Dear xXIzzyXx,
Welcome to Beyond Blue and well done for reaching out and asking for advice.
And I must say that I reckon MOST people have some anxiety about talking in front of a group. I know I most certainly used to. But over the years I've actually done a lot of talking in front of groups, and here's a couple of things I've learnt to do;
First of all, take some deep breaths first, before you start. At LEAST 3 deep slow breaths, preferably 5. Count in for four and out for six. Yes, count more for the out breath, because one of the things that anxiety causes us to do sometimes is to 'over-breathe' and therefore trap more air inside than what is needed and that leads to feeling 'puffed' and short of breath, when really, we've just breathed in but forgotten to breathe it all the way out again. So DEEP breaths in and DEEPER breaths out!
Second of all, if you can, talk about what you know. If you are familiar with the topic, then that will give you something to focus on and think about rather than your nerves.
Thirdly, rather than look at the people, look to the back of the room, over their heads. Or, if there is someone that you know well/a bit better than other people in the room, then look at them. You don't have to 'stare' a them; you could alter your gaze from the person to your speech, to the back wall .....
And finally, practice, practice and more practice really does make it 'perfect'! The more you do it, the better and more confident you will become at it.
Best of luck. I hope that helps a little. xo
