Ask HN: I've been asked to give a speech: I am terrified. • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: I've been asked to give a speech: I am terrified.

#11

Post by andrew_gardener » Thu, Oct 10, 2013, 4:06 PM UTC

If you feel you cannot do it then don't do it. There is no reason to torture yourself psychologically and physically if its not something you want to do.

I see a lot people writing comments about how to improve your speaking skills (which could be something good to do but...) while ignoring the fact you're basically worried about breaking down again from the pressure.

Please take care of your basic needs and mental stability before worrying about satisfying others. If you feel you can do it, give it a shot. If not, save yourself (and the organizers) grief and bow out now.

Please be well and take care of yourself.

Re: Ask HN: I've been asked to give a speech: I am terrified.

#12

Post by cafard » Thu, Oct 10, 2013, 4:11 PM UTC

By the way, Mark Jason Dominus (the guy who wrote High-Order Perl) has a presentation on giving presentations. I've only seen the slides, not the YouTube, but there are some handy tips.

Re: Ask HN: I've been asked to give a speech: I am terrified.

#13

Post by elaineo » Thu, Oct 10, 2013, 9:18 PM UTC

How to Be the Best Public Speaker on the Planet: http://www.jamesaltucher.com/2013/10/how-to-be-the-best-publ...

Re: Ask HN: I've been asked to give a speech: I am terrified.

#14

Post by digitalengineer » Fri, Oct 11, 2013, 2:15 PM UTC

andrew_gardener wrote: post #11

If you feel you cannot do it then don't do it. There is no reason to torture yourself psychologically and physically if its not something you want to do. I see a lot people writing comments about how to improve your speaking skills (which could be something good to do but...) while ignoring the fact you're basically worried about breaking down again from the pressure. Please take care of your basic needs and mental s…

>before worrying about satisfying others Exactly. Sounds like you got sucked in to something. Ask yourself if this is something you want to do or something someone told you you should do.

Edit: In case you want to learn more about 'traps' one can fall into, I suggest this book: http://www.amazon.com/How-Found-Freedom-Unfree-World/dp/0965...

Re: Ask HN: I've been asked to give a speech: I am terrified.

#15

Post by atom-morgan » Fri, Oct 11, 2013, 7:34 PM UTC

I used to be in the same boat as you although not nearly as bad. I hated public speaking and I was extremely shy.

But in my freshman year of college, I had to write a one page double spaced paper about anything every week. On Friday, we’d all read it to the class out loud. Looking back on my college experience, it was probably the single most valuable course I took just because it made me practice speaking in front of other people. As you’d expect, practice makes perfect (or improvement) and it’s now one of my greatest strengths according to those around me and it's a great skill to have!

I wrote a letter about this class and teacher if you’re interested: https://medium.com/dear-blank/dc36bb5d403a