talk about being yourself..

kibinkibin, All I can say is, I sympathize with you, and yet I also envy you. The reason? Well, the fact is, I've never been in such a situation. I've never had to give a presentation or had to do anything in front of the public. So in that sense I sympathize with you because I think I'd be terrified. I'd probably shake so much I'd have to be carried off the podium. But I also envy you, because I wish I'd had such an opportunity. I believe it is important to be in such a situation. It teaches you a lot about yourself. You will come to know what you are capable of, and you will end up respecting yourself. So, kibinkibin, I'm the last person you would want to take advice from in this matter, but I'll still go ahead and offer my two-bits worth. I'd say, face up to your fear. Admit that you're scared. Laugh at yourself by saying that you'll probably end up peeing in your pants, or worse. I've also heard that the best way to overcome your fear is to begin your presentation by saying: "I've never done this before; and I'm terrified. But I'm here already, so, I guess I'll just have to carry on." You'll get some smiles, maybe some supporting comment, and you won't be scared anymore. All this is from someone who's never been before the public.

As a child I was perfoming on stage dancing and in musical theatre and I went on to do performing arts as an A-level. Personally I have never been nervous but that's because I started all of this at a very young age. One tip I will give you is do not look at your audience, stare out into them but keep your eyes above their heads or find something to focus on at the very back of the room. Keep looking around as this will give the illusion that you are looking at them and playing to them.

well i always prefer to keep my identity intact so that i will always be in the safe zone

Tell yourself that those people want you to succeed. They are not enemies out to get you, but people there who want to be entertained or learn something from you. Make sure you are well prepared. Smile before you start your presentation and find someone who smiles back. Then look at that person as though you are talking just to him at first before moving your eyes to others. If you are well prepared, you will feel more confident. I've always thought people should practice giving their presentations in front of a bunch of sheep who will answer everything they say with a loud "Baaaa!" Then you will have faced your worse audience and any human one will seem more friendly.