Im terrified of speaking in front of my class?

Question

im a freshman and im just starting in two days. my english teacher already gave us a project. an oral project! i am a striat A student and have alot of good friends but shake, turn red, and move around when i do anything in front of the class. please please please help me im on the verge of crying.

Answer 1

This is a very hard thing for some people to do. I had the same problem when I was your age.

Most of it is a matter of being well planned and prepared so you can feel confident.

First of all, keep in mind that you are a very smart student and that not very many people in your class know more than you.

Wear something that you feel comfortable in. (especially comfortable shoes.)

Make sure that you feel comfortable talking about your topic. Know your material. Practice it again and again. Ask some friends if you can practice it infront of them so you can get used to talking infront of a group.

Answer 2

Practice speaking in front of one or two people whom you trust.

Read your speech out over and over to yourself, imagine you are reading it in front of your class.

When you get to read your paper, imagine it's a conversation you're having with your classmates.

Don't worry, they've all got to do a paper the same as you and are probably all dreading it.

Know a good joke? Maybe you could open with that. It'll break the ice, and everyone will feel more relaxed, including you.

I used to be terrified about speaking in public. Now I do it all the time - I work in a museum and my main job is showing the public round, answering questions, etc.  

Answer 3

I know how you feel... i HATE being in front of a big group of people. The more and more you do it though, the more comfortable you get. I used to get really nervous but now its just like i don't care anymore. Go up there, do what you have to do and know that just about every kid in the class feels the same way even if they don't act like it.

Answer 4

If its something you can write down ahead of time, I'd suggest reading over it and getting used to your materials. Trust me, the more you know what you're going to say, the easier it is.

Also, if its material that isn't exactly your own (ie research), it's really easy to present as it isn't really even 100% your own. No reason to be embarassed / etc by the content. I always got more embarassed by things I wrote myself, such as presenting a piece of poetry or literary works.

Answer 5

Skip class that day.