Riana Helen Agnesia –Overcoming Fear – ELI L/S 80
Overcoming Fear in Presentation
Pre-activity
Instruction for teacher:
Goal: Students will be familiar with anxiety traits & solutions to their anxiety.
1. In a group of three-four, ask students to discuss the following questions.
What make you feel anxious in a presentation?
a. List some situations/things that make you feel anxious when you have to deliver a
presentation (individually.)
1. ………………………………………………………………………………………
2. ………………………………………………………………………………………
3. ………………………………………………………………………………………
4. ………………………………………………………………………………………
5. ………………………………………………………………………………………
b. In a group, share the things that you wrote in section a, and see how many people share
the same anxiety.
c. Discuss two common anxiety traits that you have and then discuss with your group to find
solutions to each anxiety.
1. ………………………………………………………………………………………...
2. ………………………………………………………………………………………...
3. ………………………………………………………………………………………...
4. ………………………………………………………………………………………...
5. ………………………………………………………………………………………...
d. After that, discuss and answer this question and provide some reasons:
Is it okay to be anxious when we deliver a presentation?
Answer: …………………………………………………………………………………
Reasons: …………………………………………………………………………………
...….……………………………………………………………………………
e. Free speaking. In their group, ask students to share their worst experience in delivering a
presentation.
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Riana Helen Agnesia –Overcoming Fear – ELI L/S 80
2. Watch the “interview” part of the video Overcoming Fear in Presentation by Youngsil Oh.
Ask students to take note of the questions being asked in the video.
Homework:

Ask students to watch the rest of the video by Youngsil Oh.

Ask students to interview someone that they know who is good at doing presentation
(professors, friends, University staffs, etc.) Ask them to make an appointment with and
interview them using the questions from the video. Ask students to present the report of
their findings in the class. Make sure they answer the following questions:
 Who did they interview?
 Why did they choose him/her?
 What is their fear?
 How do they overcome it?
 What did you learn from the interview?
Option: Students can also take notes while doing the interview and use the notes to share
their findings to the class.
Post- activity
Goal: students will come up with a list of best strategies in overcoming fear in presentation.
Instruction for teacher:
1. In a group of three-four, ask students to present or share the result of their interview.
2. Ask the groups to discuss the strategies that they have heard before. Summon everybody and
ask them to discuss it in the class to come up with a class list of the best strategies in
overcoming fear in presentation. Write the list on the board or OHP.
Homework:

Ask students to prepare a 3-minute-presentation for the next meeting on a topic of their
own choice. Ask them to make sure that they try out the strategies in overcoming
presentation fear that they have learned.
Additional material:
This can be used as take home reading for students.
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Riana Helen Agnesia –Overcoming Fear – ELI L/S 80
Presentations Anxiety
When most people find out they have to give a presentation, they usually do 1 of 3 things: try to
get out of it, procrastinate, or start working on it. Usually they choose option 3 only after they
fail at the first 2.
Fear is the primary motivator for the first 2 responses. Usually we fear things that we’re
unfamiliar with. Since we spend so much of our time talking, why does the thought of speaking
in public makes us anxious?
I. Sources of Anxiety
There are some reasons that make people anxious when they have to deliver a presentation:

Looking foolish: We are afraid that what we will do makes us look ridiculous, especially
when we forget what to say, mispronounce words, break into a cold sweat, or trip on the way
to the podium.

Being stared at: Walking to the front of the room and looking at all the eyes looking back can
be very intimidating. Being the center of attention bring the natural shyness of many
inexperienced speakers.

Fear of unknown: A new situation can cause anxiety. Having an audience watch as you
navigate through new territory can be a major obstacle for inexperienced speakers.

