Speaking publicly

[leehrat]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
You could just take beta-blockers if your nervousness seriously hinders your ability to speak well.

[ QUOTE ]
Yet another alternative is a visit to your primary care provider to discuss the possible use of medication to help overcome your fear. Drugs called "beta-blockers" are non-habit forming, inexpensive, and can stop the huge rush of adrenaline that occurs with anxiety right before a speech. When taken prior to a performance situation, beta-blockers can help to reduce the physical symptoms related to performance anxiety, including palpitations, hyperventilation, trembling lips, and sweating palms. Also, many anxious speakers and performers prefer beta-blockers to other drugs because they allow them to remain mentally alert, which is not always the case with all medications used to treat anxiety.

[/ QUOTE ]
http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/0806.html

[/ QUOTE ]

quick HiJack...do u think things like this wud work for poker? for some odd reason i still have a hard time controlling breathing and slight sweat (same issues i get in social anxiety situations...) while playin live poker (no health issues...im 6'0", 145lbs, and 20yrs old...). i feel like i look like a fish when i play live...so do these help physically calm you? also, any mental side effex? (wud i have to worry about not thinking in the same light as i do normally?)

thnx

[/ QUOTE ]

you don't want to be using beta-blockers every day. as with any other drug your body will become accustomed to them and you will experience withdrawal if you stop. in the case of withdrawal on these drugs, this can frequently include angina, severe hypertension, and potential heartattack and death.

they also have some untoward sideeffects, such as impotence, fatigue, and depression. keep the dosage low and only use them when you must. 20 mgs inderal works just fine for me and i weigh 215 lbs.

[Split Suit]

yea...wasnt plannin on using them regularly. i rly only play live once a week if that. thnx for the advice. i have a meeting with my psychologist (the kind that give out meds) tomorrow...ill ask about it then.

[SuperUberBob]

Practice, practice, practice.

For my speech class, I basically programmed myself like a robot. I repeated everything I was going to say over and over again until I remembered it. Then, without any thought to my actions or other's reactions, I just spoke it. I disregarded everybody and everything and just spoke.

[mikeczyz]

i took a speech class a few semesters ago. for me, the most important thing was to know my topic and the points i had laid out. preparation and practice were integral to any success i had. I also found it good to not have the whole speech written out word for word but to have lots of bullet points organized as an outline. Sort of a blueprint of my speech...I came up with the connecting sentences on the spot.

i, too, had to give a speech at a friends wedding. again, pracctice, practice, practice. I think the others upthread nailed it about practice and preparation.

[Cortz]

i can't speak in public at all, everytime i give oral presentations i always mess up even if i know all the material i jus cant speak in front of people i dont know

[punkass]

For me and probably most inexperienced speakers, the #1 thing is the fear of silence. I have now learned that it is ok, and sometimes effective, to have a 5-8 second silence. I remember in high school, most would fill silence with 'ah' or 'um' because of a nervous habit.

[SlowCheetah]

I'm probably the worst public speaker here. I took speech 1A and got a B in it but my God was it horrifying.

The first speech I tried to give just going off a few notes in an outline format. My mind went absolutely blank over a story that I knew by heart. I literally could not finish the speech. Soooo embarrassing.

For the rest of the speeches I just wrote the whole speech on note cards and read them off word for word.

I have anxiety problems. But, as you probably know, the average person fears public speaking more than they fear death, lol.