11 tips to overcome nerves before a presentation
About the author
Hi there. I am the prolific professor with 15 years of experience teaching online and in-person. I have a graduate degree. I have a passion for education. But I’ve also worked in the professional world (outside of education) too. Thanks for visiting.
How do you present if you are nervous?
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Do you have an upcoming presentation that you were assigned for a college class? And are you totally nervous about presenting in front of everyone? You may be wondering what everyone will think of you, and you’re worried that you will mess up and freeze.
Either way, you need some help to get over your anxiety and present to your class. It’s totally normal to be nervous before a class presentation. And I am going to help you get through it.
I have had presentations in school, and I can remember how nervous everyone would get. Most people would be concerned about messing up, forgetting their speech and even passing out.
None of that ever happened to anyone. At least not on that scale. But it doesn’t stop people from worrying about it.
You are not alone. It’s very common to have some fears about presenting in public.
There are plenty of surveys that have found that people are afraid of public speaking. And in large numbers.
If you find yourself nervous before a presentation, I am going to help you overcome those nerves and present like a boss.
See, I was a professor. Therefore, I would consider myself to be a professional speaker. Over the years, I guess you could say I have made nearly 2,000 presentations. That is probably selling myself short, but that’s my best estimate of how many lectures I have presented.
I guess you could say I know a thing or two about presenting in front of people.
Why do I get so nervous when I have to present?
You are likely nervous to present because the fear of the unknown. What is going to happen? Will I mess up? What will everyone think of me? It’s very likely that you’re worried you’ll be rejected. And there is a lot of truth about this instinctual fear. I have that discussed more here.
You may also have a psychiatric illness that creates this unrealistic fear of public speaking. Or you might have a perceived low self-esteem that prevents you from seeing your actual worth.
Lastly, it could be lack of experience. You just haven’t done it enough to figure out how to do it correctly.
Either way, it is totally normal to be nervous before a class presentation. Don’t worry too much because most of your classmates feel the same way as you do.
How to get over my fear of college presentations
If you have a psychiatric illness, and are concerned about presenting in class, you might be able to get accommodations.
Otherwise, you are going to have to hunker down and work through it. You’ll be glad you did later. The more you present, the better you’ll get and the less fear you will have.
See, the more times you present, and realize the sky didn’t fall, you’ll get more confidence.
My advice is for you to engage in speaking as much as possible. There are some ways that you can practice, such as Toastmasters. There are over 15,000 clubs which allow their members to work on their presentation skills by practicing speeches, among other things.
This might be a way for you to practice for future presentations.
I have a presentation tomorrow and I am nervous
I compiled my 11 BEST tips for presenting when nervous. You need to know how to present to your class without being nervous. I want to tell you something though. You may never completely get rid of your nervousness. It’s normal to have some butterflies. But it’s how you cope with it.
My tips are great for calming your nerves before a presentation and they will help you be less nervous too.
Tip 1 : Don’t give it much thought
Okay, give the material you are presenting about a lot of thought, but stop thinking about what could go wrong. If you find yourself going down the rabbit hole of what ifs, immediately stop and think of another topic.
If you start thinking about messing up, envisioning students laughing, or getting rejected, it will make your nerves much worse. Just don’t think about those things and when you do, have a plan to start thinking about something else, and quick.
Tip 2 : Envision success
Think about giving an amazing speech. Getting a standing ovation. And knocking it out of the park. Sure, they may not all come true, but imagine yourself being a success. It’s amazing what the human mind can do to our self-esteem. The better and more confident you feel, the more likely you are to demonstrate that confidence during your speech.
Do not stand up in front of the classroom and ever tell your audience that you’re nervous to present. That won’t help you. Instead, act like you’ve done this a million times. If you mess up but exude a confident attitude, people won’t think as much about it. Trust me.
Tip 3 : Prepare
One reason why you likely feel nervous is because you are afraid you’ll mess up or forget your speech. But overcome those thoughts when preparedness.
