I’m antisocial af and my english teacher seriously decided it would be wise to require my entry (me specifically) in a public speaking competition?!?
I just need some REALLY good advice because one slip-up in my speaking and I start stuttering like Porky Pig. I doubt I’ll get through the first stages, but if I do, I’ll have to face a large croud and do my speech, so I’d need that advice for that too.
one time i yapped for like 30 seconds in front of this huge crowd of like 500 ppl
all u need to do is not look at them and think of anything else ezzezzzz
do you have to do it,can you un apply?
Your English teacher required only you to enter the public speaking competition because of how good your entry is. Have some faith in your abilities; if it’s something you understand in depth (and even better, if it’s something you’re passionate about), the words will come naturally to you while you’re presenting.
You could avoid looking at the crowd if you’d like to, but maybe not by looking down or facing the board the whole time. Maybe try looking forward at the wall and not directly at the people in the crowd. Or, if there are any friends in the audience, make eye contact with them, and them only. Preferably one friend for each part of the crowd (left, middle, right side). I often do that for class presentations.
And lastly, when presenting, make sure to be relaxed and calm (I know it’s easier said than done, but try your best 
). Being jittery would make you more likely to slip up. Just be there to have a good time, and don’t worry about the results. Just focus on getting your message/point across while presenting. And probably the most helpful piece of advice is to just practice presenting a ton before the competition so you’re familiar/comfortable with your topic/presentation, which would help avoid slip ups
focus on yourself, make sure your posture is good, your speaking clearly, your using gestures, your looking at the crowd, your not pacing, your not slouching on one leg. There is so many things you have to focus on, you’ll soon lose focus on the crowd.
My strat is to pick a random person in the crowd (preferably someone I know) and just act like I’m having a conversation with them. Do try to look up if you do this every once in a while but other then that it’s pretty much just talking loudly to a single person
A thing that’s worked for me is to let myself be nervous, let the audience see it, and just make it part of the talk. Even joke about it.
If you look up before you start you’ll see at least one person smiling encouragingly back at you, 'cos they see that you’re nervous and know what it feels like, and they want to help you through it. That helps a lot.
Also I like to stand behind a lectern and grip it with both hands like I’m holding on for dear life. Ride that adrenaline and use it to show enthusiasm for the talk and the topic.
Some of the most boring speakers I’ve seen have looked totally comfortable and at ease.
Oh also also practice out loud a whole bunch of times. That way you’ll find it way easier to find the next syllable or word. Some stuff reads great on paper but is surprisingly tricky to say out loud, so speaking it through will help you find that and clear it up.
Good luck!
Does this work for 4 minutes?
I’m not sure I can un-apply, and either way I’d feel like I’m sabotaging myself considering the huge benefits I’d have if I win (a “young leaders” summer program in some big university).
Thanks sm!
Thank you!
Will do!
I’ll try my best!
I’m sure you will make it out alive just try to be more happy than nervous that you’re doing it
Another thing I do is try to trick myself into thinking the nervous feeling is just me being excited
Kinda hard the first couple times but if you start doing this consistently it could help
no i had a super longer script planned but i got scared and ended it early but i got to like 30 seconds
oh. mine has to be 4 minutes long 
Those 4 minutes do seem like it’s going to be long, but when you’re presenting, time’s going to fly by real fast. I don’t think you’ll need to worry about time, unless you have a maximum/limited amount of time to present, and you have a ton of info to cover.
Im not even gonna try to give you advice because I almost failed speech class a quarter (had straight As in everything else)
Yep, I did this for graduation and the tip is to not think about it and concentrate on the words
Added to this when you’re in the zone time flies fast, all the marching band stuff I did flies-