Public Speaking

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

You should get together with some people and make toasts to overcome your fear of public speaking.

[AdminAssistant]

And people wonder why actors have such reputations....

Actually, if I may be a Debbie Downer, alcohol before acting is actually a terrible idea. One key component in vocal projection (without vocal destruction) is keeping your vocal chords hydrated. This is why actors, and in particular those in musical theatre and opera singers, keep vast quantities of water backstage. I went to a talkback after a performance of Spring Awakening and several of the actors were drinking straight from gallon jugs. Alcohol, as we know, tends to dehydrate the human body. Besides, IMO, if you have to get under the influence or do anything harmful to yourself (I'm looking at you, Method actors) to get a good performance, then you are a bad actor.

Not that it matter so much in your case, as it was just a one-time class and I'm guessing it was one geared towards non-theatre majors. (Good programs have majors-only beginning acting classes so that they can get a good and proper ass kicking early on. Weeds out those who chose theatre as a major because they thought it would be easy.) Still, in case there are any hopeful actors out there, I wanted to throw in my twopence.

[shankyknitter]

Another tip! If you're worried about speedingthroughyourpresentationbecasueomgnerves! practice your speech/whatever paaaaaiinnnnfuuuulllllyyyyy sllllloooooooowwwwllllyyyyy. That way even when you do speed up because of nerves it comes out at a normal speaking speed.

[CaptainJillian]

And people wonder why actors have such reputations....

Not that it matter so much in your case, as it was just a one-time class and I'm guessing it was one geared towards non-theatre majors. (Good programs have majors-only beginning acting classes so that they can get a good and proper ass kicking early on. Weeds out those who chose theatre as a major because they thought it would be easy.) Still, in case there are any hopeful actors out there, I wanted to throw in my twopence.

I actually agree with this, you are correct it was just an elective-type class with the majority of the students fulfilling the elective credit. It was more of a good time than a real acting training program, plus it was a night class so it was pretty laid back. If you are studying to actually be an actor, I would not use my methods.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I think I was always pretty good at the public speaking thing. As long as I could have notes handy I did pretty well. It's when I have to speak off the top of my head that I run into problems.

There was one guy I went to college with, I'm sorry to say, I'm happy I never had him in a group project. Smart guy, but horrific at public speaking, and yet he always insisted on speaking.

Picture, if you will, a guy speaking in a flat monotone, eyes glued to "notes" that were passages copied chapter and verse out of some book or off some website (either that or his command of the written word was just awesome; I mean I didn't know what the word byzantine meant until he used it in a presentation), messing up every so often and then feeling the need to start over.

I felt so sorry for his groups. Their presentations would go so well and then he'd come up to speak and the whole thing turned into a dumpster fire. And I felt bad for him too.

After the presentations we'd have to rate the groups, and he'd always get upset when people would comment that he wasn't so hot behind the lectern. It's possible to be a valuable contributor to a group and not speak. With as many people as we had in each group, it wasn't feasible for every member to speak anyway.

[Jester]

It's possible to be a valuable contributor to a group and not speak.

This is something that should be beaten into some people doing commercials these days. I don't care if you started the company, are an award-winning researcher, or the best damn lawyer on the planet....if you come off like a robotic tool or are disconnected from the camera, it is doing your business a DIS-service for you to be speaking on camera. Get someone who can handle it, or hire an actor. There is nothing wrong with either one of these. Some of these Bigwigs just haven't figured this shit out yet. And their commercials come off looking like great big steaming piles of rhino shit.

[firecat88]

It's possible to be a valuable contributor to a group and not speak. With as many people as we had in each group, it wasn't feasible for every member to speak anyway.

Try telling that one to one of my professors. I was taking a class a few semesters ago, and a large part of it was being in a group that was supposed to analyze and redesign a networking system for a company (some semesters, the companies were real. Other times, they were fake ones made up by the prof. This particular semester, thankfully, it was the latter). Our final in that class was to give a huge presentation about our findings and what we'd done to improve their old system. There were five people to each group, and four or five groups. And he expected every single member of each group to talk for at least a few minutes.

Not only that, but there was even more talking involved for everyone after each presentation because the prof would put us on the spot by asking questions about the tiniest, most insignificant details of our presentations. I don't *hate* this prof. But I ree-he-he-he-heally did not like him that semester. I mean, it's bad enough making me speak in front of the entire class (I start to kinda hyperventilate, talk a few hundred words a minute, and feel like crying. ), but to ask me questions that I pretty much know not-a-damn-thing about because I was out sick for most of that whole year?

[Jester]

In defense of the professor, he was doing what would happen in the real world, in which every little detail may well be questioned, some of them seemingly insignificant, some of them actually insignificant but still asked by the client, who would still expect an answer. Also, in real life, if you are making a presentation to a company, that client doesn't give a rat's ass if you or anyone else was out sick for a period of time...they just want answers about a project they may be spending their money on.

[Mytical]

Not sure if this has been mentioned or not..but here is a tip my Speech teacher suggested if you have problems with eye contact. Look at the center forehead instead. It is impossible to tell the difference. People think you are making eye contact, but you are not.