How can I stop making my voice shake when I present?

I always get so nervous when i'm about to present to a class, my heart beats so fast and my voice totally screws up.. what can i do? how can i make myself relaxed cuz i know it's not the end of the world but i cant stop getting so nervous and is this a sign of social phobia or anxiety or whatever that disorder is called? share ur own experiences if u want... thanks

oh and ppl plzzzzzzz do not say think ppl in their underwear i've heard that a million times and it's silly cuz i dont think like that so therefore it doesnt work!

It could be a form of mild social phobia and/or anxiety. If it only happens while you are making a presentation, it can be called "performance anxiety". Talk to your doctor. Drugs called alpha-blockers and beta-blockers, designed for other conditions, actually are prescribed for this as well. They work quite well. There are also more potent drugs called benzodiazepenes that work well as well. They are highly addictive, so it would probably be prescribed for a very small prescription. I've used both with fantastic results. I used to sweat profusely and turn beet read if I even had a conversation with someone I was uncomfortable with. The great thing about these drugs is that they can be taken only if needed. Some people can overcome this without drugs, which is of course best. However, if you are like me, therapy didn't work. Some people become comfortable if they make enough presentations. Not me! I think it is just the way I am "wired". I have a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system!

just think about everyone in their underwhere

Toastmasters International has a website that will help you.

it happens to me to, do what the 1st guy said or practice it a gabajillion times until your used to it

oh my gosh that always happens to me. my heart beats like so fast and my stomach turns and i get enormous butterflies. no matter who i present to i get this. i think its natural i dont think it is a disorder some people are public speakers and some arent its just the way it is.

i used to be the exact same way that you are... the only way to get over this is to realize that everyone else is feeling the same way when they present. ITS True, did you know that most people would rather die than make a speech in front of a large crowd? that is a true fact. just be confident that you will succeed and then you will

you can join the debate team at your school, join toastmasters or even ask your doctor about taking a beta blocker for extreme stage fright. the first two are the best choice because the more you present, the more comfortable you will feel with being up in front of a lot of people.

yeah that happens to me to sometimes, i guess the only way to get used to it is to just keep doing it. and make sure you know what your going to say, even if you have to write it out on notecards,you'll feel more confident if you know what your talking about - it's not social phobia, it's just nervousness, also called stage fright. but if you still cant get over it, a lot of teachers will let you present after class just to the teacher, i dont know if that would make it easier or harder, but just letting you know - God bless!

Learn how to breathe correctly... Like a singer.

Breathing is controlled by the diaphragm. If when you breathe in, your whole lower abdomen caves in... Then you are shallow breathing and the nerves will cause you to expend air twice as fast and raise your heartbeat to compensate for the loss of oxygen. Causing you to go flaky and sweat and get nervous.

It is a process where one thing builds off of and worsens the other.

When you breathe in... Your belly should come out full and round and when you exhale, your lower abdomen should gently cave in.

Practice it, learn to teach yourself to get through the entire alphabet on one breath when reciting it out loud, allowing your breath to become controlled and precise... Using as much air as is needed to get through it, no more or no less. Call out each letter, calmly as if you were counting from one to 10 at a regular interval.

When you can do this, you have trained your muscle which supports and backs the breathing process and your breath istelf as a result... and your nerves wont as easily be able to take you into that state of short shallow breaths resulting in panic.

Another thing that helps especially in singing an Aria in a foreign language that you are not really all that familiar with is to know your speech and know what it contains and to predetermine exactly how much breath you think you are going to need for each sentence.

Again... no more no less when you are finished. Just what you need to get through. In through the nose always and out through the mouth.

If you take deep unnecessary breaths in through the mouth you will also dry out your throat and you'll croak... Literally.

Being nervous is normal for everyone, you just need to develop confidence. If you think you are not making progress, talk to a psychiatrist. There is/are medications that are given to actors that have stage-fright that can calm down some of your physiological symptoms (propalanol)- racing heart, sweating and also there are anti-anxiety medications that may also help with your condition. You may also want to ask a freind or classmate if what you think is happening is actually being perceived by your audience. A lot of times what we think that appears to the audience actuallu cannot be detected from the audience. This distorted thought is just a normal reactions to being nervous and your feelings are probably greatly exagerrated.

