Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Assignments

Being nervous before and during a presentation is natural and should be considered a good thing--a little adrenalin often helps you perform better because it sharpens your senses and self-awareness. However, if it is not held in check, nervousness can also undermine your confidence and be a distraction to you and your audience. As a consequence, the audience focuses on you being nervous rather than the content of your presentation.

Keep the following strategies in mind to help control your nervousness:

1. Be well-prepared. Practice giving your talk more than once. Practice in front of a mirror so you are aware of any unintentional body language [e.g., swaying back and forth; not looking up to engage your audience, etc.] and practice in front of someone whom you trust will provide an honest assessment of your delivery.
2. Be organized. If you are well organized, your task will be easier. If your overhead slides are out of order, or your notes are disorganized, you are more likely to get flustered and lose focus, and so will your audience.
3. Remember: The way you perform is the way your audience will feel! Giving an oral presentation is a performance--view yourself as an actor. If you act the part of someone enjoying themselves and feeling confident, you will not only communicate these positive feelings to the audience, you will also feel much better as you proceed with your presentation.
4. Practice, practice, practice. Even the most accomplished public speakers can feel nervous before and during a talk. The skill comes in not expressing your nervousness and in not letting it take over from the presentation. Over time and with repeated practice, you will feel less nervous and be able to control your nervousness more effectively.

Here are some things to consider doing to help ensure that nervousness does not become a problem during your presentation:

1. Smile! Your audience will react warmly to you if you smile and look relaxed.
2. Treat your audience like friends. Think of your presentation as a welcomed opportunity to share the research topic with the audience.
3. Breathe deeply. It will help calm you down and help to control the slight shaking that you might get in your hands and voice.
4. Bring a water bottle. Constantly sipping water or taking a drink mid-sentence can be a distraction to your audience. However, if you feel yourself getting a dry mouth while speaking and you begin to show it, you'll be glad you have some water on hand. Taking a sip of water also gives you a chance to gather your thoughts and the audience a moment to contemplate what you've stated so far.
5. Slow down! When people are nervous, they tend to get confused easily; your mind may start to race and you may feel panicky. To help regain your composure, make use of pauses. Force yourself to stop at the end of a sentence, take a breath, and think before you continue.

NOTE:  A possible trigger of nervousness can be an odd or unanticipated question from the audience, particularly if it's asked during your presentation. The question could be unrelated to your talk or it may be an issue that you had never considered. Don't panic in this situation. Answer the question to the best of your ability. If you are unable to provide a suitable answer or it's tangential to the topic, note the importance of the question and invite the audience member to discuss the topic in more detail after you have completed your presentation.

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