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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Concordia CA chapter.

Presenting a project in class can be very stressful. I will be the first one to tell you how much anxiety I feel before presenting in front of a classroom, regardless of the size. Lucky me, I have been in programs in which oral presentations are very common. Therefore, throughout the years, I have collected many tricks to help with my anxiety. 

Preparation is key. This might seem like an obvious point, but there is much more to it. Writing down what you are going to present is the first part. Writing allows you to start retaining the information. Once you have written all of your information down and have gone through it a few times, rewrite your presentation without looking at your first paper. This way, it proves to yourself that you know your information, which will increase your self-confidence. 

 

Practicing is extremely important. Practicing can allow you to hear yourself recite the information you have written down. This also allows you to make adjustments as well as pinpoint areas to edit and explain in different ways. Once that editing and modifications are finalized, I would suggest practicing with your family or friends to make sure your explanations make sense. Most of the time, professors are looking for simplistic yet informational explanations, so practicing with people outside of your class can help a lot. 

Remember that you are not alone. Most people presenting in your class will be just as stressed out, if not more, than you. Concentrate on your information and the fact that you worked extremely hard to develop the best presentation that you possibly can. If you doubt yourself and let the anxiety and stress take over, you will miss some points in the presentation and will regret it later on. No one is judging you.

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Finally, do not put too much pressure on your end result. Dreading your past presentations can affect your future presentations, which is not fair to yourself. Be your authentic self. Do not worry about the other students in the class. Try to create a presentation that will make you proud. Even though your professor might recommend no papers or index cards if it makes you comfortable, do it regardless. 

All in all, presentations are stressful, there is no denying it. However, there are tricks that you can put in place for yourself which could minimize your stress. Your information is what is most important and if you get the point across I would call that a success.

 

Émilie Tittel

Concordia CA '22

I am a second generation Concordian. I am studying in Leisure Sciences in the hopes of working in schools and creating programs that would increase motivation in all students, inspired from my life as a dyslexic in our school system. Passionate about anything music, figure skating, and bullet journaling.
Kheyra King is a Montreal-born city girl studying English Literature at Concordia University. She is the Campus Correspondent for Her Campus at Concordia and the Vice President of Recruitment of Delta Phi Epsilon. She loves coffee dates, traveling and pasta. You will definitely catch her studying at the local Starbucks or Webster Library.