I have to give a five-minute presentation on my research paper next Thursday

[Lyric]

and every time I think about it, I feel like I want to puke. You know that thrill of fear you can feel in your stomach when you think about something that scares you?

Yeah. That.

I am afraid that I'll stand up and forget everything I've learned about my topic. We are "discouraged" from using notes or index cards, as these presentations are so short, so this is a serious anxiety for me. It wouldn't be so difficult if it was for any other class, but this is a professor that I *deeply* admire, and the thought of messing up in front of him is just terrifying.

Other than the old adage about picturing people in their underwear (which doesn't work for me, as I feel almost blinded by panic) does anyone have any advice about getting through something like this?

Oh--my topic is welfare reform, by the way--how it has actually served to worsen severe poverty, how it's based on false premises and slanderous urban myths, how it completely ignores the institutional structure of American poverty and instead blames the victims for their own destitution, and why we need to fix it ASAP.

:scared:

Edit: This professor is also a drama/literature professor, and a former actor, so he's going to be looking at how we "perform" these presentations. Content, unfortunately, is not good enough by itself. :(

[Droopy]

1. You know this stuff, dammit.

Now snap out of it! This :fistbump: not this :scared:

It's been a long time since I've had to get up in front of a group of people and speak, but from what I remember, I was pretty shaky to begin with, but once I got up there and got the first few sentences out I could feel a surge of confidence and I calmed down. I think if you know what you are talking about, and I'm sure you do, you will be alright.

[billyskank]

2. What Droopy said

I can't think of any preparation better than thoroughly knowing your subject. Oh, and also remember the points you are going to talk about in your presentation and the order in which you will raise them. Practice it a few times, alone or in front of your partner if she is willing to help you that way. And time it when you practice to see how close to five minutes you get.

[Gormy Cuss]

3. What billyskank said

Practice it until you feel confident that you've got the five minutes mapped out clearly and you've repeated the presentation often enough that it's almost rote.

[struggle4progress]

4. Can you use notes?

I don't mean actual text -- I mean a list of (say) ten things you're gonna hit in talk, listed in the order you'll hit them, each preferably indicated by a two or three word phrase you want to include when discussing it

Basic format: Tell em what you're gonna tell em (briefly), then tell em, then tell em what what you told em (briefly). When tellin em what you're gonna tell em, the focus is on what was known and what the research is; when tellin em what you told em, the emphasis is on what was learned and what issues still need to be cleared up

Then rehearse the talk two or three times by yourself with a clock. You're not aiming for literary speech: you want to sound natural and conversational, so try to practice acting friendly and confident

[Chan790]

5. Some advice.

1.) Don't try to memorize the presentation; memorize a short bullet-point outline of what you want to talk about, the points you need to make. This will make you come across conversationally rather than sound like you're reciting. If there is a quote or study you wish to cite, you should memorize that as well.

2.) Set aside some time to give practice presentations...4 or 5 of them or more. All by yourself or with a small audience. You'll notice after the first few that not all the presentations are the same, sometimes you'll fail to mention something or add something you weren't going to mention and yet they're all great presentations. As you go on, they'll be come tighter and more focused.

3.) Use a stopwatch or timer to time the practice runs. It'll allow you to see where you're getting hung-up. The major issue people face in a short presentation is not usually running out of things to say, it's getting caught on one point and eating up all their time.

4.) If you can, get some time facing the room from the podium before your presentation. You don't need a lot, maybe 2 minutes between classes or at the end of the school day. That POV can be disconcerting at first so if you've seen it before, you'll start off more calmly.

5.) Dress comfortably. If you're comfortable, you'll look and sound more calm. Calmness projects confidence.

You'll do fine. You actually know your subject.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

6. I understand

the fear and nerves but speaking to groups isn't so hard if you remember a few things;
Don't get too detailed and of course with only 5 minutes, that's impossible.
The audience wants you to succeed. When you stand in front of a group it gives you some power. They are listening to YOU! :)
Come up with an opening statement that grabs the audience ie; "50% of all women on welfare (fill in the blanks)' or something like that.
Use three main ideas to support that opening statement. For example:
a) This is suppoprted by research by the state in 2005 etc
b) People supported by the state are more/less likely to etc
c) Cost to the taxpayer is etc etc
Finally, give a call to action. Tell them to change their minds based on this new information, call/write their elected representatives to elevate awareness of your issue or something like that.
Hope this helps! :)

[electron_blue]

7. rehearse, rehearse, rehearse

Practice in front of whoever will listen, practice by yourself and time yourself.

The 5 minutes will fly by, so start with the most important part of your topic. Such as "Today I will summarize how welfare reform has actually served to worsen severe poverty, how it's based on false premises and slanderous urban myths, how it completely ignores the institutional structure of American poverty and instead blames the victims for their own destitution, and why we need to fix it ASAP". You can't say much in 5 minutes, so to make it as strong as a presentation as possible, I'd go over the very best report that you've found on the topic. If it were my talk, I'd focus on how it has served to worsen severe poverty and let the rest go by the wayside (ie, mention them and then drop them), as I think your first point is the one with the most "oomph".

Good luck! And don't forget to rehearse it (really!)

[Lyric]

8. Thanks for the advice, all.

I'm still anxious about it, but in the end, I have to do it. I just need to get through it as best I can and hope for the best.

:grouphug:

[deadparrot]

9. As someone who's also not wild about public speaking, here's my advice...

Type up the entire speech verbatim--if you don't like a sheet of computer paper, cut them into manageable sizes and paste them onto notecards. Then practice. Over and over and over again until you're barely reliant upon the notecards. When it comes time for the presentation, the speech is almost like second nature. But if, for some reason, you look at the audience and draw a blank (as I've done more than once), you've got the entire speech in front of you, which should get you back in the groove quickly.

Good luck! :hi:

[wain]

10. Accept the fear

1. Understand that fear is part of the presentation package. Then move beyond dwelling on the fear. Just know that fear is there. Move to the next level and focus on preparation.

2. Fear is positive, it makes you focus intensely on the matter at hand. Best performances come from worry. Worst performances come from not being worried.

3. Never show you are afraid. Put on a face of self-confidence - even though you may be dying inside.

4. Go for a walk just before your presentation. Talk out loud to yourself, reviewing the sequence of you presentation. The walk burns up the nervous energy. Don't sit and brood.

Good luck!