Classes with public speaking/presentations, severe anxiety, how do you deal?

Do most students care? I am an engineering major, and up to now senior/junior year, everything was just knocking out the physics, calculus, circuits and heavy math/science work.

NOW, I have two classes this semester (communications for engineers and a project management class) which is heavy presentations/interviews/group presentations aka public speaking.

I absolutely hate doing this kind of stuff, I rather be locked in a room for 30 days with no food and just do calculus, chained as a prisoner.

So how do you guys deal with presentations or public speaking? the anxiety that comes with it? Is severe anxiety, like getting tempted to not even show up to class normal?

OK, deep breaths.

For starters, know that public speaking is one of those fears that almost everyone shares. It’s a HUGE fear for many people, beyond root canal, beyond most things. So you’ll be in good company.

But it’s also something that MANY adults have to do at some point in their adult lives. So staying in bed won’t cut it, Yes, you’ll fail the class. But you’ll also miss the opportunity to get a handle on this in the safety of a classroom as opposed to a workplace.

Probably the best cure for that fear is preparation.

For what it’s worth, I coached Speech & Debate for 18 years. Here’s what I’m going to ask you to do:

  1. Early in the marking period, make an appointment with the professors of each of those classes. Let them know that this course is the cause of some severe anxiety, and ask them for suggestions on handling it. That will help in that they won't mistake your fear for a lack of caring.
  2. I know that the temptation is to put off prep for these classes because you hate them so much. But you've GOT to be prepared. These classes need to be a high priority for you.
  3. As you get the nuts and bolts of each assignment, post them here. We can discuss strategies on handling each type of presentation

How does that sound?

This anxiety may result you doing poorly in interviews. A 4.0 GPA will not get a job if you cannot present yourself well in an interview.

Many jobs require that presentations be made to other work groups or to clients. This is something that you need to overcome or you may stay at the bottom of the ladder.

In my engineering internship this summer, I had several speaking opportunities, including one that gave me about an hour and a half to prepare because the original presenter was unable to come that day. I’m still working on speaking well; I was very nervous for my end-of-summer presentation and had trouble creating the slides for it because I had an instinctive, deep-in-my-gut aversion to doing it, for some reason. Still had to force myself to speak.

Someone I know tries to channel the persona of a good public speaker – they imagine they’re another person who is very confident and assured. You might also try “power poses” or breathing exercises to get rid of nerves right before a presentation.

I had severe anxiety about speaking in public. It was horrible and humiliating. I would get very noticeably shaky, sweaty, and my voice would tremble. I suffered with this all through high school, college, and my early career. Then I learned about a med called a beta blocker that is used by musicians and actors who have stage fright (it is generally prescribed for people with high blood pressure, but is also useful for anxiety). It works by blocking the release of adrenaline, so you don’t feel the physical symptoms of anxiety. You still feel scared and uncomfortable, but it isn’t noticeable.

I had tried practicing, meditation, even hypnotherapy, and nothing worked. The beta blocker was a miracle. You take one small dose an hour or so before a presentation. After I had used it a few times, I found I didn’t need it anymore as I was able to feel more comfortable over time. I went on to give many presentations during my career without ever needing them again. I wish so much I would have known about the med years earlier - it would have saved me from a lot of suffering and humiliation.

If you feel like your problem is severe like mine was, I would suggest that you talk to a doctor about this option.
I wouldn’t recommend meds to anyone who just feels nervous about public speaking - only for those with severe anxiety with intolerable physical symptoms. I was at the point where my job required me to do public presentations and I really needed something that would make that possible for me. My doctor was very understanding and was willing to help me.

That being said, being prepared is also key as mentioned above^. Do several rehearsals of each presentation beforehand. I felt dumb going into a room and talking to myself, but it really does help to go over the material a few times so the presentation flows smoothly.

I found some info you might like to read in the link below. I googled “beta blockers for stage fright”.

http://www.businessinsider.com/pill-can-make-next-presentation-a-hit-2014-8