Negative past experiences: If we’ve been embarrasses on stage even once, that memory is
burned into our brains. An embarrassing experience as far back as grade school can live on
forever.
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Riana Helen Agnesia –Overcoming Fear – ELI L/S 80
II. Anxiety Fighting
Anxiety is a natural state that exists any time we are placed under stress. Giving a presentation
will normally cause some stress. When this type of stress occurs, physiological changes take
place that may cause symptoms such as nervous stomach, sweating, tremors in the hands and
legs, accelerated breathing and/or increased heart rate.
Don’t worry! If you have any of these symptoms before or during a presentation, you are normal.
If none of these things happen, you are one in a million. Almost everyone experiences some
stress before presentations, even when the task is something simple like, “tell the groups
something about yourself.” The trick is to make excess energy work for you.
When you learn to make stress work for you, it can be the fuel for a more enthusiastic and
dynamic presentation. The next few pages will teach you how to recycle your stress in a positive
form that will help you become a better presenter.
As someone once said, “The trick is to get those butterflies in your stomach to fly in one
direction!”
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Riana Helen Agnesia –Overcoming Fear – ELI L/S 80
Paul is a professor in a well-known university. In two weeks he has to deliver a major
presentation in an international conference on a research that he is doing. He knows the
topic very well, but his audience will be observing and examining his research very closely,
and Paul is certain that he will receive very tough questions. Every time Paul thinks about
planning what to say, he gets too nervous to begin work.
If Paul’s problem of anxiety before a presentation sounds familiar, then the following may help.
Tips for Reducing Anxiety
1 Organize
Lack of organization is one of the major causes of anxiety. Later in this book you will learn a
simple technique for organizing your presentation. Knowing that your thoughts are well
organized will give you more confidence, which will allow you to focus energy into your
presentation.
2 Visualize
Imagine walking into a room, being introduced, delivering your presentation with enthusiasm,
answering questions with confidence, and leaving the room knowing you did a great job.
Mentally rehearse this with all the details of your particular situation, and it will help you focus
on what you need to do to be successful.
3 Practice
Many speakers rehearse a presentation mentally or with just their lips. Instead, you should
practice standing up, as if an audience were in front of you, and use your visual aids (if you have
them). If possible, have somebody critique your rehearsal and/or have it videotaped (dress
rehearsal). Watch the playback, listen to the critique, and incorporate any changes you feel are
required before your final practice session. There is no better preparation than this.
Carol is a graduate student. She has been asked to present her thesis at a national
conference. The first presenter is finishing his remarks and in two minutes she will have to
stand up and make her presentation. She is experiencing extreme anxiety at a time when she
needs to be focused and collected.
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Riana Helen Agnesia –Overcoming Fear – ELI L/S 80
Carol’s situation is quite common. If you experience anxiety immediately before speaking, try
some of the following exercises next time you’re waiting for your turn to stand up and speak.
4 Breathe
When your muscles tighten and you feel nervous, you may not be breathing deeply enough. The
first thing to do is to sit up, erect but relaxed, and inhale deeply a number of times.
5 Focus on Relaxing
Instead of thinking about the tension, focus on relaxing. As you breathe, tell yourself on the
inhale, “I am” on the exhale “relaxed.” Try to clear your mind of everything except the repetition
of the “I am –relaxed” statement and continue this exercise for several minutes.
6 Release Tension
As tension increased, and your muscles tighten, nervous energy can get locked into the limbs.
This unreleased energy may cause your hands and legs to shake. Before standing up to give a
presentation, it is a good idea to try to release some of this pent up tension by doing a simple
exercise.
Starting with your toes and calf muscles, tighten your muscles up through your body finally
making a fist (i.e. toes, feet calves, thighs, stomach, chest, shoulders, arms and fingers).
Immediately release all of the tension and take a deep breath. Repeat this exercise until you feel
the tension start to drain away. Remember this exercise is to be done quietly so that no one
knows you’re relaxing!
Andrew is a new lecturer at a well reputation university. When he gives presentations he gets
very nervous. He sweats, his hands tremble, his voice becomes monotone (and at times
inaudible). He also fidgets with items such as a pen, and looks at his notes or the overhead
projector screen, not at his audiences. He can barely wait to finish and return to his seat.
Andrew’s plight is not uncommon. You may not have all of these symptoms, but you can
probably relate to some of them. The following techniques will help you in situations where you
get nervous while speaking.
7 Move
Speakers who stand in one spot and never gesture experience tension. In order to relax, you need
to release tension by allowing your muscles to flex. If you find you are locking your arms in one
position when you speak, then practice releasing them so that they do the same thing they would
if you were in an animated one-on-one conversation. You can’t gesture too much if it is natural.
Upper body movement is important, but moving with your feet can release tension as well. You
should be able to take a few steps, either side-to-side or toward the audience. When speaking
from a lectern, you can move around the side of it for emphasis (if you have a movable
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Riana Helen Agnesia –Overcoming Fear – ELI L/S 80
microphone). This movement will help release your tension and never fail to draw the audience
toward the presentation. If you can’t move to the side of the lectern, an occasional half-step to
one side will help loosen muscle tension.
8 Make Eye Contact with Audience
Give your presentation to one person at a tome. Relate with your audience as individuals. Look
in people’s eyes as you speak. Connect with them. Make it personal and personable. The eye
contact should help you relax because you become less isolated from eth audience, and learn to
react to their interest in you.
References:
Engleberg, I. & Raimes, A. (2002). Pocket Keys for Speakers. NY: Houghton Mifflin.
Harrington, D. & LeBeau, C. (1996). Speaking of Speech: Basic Presentation Skills for Beginners.
Tokyo: MacMillan Language House.
Mandel, S. (2000). Effective Presentation Skills: A Practical Guide for Better Speaking. (3rd Ed.)
California: Crisp Learning.
Reinhart, S.M. (2002). Giving Academic Presentations. Michigan: Michigan Press
Templeton, M. & Fitzgerald, S. S. (1999). Great Presentation Skills. NY: McGraw-Hill.
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