Oh, its not a disorder; its just a THING to confront. New things are always a bit daunting. Consider this: Red Skelton was once called America's Clown, yet despite his fame and long-running TV and film career, he said he always threw up into a bucket a bit before he went onstage! You wouldn't think that to see his ACT!
Think of it this way: virtually everyone else feels the same way to some extent, so its not just you. I've played music live several times and that first moment onstage almost always includes a bit of knotted-up stomach. Sme of it is just the sheer excitement. Most people admire the fact that a person manages it at all. Are YOU waiting for people to slip up? No; you just want to hear what they have to say. The best answer is to simply plow ahead and see that it DOES work out and no, you won't burst into flames if you fumble a word or two! Latch onto the fact that it works out more often than not. Once you get used to that idea, you'll feel less pensive the next time. Its all about practice and simply believing in your reason for being there to begin with. Everything else will fall into line in due course.

It is normal condition for many people.

Dont think you are alone feeling like this.
A very practical way to overcome your extreme reaction is to think before your start presentation again and again is that all people sitting before you do not know what you are going to tell them and they will love you for that.

And it is often right that whatever you will tell them will be new for most of them.

Keep you chin up, take a deep breath and do whatever you want to do or say.

This world is yours

i have huge huge fear of that too it was so bad that i had to present to the teacher after school. that is always an option. i also went to a therapist and she helped me...the anxiety-phobia work book is great. buy it at barnes and noble.

Ya know what? I do too! But, what I do....well, there are many different things...one thing is the :Relaxation excercise...you need to tighten up first your toes, then your whole foot, then the legs, etc.....then release off and on...until you get to the whole body...scrunch it all up, tighten it up..super tight..and then release...(you will be so relaxed, trust me...somebody taught this to me in High school.)..I had to audition for a choir..and this really worked..I didn't think that it would..but, it did a fantastic thing for me....I was soooo relaxed that I did the audition very, very calmly!!!

Another thing is KNOW what you are presenting..and know it so well, better than you should...and when you are ready to speak....talk loudly,and (don't worry about what other people are worrying or whispering about..or even thinking...)If they don't like what you are saying or if they don't like you...WHO CARES?!!!!! DOn't give a Darn....don't even worry about those "Bozo's" out in the audience...YOU are the Queen or King of the Podium...you are giving it YOUR BEST..and be so VERY EXTRA PROUD of YOU...as you talk and "teach" them something brand new...(because they are actually learning from you!!!)

That is the way that I choose to look at it....(By the way,I got an A for my group..when I went up to speak at the podium...because I KNEW my subject well, and I wanted it understood that everybody in that classroom...was gonna listen to what I had to say to them!!My College Instructor was VERY impressed with MY speech! ) I will tell you though, I was still nervous..even though, my friends and classmates swore that I never looked nervous! But, I was...but, I also wanted to do a fantastic job...and I was terribly worried about this! My Instructor was very happy and pleased...she gave our group an A...I think because of my speech!!

So know what you are talking about....when you get yourself up there...and be yourself...and do a fantastic job..and don't ya dare even worry about the audience...at all!!!Just enjoy your time up there!!!

Help for performance anxiety sufferers may take different forms depending on the needs and goals of the individual. Almost all interventions however, will share some common features. First, the pattern of avoidance is gradually broken so that the feared situation can be confronted, slowly and systematically. This doesn't mean that someone who is anxious about public speaking immediately attempts to deliver a lengthy speech. Instead, the exposure to the feared situation occurs in a planned, gradual way. For example, someone who is anxious about speaking in public might begin by asking a brief question in class, and then move on to more challenging tasks, such as making a comment in a group discussion or volunteering to answer a question. Along the way, the individual is coached in methods of handling both the physical and mental or cognitive aspects of anxiety. This may involve using strategies such as stress management techniques, relaxation exercises, imagery, self-talk, and cognitive restructuring.

http://www.umw.edu/cas/psychservices/res...

Info above taken from that website


~~This happened to me just the other day. I am a well accomplished person with a good job, but I was upset or mad at somebody for something they had done. A co-worker had asked this person not to do that again on Sunday. Then on Tuesday, she was doing it again. I knew that my immediate boss wouldn't do anything about it, so I went to the one above him. My voice was shaky, and I felt like I was going to cry - I sounded like it too. It was only a 45 second conversation, yet it was amazing what it did to my mind and body.

I also have a problem arguing for my side of things, but I learned to stand up for me. Because of this, I have had several debates with people where my tears were streaming down and the voice was shaking, but I forced myself to get out what I had to say. It's crazy and makes me so mad - I mean, crying, cuz you have to talk to someone? Wow - what a nut : ).

Anyway, as with any characteristic that we find to be a weakness, I suggest you just work on making it a strength. Take a class and/or work with a doctor (who specializes in performance anxiety/anxiety). Take care!!

Confidence. You need to be confident about yourself and your presentation.