[pendell]

I'm a part of debate club in my univ. We will be going to a competition in a short while. Indonesian Varsities English Debate. I'm very thrilled because this one of the biggest championship

Problem is, I've always tendency to be nervous whenever I had to do some sort of public speaking. Usually, it just about stuttering and shaking. For a while I think I've managed to reduce the stutter (it helps when my friend gestures with their hands 'calm down' or 'slow down'). However it seems to getting worse in different way. I feel like hyperventilating or like that (unsure if that is medically correct) when I'm giving speech. I feel pain in my chest from breathing. That was never happened before (only around this month)

I need some way to maintain calm and manage my breath. Does anyone have a suggestion?

You can recite the litany against fear (http://alcoman.railfan.net/fear.html) repeatedly to yourself beforehand. The repetition of a soothing or calming phrase can help you center and get out of emotional reactions.

Another possibility is simply practice in front of a friendly audience, such as your family. Once you've done it often enough, the familiarity will dry up the fear.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[leakingpen]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VewbAGR1dow&has_verified=1

jump to 1:51

[Templarkommando]

There are a few ground rules that you need to follow. If you're particularly worried about your opponents arguments - don't be. Very often there is a way to refute an opponents argument. The first way is called four step refutation.

Step 1: Identify the claim you are addressing. If your opponent claimed that unicorns can fly, say "In my opponent's earlier speech he claimed that unicorns can fly."

Step 2: Say that your opponents claim is false. This is pretty straight forward. "Though my opponent may believe this to be true, it should be noted that unicorns clearly do not fly."

Step 3: Support your claim against his argument. This one is a bit trickier. You'll need to know a bit about the topic in some circumstances in order to assemble a coherent argument. So, if I didn't know anything about unicorns I probably couldn't say why they didn't fly, but I do know a little about unicorns so I'll say "First, we know that unicorns don't fly because they are clearly imaginary creatures, and imaginary creatures can't fly because they don't exist. Furthermore, even if unicorns did exist, if we look under the entry for unicorns in the monster manual flight is clearly not in their list of abilities."

Step 4: You want to summarize/narrate what's going on and why your audience should accept your view. Explain why your argument has defeated their claim. "Because I have shown that unicorns do not fly, my opponent's claim to that effect should be rejected."

The cool thing, is that if you know enough on the topic you can generally do this with any point that your opponent makes. So, while your opponent is giving their speech, have a piece of paper and a pencil out and write down their points, so when you get back up to oppose them you'll have a handy reference to say "earlier my opponent claimed X," and then you can start your four step refutation.

Another thing you can do, is familiarize yourself with rules of argumentative logic. Arguments are based on premises that lead to conclusions. An argument consists of one or more premises which lead to a conclusion. An example of a logical argument would be the following:

Premise #1. Mammals produce milk.

Premise #2. Bessie produces milk.

Conclusion: Bessie is a mammal.

Now, this particular argument is sort of iron clad. The premises seem grounded in reality, and the premises seem to lead to the conclusion. There might be some abstract way of attacking (Maybe Bessie is a coconut), but in general it seems fairly solid.

The first error that you might look for is one where the premises are not based in reality. For example:

Premise #1: Bessie is a cow.

Premise #2: Cows are purple.

Conclusion: Bessie is purple.

The problem here is that at least one of the premises is not based in reality. In our experience the only reason for us to encounter a purple cow is because it has been painted that color. In fact, we know that cows can be white with black spots, black, red, etc. So, what we would say here is that since the premises are not based in reality, even though the premises lead to the conclusion, the conclusion cannot be accepted.

Another thing to look for is when the premises do not lead to the conclusion. For example:

Premise #1: Trees are green.

Premise #2: Kermit is green.

Conclusion: Kermit is a tree.

The problem is even if Kermit is green, it is entirely possible that he just happens to share the trait of being green with trees. In actuality Kermit might actually be a frog or a glorified marionette or something like that.

Many of these sorts of errors in reasoning are called fallacies. Incidentally, wikipedia happens to have a long list of fallacies that you might consider perusing in order to sharpen your skill in a debating environment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fallacies

You can also pick up a textbook on logic and look at how they deal with arguments and syllogisms and so on and so forth.

[Dralnu]

I get very nervous when speaking in public too. My throat gets dry, I sometimes fumble with words, lose my train of thought, etc. I used to be really bad to the point that I couldn't even speak in front of large gatherings of friends, or even family get-togethers.

I'm getting much better though. My secret is simply practice. The more you practice public speaking, the better you get. That simple.

My earliest step forward was actually DM'ing. Speaking in front of 4-6 RL friends for hours on end really, really helped. For this I can proudly say that D&D was a great benefit to my social skills!

[Balain]

Sorry I didn't read ever single post, and it maybe too late for you now. My advice is just practice giving speeches. I too use to hate giving speeches and talking in public. Now I don't give it a second thought.


When I was in University I had to take this course, that was kind of silly, at least I thought it was. General use of a computer, how to write a good memo, how to write a good resume. That sort of thing. Then they got to the how to speech in public and meetings. We had to give speech after speech after speech in front of our class, in front of the other class doing the same course, homework was giving speeches in front of other people. eventually all those nervous to give speeches (which was like 90% of the class) wasn't nervous about it any more.