these are absolutely my ultimate life hacks!! i used to (dread) presentations and now i tolerate them <3 music is vdka cranberry by cone because "SPEAK UPPP" <3 (aka daphne rambling about confidence and debate and presentations for way too long) [find a friend] fun fact, i had a presentation today and one of my friends did this exact hack lol. it's been passed around for ages, but basically, if you're in a class, try to find a friend who sits in around the middle of the room and literally just pretend like you're presenting to them. sometimes it actually does work!! (just... if they're the goofy kind <3 try not to laugh like a maniac-) [find where you're comfortable] i try to go first in some classes, others i absolutely wait until i get called on. it really depends on me, and the day, and the people around me!! the same applies for everyone <3 find which "position" of sorts, maybe going first or last or in the middle, makes you most confident and comfortable. each time has its own pros and cons, so try not to worry too much <3 [breathe + hydrate] breathing is genuinely so underrated haha, i know people say it all the time "just breathe and all your problems will go away!!" well- unfortunately that's not exactly true, but sometimes slow and deep breaths can get you calm. for me personally if i'm not calm before a presentation, i'll become conan lee gray in the second verse of caramel and start speeding my way through the entire thing (thank you pin for that iconic reference-) so just relax <3 and y'all know how i feel abt hydration, i'll make a chart for you if you need it- jk jk jk. [the scale method] this certainly has not been invented by me!! tons of people, from coaches to teachers to family, have all said one general thing in common: don't just practice by yourself. instead, try progressively: - the mirror - stuffed animals or books or an image of your favorite celebrity (cough)- literally anything inanimate <3 - a friend or family member - a larger group (i'd say 3-4 people, but start with 2 if you're not comfortable yet <3) - as big of a group as you can reasonably get (for example, if you have a big friend group you could maybe ask some of them to hear a *bit* of your presentation!!) [practice makes... possible] y'all also know how i feel about the word perfect- so let's say practice makes it more possible- more likely that you'll do amazing <3 so just practice as much as you can!! it doesn't even have to be constantly verbally saying it over and over, there have been lots of studies and such that show even just listening to it on your phone or laptop works wonders!! or try some other forms of media, like teaching it to someone and seeing if you're able to freestyle it on the fly. if you are, you're probably prepared for questions at the end! [teaching styles] so a lot of teachers have widely different styles for presentations and such. i've had teachers who sit on the side, grade, and clap at the end. i've had teachers who grade on the fly and ask deep questions about the topic, and i've had teachers who ask students to give feedback on the go + everything in between. especially in grades where you have multiple teachers for in different subjects, try to ask questions the day before so you know what to expect. [index cards and notes] even if you have something completely memorized, sometimes it just flies out of your head and leaves you looking like a lonely dancer. this happens to absolutely everyone- once i was at a tournament, and i forgot the very last bit of my speech and crashed out for real. so if you have the option to keep an index card, or maybe a script, and you're not 100% confident in your ability, don't be ashamed to have one!! i use them literally all the time, and if i can't bring it up with me (rare) i'll still make them to revise when i have time. [join speech & debate] bit out there: BUTTTT it doesn't have to be a super expensive fancy private school program, even if your school has a team or a club or something, look into joining!! not only is it super fun, it's a great team building activity. maybe give it a shot!! i'm gonna ramble a bit lol. i think a lot of people only see speech and debate as just "debate" - just sitting in a hot room arguing with your opponent fiercely. while that's sometimes a part of it, there are also so so so many acting events, amazing speech events, and some lowstakes debate events where everyone is just trying to have fun. if you're really looking to, i dunno, get an (actually fun for some!) extracurricular and improve your presentation skills i'd check this out <33 (no im totally not biased at all-) [a final note, a footnote in your life] first off love y'all and am proud of you for even presenting bc it's hard as frick- second of all you got this <3 okay so if you made it this far listening to my rambles you deserve a signed copy of wishbone and wishbone tour tickets and also a hug from me omw rn <33 love, daph
