# Dilemma - Group presentation



## Vincenzo (Sep 24, 2005)

It's group presentation time.

The problem is, and I'm somewhat ashamed to admit to this, even to you guys, that I could not possibly handle giving any kind of speech to a large group of people. 

Now, under normal circumstances, if you offered me a choice between explaining Social Anxiety to my tutor, and, say, performing my own castration using only my car keys, I would choose the latter and be grateful for the opportunity.

But this is different since it's affecting the other people in the group (one of whom is a hottie). 

I can't see any way to walk out of this situation with my dignity intact and I'm wondering if you have any suggestions. What have you done in a similar situations?

thanks


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## rb27 (Jul 17, 2005)

Well, how big of a presentation is it? If it isn't too big, or important, I guess you could magically get sick that week and e-mail them your part. I'm kinda in the same situation, where I need to take Spanish classes but can't because of my SA, so I need to talk to the school about it. It's like choosing your poison. I don't know, that wasn't helpful at all, was it? :stu


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## Drella (Dec 4, 2004)

I had to do an hour long group presentation last year. It was really hard, because I knew everyone else's grade was depending on me presenting the material well. I have a presentation Tuesday. I'm just going to get it over with and hope that I don't make a fool of myself. I don't have any advice to give. I just do my presentations, because I know I can't keep escaping these situations. I can't run away, because it makes me feel inferior. If everyone else in the class can do it, I should at least try to as well. If I **** up, I did my best.


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## whiteclouds (Mar 18, 2004)

:lol That castration analogy was hilarious.

Maybe this time, you can let the other people do most of the talking and just speak for the bare minimum of time to get yourself the grade. Usually, when you are put in groups there is always one of those go-getters who dominates the whole project. I'm so hypocritical to say this because I used to be one of those go-getters and I didn't like slackers, but you have a legitamate reason which I understand all too well. You can do your share of prep-work before the presentation so you are not a slacker, and just let the others do most of the talking on D-Day.

Also, change your mindset from, "I could not possibly handle giving a speech" to "I may feel uncomfortable, but I CAN handle giving a speech." If you really couldn't handle something, you would die from it, and you are not going to die from a speech. You may feel nervous and feel like a fool after the speech is over, but you'll recover, and in a few days it will be out of your mind anyway.


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## Vincenzo (Sep 24, 2005)

The fact is though, that I could not possibly handle it.

If I have to publically speak for more than thirty seconds, I start trembling and my voice goes away. There is no way I could successfully get through the presentation, I'm not being pessimistic here, just realistic.

I'm thinking that perhaps Jack Daniels could help me out, and that's all I can come up with.

It's a goddamn piss-laden shame. Not to sound arrogant, but I consider myself to be the most articulate and eloquent individual on the course (under one-to-one circumstances). It's sad that I'm going to fail miserably in a task that I could easily triumph in were it not for SA


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## chantienyee (Mar 15, 2006)

Is your prof nice?
I say bring it up with him/her.
I've had to do a few presentations, too. It sounds like it's actually physically almost impossible for you to do something like this (which is why you should speak to your prof -- why feel ashamed? Wouldn't it be more shameful to get a bad grade because your prof just thinks you didn't prepare or something? Especially if you know all your stuff...)
Like Drella, I just DID the presentations and felt better after knowing that they were over. It was hard, and after I was scared in class because I was all self-consciou thinking that everyone was looking at me or at least had this terrible impression that, wow...he's so bad at speaking...but you know what, public speaking is, like, the NUMBER ONE fear in North America...and chances are (even if this doesn't help you feel better about it) that nobody is going to think less of you for speaking badly in front of a ton of people... And nobody is going to think less of you because you have a condition that makes it even harder than "most/normal" people. Really... either talk to your prof and explain (maybe write an email? This could be easier?) or just get the presentation out of the way...if you're in a group, ask to go, like, second, so you're not opening, but so that you're not last and so nobody even remembers your part ;p

Good luck!


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## sansd (Mar 22, 2006)

i really thought that i might not be able to get through my french group presentation. the whole quarter, i imagined myself shaking and stuttering incomprehensibly before breaking into tears and having to run out of the room. but somehow, even though i did stumble and both my body and my voice still trembled, it was probably the least horrible one i've done since elementary school.

i think a good part of this was that i practiced reading everything several times with my teacher (who knew i was "shy" and scared) beforehand. i suspect another large part was being too exhausted from sleep deprivation to care much. it probably also helped that the other people in my group complimented me on what i'd written just beforehand.

i know that's not very helpful, but _i_ was able to manage when i thought i couldn't. i guess my best advice is just to practice it as much as you can, to the point that what you're going to say is so familiar that it'd be almost unimaginable to fumble. i just said what i'd been saying over and over, without thinking all that much extra about all the people in front of me.


