presentation soon- ways to sat calm and confident?

[neastm]

So I have a presentation soon and I am feeling a bit nervous.

I always try to prepare myself for them and I feel pretty confident the few days before the presentation. But it seems once I actually get into the room and see everyone there I almost freeze up and start to get into a different state of mind, where I seem to lose control of myself and speech. It seems like I keep going back and forth between feeling confident and scared.

I always try to start off with a deep breath and start off talking slow. But once i have one block, it seems as if I get into a different state of mind and just start talking extremely fast without thinking of how to control my speech. And I just want to get the presentation over with no matter how bad my speech is

Soo does anyone know some tips or techniques to get myself to stay confident and calm before the presentation starts. Or some ways to stay clm and talk slow AFTER i have a block or two and not freak out and start talking fast?

Thank! any help is greatly appreciated!
Ill let you all know how i do in the presentation.

[MarkBulger]

You've probably done your presentation by now, but here's a few thoughts. There's a temptation to think that maybe you could get through speaking without your audience learning your dark secret. Of course, the truth is that you are a stutterer, you will stutter - to some degree - and everyone will hear it, see it, and know that you are a stutterer.

I think the best thing you can do is to start by telling your audience that you stutter, and ask them to bear with you. Wether you stutter or not really isn't in doubt, but how they react to you, and how you react to them and to your own stuttering is what's in question. If you ask them to bear with you, you let them know what's coming, and you also show that you're taking some kind of ownership of the problem.

By letting them know what's coming - and lowering their anxiety while you speak - you also lower your own anxiety at the same time. It's a way to cut off that viscious feedback cycle - I'm afraid to talk, so I talk bad, so they hear me talking bad, so they react badly, and I see their response, so I talk worse... etc.

There's power in taking ownership of your stuttering. It shows people that you're not helpless, and at least some of them will recognize it and respect it.

More generally, try to start by looking around the room, look everyone in the eye, and just say "Hi everyone." And Smile! :D If you look like a scared rabbit - as we so often do - it sets off the predator response in people. When a crowd smells fear, things can go downhill fast.