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Help with a presentation!

Bel

Bel

Well-Known Member
Hello folks :D

I have a verbal presentation at university on Monday, the full Monty: Slide shows, leaflets, etc. For a solid 20 minutes in front of a large audience. I'm confident with the information and the presentation as a whole but scared of presenting, and don't want the social side to let it down.

What does anyone else with Aspies do to cope with presentations?

What tips can you pass on to make it a better experience for anyone?

How do you overcome the fear of talking?

What's your best trick for public speaking success?

Thank you all x
 
Hey Bel this is what I would do Practice Practice Practice do it in front of your family or parents it will feel like second nature once your up there and yess you will be nervous and prob anxious but don't look at the audience pick a spot on the wall and focus on it You got this! Also a quick tip from a voice class I am taking now. If you emphasize your consonants your gs ts ms ns ll and other consonants you will sound like you know what your saying i know you probobly already do but it will help control the flow with your nervousness Hope that helps!
 
RaphaPower said:
Hey Bel this is what I would do Practice Practice Practice do it in front of your family or parents it will feel like second nature once your up there and yess you will be nervous and prob anxious but don't look at the audience pick a spot on the wall and focus on it You got this! Also a quick tip from a voice class I am taking now. If you emphasize your consonants your gs ts ms ns ll and other consonants you will sound like you know what your saying i know you probobly already do but it will help control the flow with your nervousness Hope that helps!
Click to expand...

Thank you very much ^_^
 
When I was forced into the unpleasant business of being their entertainment, I'd just push it off my mind and not think about it. Because if I thought about it, I'd fall apart. Very difficult when it was presentation night. Then I'd rush the stage, jump into a character, act, then get the heck out when my role was done so I could go hide in a dark closet somewhere for a few hours until my nerves settled and wish evil things on the jerk who put me in that situation. That's how I did my presentations.

But acting helped. Don't be you, pretend you're somebody else, and it's not really you on stage it's some character you like. I did make eye contact as was required, but it wasn't good eye contact. It was "I just dare you to say one word" eye contact, I could never quite squash how ticked I was. I never had any questions.
 
I do a bit of public speaking on behalf of the brain damaged community which I am a member myself...I find that injecting a small amount of humor garners attention and puts both the crowd and myself at ease. Try to think that you must play your role as best as you can and that you are speaking to an empty room,not to a full house. Confidence is a must...go out and knock em dead
 
I know I'm Miss NT, but I'm shy in front of groups and Speech class was one of my favorite classes for some odd reason. These are the things that helped me:

1) Pick a topic that either makes you angry or really scared - it makes you more passionate which is more interesting to the listener.
Example: I did a speech on Lizzie Borden, credit card fraud, road rage, DNA fingerprinting and serial killers.

2) Have SEVERAL visual aides - handouts, posters, films, etc. The audience will be focused on them and not on
you. It also gives you something to look at and explain which takes up time and makes you look professional.

3) Do look at the audience just don't hold anyone's gazes for long (or look at their shirts or hair if that's more comfortable.)

4) Practice with a timer. I practiced for hours and knew exactly how long they would be. And I believe someone already said it, but I had my Ma listen when I did it and she would critique what I could do better. I also recorded myself to see if I went too slow or too fast. My problem is that I was always so passionate in the point I was trying to get across to the audience that I would a lot of times go over my time limits.

5) We were also allowed to use small cards that I would highlight really bright so I could memorize them easier. Don't become dependent on the cards though because if you keep looking down things won't flow smoothly.

6) OH! I forgot. I also had a question and answer at the end which also made me look professional. It also made the audience feel like they were learning something and not just having to take in information that I was spouting off.

**You can never practice enough. What's that saying? "Practice makes perfect!"
 
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nurseangela NT advice is no less valid! Your presentations sounded really interesting. Scam and crimes were my favorite topics when not forced into the usual boring arguments schools want you to do.
 
Thank you everyone for the advice ^_^ every opinion is good to hear, so don't feel like it's not important if you're NT! I'm going to start practicing and rehearsing tonight (and I've actually written down the tips and hints from this topic)
 
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