Know your topic forward and backward. Research it completely, and really learn the information.
Know more about it than your teacher. Not only will it impress them, but you’ll be less concerned about forgetting important material if you’ve memorized it.
Tip 4 : Write an outline
This gives your speech direction. Highlight important topics you want to cover. Leave the details for the speech, but write down the main points you want to make.
You can reference that during your presentation to make sure you stay on topic. And it helps you remember what comes next.
I do this all the time. I always reference an outline to help me stay focused, and it especially helps if I lose my train of thought. And I’ve presented hundreds of times and I still need to reference my outline.
Tip 5 : Practice
Record your presentation. Do you have a cell phone? Do you have a voice recorder?
Record yourself and play it back. Do this over and over again. You aren’t trying to sound too rehearsed, but it’s really helpful to hear yourself say your speech aloud first. Work out the kinks in your own home before you get out on the stage.
Then, practice in front of your family or friends. Make them sit, and watch your presentation a couple of times. Let them give you feedback.
Lastly, try and practice alone in a classroom. Is there an empty classroom you can get into before the actual speech? Ask your teacher or professor if you can stay after class and practice. Getting some practice in the same space you will be giving your presentation can help your nerves.
Tip 6 : Don’t expect perfection
Listen, most of your classmates haven’t presented a lot. This may be their first presentation or even their last presentation ever. Most people don’t have to present a lot in their lifetime.
No one is expecting you to make professional speaking a career, so relax about being perfect.
Expect a few mistakes here and there. Even the best of speakers make mistakes.
Think of your favorite sports player, singer, or actor. Have they ever made a mistake? Yes. But you still admire them.
Tip 7 : Do not make eye contact
Nothing will get you more nervous than honing in on the eyes of your audience. Now, don’t get me wrong, making eye contact is very important for presentations to engage your audience, but I want you to look at their foreheads instead.
Yes, I said that.
Do not endlessly stare at one person’s forehead for a long period of time though. I am suggesting that you scan the room often, and look just above their eyes. It looks like you’re making eye contact, but since you are continuously scanning the room, they won’t know either way.
It helps alleviate your nerves.
Otherwise you might make eye contact with someone who looks absolutely bored, and then you start to fret about your speech. Just avoid it altogether by using this trick.
Tip 8 : Don’t stand behind the podium
Not only will your audience get bored because you’re just standing in one spot, but it will help you get your nerves out too.
Walk around the front of the room.
Don’t make it a tennis match for your audience though. Don’t bounce around too much.
But casually walk to one side of the room to talk to those classmates, and then walk to the other side too. This gets the whole room involved, and you’ll look like a pro.
Tip 9 : Know everyone else is nervous
Throughout my academic career, I find that most students are nervous to present. No kidding. So it’s safe to assume that every other student is sitting there fretting about their own speech to even be concerned about yours.
Tip 10 : Go first
I always suggest going first. To get it over with, but to also set the bar. Let’s say you wait, and end up going after someone who knocked it out of the park, now you’re even more worried because you have to top that.
Go first and just get it over with earlier. It also allows you less time to worry and get your nerves all worked up.
Tip 11 : Take your time
Don’t rush through your presentation.
Take your time. If there is a little silence, relish in it.
Take a sip of water to collect your thoughts.
And move on.
If you want to find out how to get out of a class presentation, you have to check this article out where I lay out all I know about letting college students skip presentations due to social anxiety.
Final thoughts
Okay. I have told you all my secrets to help you present when nervous and ways to handle it. And I know if you implement these things, you’ll likely do amazing.
And remember, no one is expecting you to be a professional speaker. Don’t feel like you have to go out there and look like you’ve done this a 1,000 times. Because even though I have, I still make mistakes.
I think that the key is to be confident. Looking like you’ve got this no matter what. And if you mess up, own it.
You’ve got it.
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