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## Guest (Apr 16, 2006)

If you really have to do this and can't get out of it follow this procedure......it's helped me in the past

I'd say eat healthy a week before the presentation.....practice how it will go in you head by doing exposures several times days before you present. Imagine standing in front of the crowd, what do you see? what does the room smell like? What are you wearing? What do other peoples faces look like, get as realistic a picture as you can.....practice this and stay in the senario until your anxiety lessens, it takes patience....hold on to it. Give yourself POSITIvE thoughts and don't allow negative ones in your head, this is difficult but you must do it. Also, prepare FULLY for your presentation. On the day of the test go for an hour walk outside by yourself to clear your thoughts, breath through your diaphram so you dont hyperventalate. Experience nature. Eat veges and fiber, but not too much

When you get to class do your best to breathe normally, the worst part is waiting for your turn....once you get up there you'll realize it's not as bad as you thought, and you've prepared fully. And then you'll do GREAT!


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## black_mamba (Aug 29, 2005)

rb27 said:


> Well, how big of a presentation is it? If it isn't too big, or important, I guess you could magically get sick that week and e-mail them your part.


Don't do it, I tried that back in my 1st year at uni and my group members hated me for it. :um

Vincenzo, how many presentation have you completed recently? Not completed _well_, just plain finished...?? If you haven't done any recently and feel as physically and mentally terrified as you are, I'd opt for letting your professor know about the phobia (depending on the person, this might not be very helpful either). Would it be worse than a public castration to let your fellow group members know of the phobia? You could just mention public speaking as a phobia rather than social anxiety if that helps...

In any case, if you've practiced recently in front of people, I'd say its doable, terrifying but very doable (I did it recently after being as scared as you were*). Forcing yourself to practice in front of 1 or 2 people beforehand is another option which will show you that its worth going through with ths group presentation.

The decision is yours..... :b

*If you want some tips which really helped me pre-seminar, give me a shout


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## ConfinedButterfly (Oct 22, 2005)

I had to do a group presentation for the semester that just ended. I was really nervous and anxious just thinking about it from the moment I found out on the first day of class and throughout the semester. I even thought about dropping the class. A friend that was part of my group kept telling me that it really wasn't that bad. That all I had to do was get up in front of the class and read. That still didn't calm me down though. But as time passed by I resigned myself to the idea that I would have to do this. Up until that point I had always managed to avoid giving oral presentations (I'm a senior starting my last semester tomorrow btw, so I guess my luck had to run out sooner or later...in this case, later rather than sooner). 

Anyway, the group presentations started about 2 weeks before the end of the semester. My group was second. I remember not sleeping much the night before but not being at all groggy the next morning (probably the anxiety). When I got to school, I wasn't really that nervous which was really surprising. I made small talk with several classmates and requested that my group go up first (since we had 2 groups presenting that day) because I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. Well the time finally came and we made our way to the front of the classroom (it was actually more of a big boardroom, with a huge oval shaped business type desk that everyone was sitting around at) I started getting nervous as my turn was nearing (I was 3rd to present in my group of 4 people). My turn finally came, and I just got up to the podium and read. Once I got going I wasn't nervous at all. After I got done with it I realized my friend was right, it wasn't that bad. In fact, I had another presentation to do by myself for another class which I had decided on the beginning of the semester that I wasn't gonna do, but after doing the first one, it gave me the courage to go for it and do this one as well. The second one was longer than the first, but I did the same thing...just got up there and read. I don't regret doing it at all. It helped me feel more comfortable and less fearful of doing presentations. Before, having to stand up in front of the class and present a paper was my worst fear. I would rather have gotten a low grade instead. But not anymore. Now I'm kind of almost welcoming the one's I have coming up this semester (whoa, that's something I never thought would ever be possible) because the more practice I could get, the better.

My advice to you is just try to work up the courage to do it. It'll benefit you in the end because you'll get better the more experience you have. Plus, you'll feel proud of yourself once you accomplish something that you were really afraid of doing. I know I did.


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