# eeeeeeeeek Oral Presentation tomorrrow...HELP!



## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

Gah I'm going crazy
I have an oral presentation due tomorrow for my English Comp. class and I am clueless. 
I have NEVER done an oral presentation...and the last time I tried which was infront of my mom, I bursted out in tears because I couldn't do it 

This topic is "All About Me" and I get to choose to do one on (the following), some or all (of the following)

Childhood Memory
An Important Person In My Life
Where I See Myself In The Future
Personal Favorites (movies, music, etc)
A memory/dream
The 5 Best Things About Me
If I Were In Charge Of The World
HELP!
I have no idea which one to do, nor how to write it.
I cannot have it all writen down...I can have note cards but the whole thing can't be written down on it.

Thanks in advace!


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## DashAwayAll (Jul 19, 2008)

Stay away from "5 best things about me" - it seems bragging and phony. And nobody listening will care.

Anything else.... make it a personal story. That way it's not a report, you can tell it as a story. Just write it out like you are telling a "OMG, guess what?" story to your bestest g/f. Make it a funny story.

Childhood memory .... ever grab your Moms hand and then realise it wasn't your Mom? Ever get caught swinging like a monkey on the clothes racks in a department story? Ever get to school and realise you had your jammie bottoms on under your skirt insead of your underwear? Stuff like that..... it's sweet and funny, and usually happens to everbody.


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## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

yeah I was planning on staying away from the 5 best things unless I could make it all realllly funny, but I'll be way too nervous for that.

I don't really have any good stories...my child hood has been pretty boring actually lol
Well there was something that happened when I was 4...but I AIN"T telling that to the whole class...too embarrising 

As for childhood memory, it's sad but I don't remember any thing of my childhood. A few things here and there but nothing that is worth telling.


Oh I forgot to mention...this only has to be 5 minutes minimum


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## kickshaw (May 7, 2008)

umm....hello? Horses!

I did one of those speeches my first semester at college. I brought in pictures, showed magazines, told of what i had done and where I was going...brought some stuff to pass around - and people actually listened!!


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## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

which catagory, kickshaw, would it be best under? I mean I could do the Memory of me finding a horse...but I always start crying  Yeah I'm overly emotional...and I HATE it lol. I cry on like everything lol....you should have seen me in the movie theaters watching "Fireproof" omg everyone was staring at me lol 

I wouldn't be so nervous if I had a podium or a desk or something...but noooooo there's nothing lol.


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## kickshaw (May 7, 2008)

you could do 
where you see yourself in the future or my personal favorites


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## claireauriga (Jun 24, 2008)

Personal favourites = favourite hobby, riding.

I know public speaking is scary at first and to be honest speaking about yourself is hardest of all. By turning it onto riding you don't have to out lots of personal feelings to your classmates, which makes it a lot easier.

The first thing I am going to tell you when it comes to speaking is to speak slowly. When you are nervous you will speed up. If you've ever done competitive debating you'll know that everyone is told to speak slowly, because as we get nervous we start to sound like little chipmunks rattling away.

The second thing is to look at the back of the classroom, or around the corners. It helps keep your chin up and stops you from talking to your feet or your notes.

The third thing is to practise potentially difficult phrases so they trip off your tongue easily. If you're working from notes rather than a script, that's better because you'll speak more naturally, but even so there will be phrases you'll particularly want to remember.

Fourthly, don't fidget. It's okay to shift from foot to foot occasionally, walk when making a point, use expressive hand gestures - but don't overdo it. Your audience will start to giggle.

When did you get this assignment? Sounds like the kind of thing you ought to have had loads of prep for. It's not like BP debating where you have fifteen minutes to prep, and that includes time to walk to your venue ...


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## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

I've known about the assignment for and have tried different things but none work out...so that's why I'm sooo stressed out.

Claire, I actually like the favorite hobby idea and I've told millions of people it so I won't have to practice too much. 

But how to start it off? Should I bother intruducing myself or what?

Edit: Wait... would how I became in love with horse back riding be under that topic? Meaning if I say that I started HBR last year in August because I needed PE credits for school....blah blah blah sooner than I knew I was addicted to horse back riding. By the time November rolled around I was starting to look for a horse for sale....blah blah blah and then end it with me buying Sonny?
Wait...that can go under memories also....ARG! I hate this


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## claireauriga (Jun 24, 2008)

You have many hobbies, presumably. Horseback riding is your favourite, but you could make it about a couple of them if you wanted. Or you could talk about your favourite horse.

Just remember that whatever you talk about, your classmates aren't going to care and will find it boring. That's the nature of stupid orals in school.

There's no need to introduce yourself. You're talking to your class, they know who you are. I know this is a presentation, not a debate, but there are loads of weak, ineffective or clichéd ways of opening your speech that debaters are drilled into avoiding.

One way you could open is just to walk up to the front of the class, grin, and say, "Hey, everyone. I'm going to tell you a bit about some of my favourite hobbies. I play the clarinet, I teach Burundi children how to read, I'm sous-chef for a four-star restaurant and I recently submitted designs for a new circular supercollider to CERN, but the best way for me to pass the time has to be in the company of my horse, Sonny. Everything else is great, and cool, but Sonny just rocks my socks off."


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## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

well it's over with.
I was shaking the whole time and I messed up alot but it's over. GAH


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## claireauriga (Jun 24, 2008)

What did you talk about? How did it go?

Public speaking can be really hard but I know from experience that the very best thing to do is practice.


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## moomoo (Feb 21, 2007)

glad its over  atleast you didnt have to do it in German!


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## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

claireauriga said:


> What did you talk about? How did it go?
> 
> Public speaking can be really hard but I know from experience that the very best thing to do is practice.


I just talked about the different horses I looked at for sale...something easy and that I knew.
Ehhh...it went okay. I was shaking the whole time...I messed up a few horse names and I felt like I was going to pass out...but other than that, it went okay hehe

Yeah...see the problem is....with friends, family, and people that I know really well, I'm alright...it's going up in front of people that I don't know too well that I get really nervous


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## claireauriga (Jun 24, 2008)

How's this for scary - being the very first non-MP, non-peer to ever formally debate in Parliament, standing up in the House of Lords, talking to the people in charge of one of the UK's largest debating organisations, an audience of hundreds, members of the House of Lords and TV cameras, and addressing the Lord Speaker of the House of Lords?

Heh. It was _amazing_.










Really, if you're scared of public speaking you should try something like debating or similar pursuits - I believe America's got lots of things like Model UN or Model Congress? Ever since I did my debating I've lost just about all fear of public speaking, of making phone calls, of talking to strangers.


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