Panic Attack! I Almost had to Speak in Public!!!

[Jack_Dawson]

My boss couldn't make the engagement so I almost had to present. I broke into a cold sweat just thinking about it. Then my boss's boss volunteered. I took an intensive weekend-long public speaking class a couple years back and actually did decently, but the thought of having to stand up in front of people isn't my favourite situation.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. It's really not so bad

You just probably need more experience with it.

[Jack_Dawson]

2. No doubt - when you do it a lot it's no biggie

But it's been a long time.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. I like to speak in public

Of course, I'm severely mentally ill.

--bkl

[Jack_Dawson]

4. Thatz cool - were you always like that?

[Dogmudgeon]

10. Strange thing about that

I was always a very shy kid, to the point of autistic behavior. It's still a pretty strong tendancy I have, lo these long decades later.

But get me in front of a microphone -- or behind a keyboard -- and everything changes.

I've been thinking of avocationally trying acting. I'm not really a dinner-theater kind of guy, but improvisational theater (comedy or non-comedy) has long interested me. I actually did stand-up comedy once upon a time, though not very seriously, and did OK at it.

I'm pretty comfortable around crowds. No "flop sweat" at all. I can't figure it out, but I'm happy that there is at least one phobia I don't have.

--bkl

[Canuckistanian]

19. I don't think "autistic" is the right metaphor.

I have an autistic son and he's a show-off, loves to get on stage and perform for large audiences. He literally has no shame, even when he makes a mistake.
I know what you mean though. Some severely affected autistics seem to withdraw completely. Really its just lack of interest in socializing.

[Dogmudgeon]

20. No, "autistic" it (probably) was

By modern reckoning, it would have been diagnosed as autism, probably severe Asperger's syndrome at least. I grew up in the early to mid 1960s, and autism back then was stereotyped as a complete lack of communication, self-destructive acting out, and other observably unusual behavior. (Yes, I do know that autism comes in many forms and carries many labels.) They just said I was a weird kid.

I was withdrawn and lived in a world of my own. By the time I was three or four, I had developed a very elaborate fantasy world. I got along well enough with other people. But there was this entire other world, and the two didn't match. I was able to tell the difference between the two, but talking about my secret world had the effect of scaring the bejeezus out of people. For one thing, many of my fantasies had parallels to occult beliefs, although I wasn't exposed to the paranormal until I was older. (I knew about UFOs but they weren't part of my world.)

I "came out of it" in my mid-teens. I have almost no memories from that period, from ages 13 to 17. It makes no sense at all. But I was a "late bloomer" and did OK socially.

"Having no shame" is also something I can relate to. I have just about no shame about being naked, for instance. I even did life modeling for artists at the college I attended. There were at least two occasions where girls I had dated had to draw me in class; one was completely mortified, although we hadn't gotten naked ourselves. I can also remember asking someone out while I was still naked. It seemed absolutely normal to me.

I still have a lot of that stuff going on, but I can be quite social, and I can connect well with other people. No, there have been no nude runs through the town with me waving a pistol, like Ollie North once did. I've always been interested in introversion as a "pathology", whether or not it's called autism. I'm not so sure it's pathological, since it has been much more of a help to me than a hinderance.

A cousin of mine has two children with Asperger's (and one without) and fretted about it greatly until she learned that I was pretty much the same way growing up. She relaxed and began to enjoy being a mother more, and the kids have done well.

I hope your son has as beneficial an experience with his autism as I've has with my ... whatever-it-is. I'm sure it's not easy at times for you or for him, but there's gold to be found in every human stream.

--bkl

[Dookus]

5. I've read that

that's the number one phobia.

Practice helps... if you want to get better, you can try Toastmasters. I haven't done it myself (I'm a natural ham) but I know others who've been helped by it.

http://www.toastmasters.org/

[Sticky]

6. I'm the same way

It doesn't matter how many times I do it, it's still nerve-wracking. Have you ever tried Toastmasters? It helps.

[Jack_Dawson]

7. I haven't - but I should

But joining a club where you give speeches all the time...yikes I dunno.

[Sticky]

11. They have great advice....

but in the end it's still you, alone, facing 100 strangers who are looking at you - and ONLY you. hehe

[Commendatori]

8. The secret to public speaking is a simple one

Just pretend that everyone in the audience knows and likes you already.

[Jack_Dawson]

9. What if they all start throwing things at you?

[Donkeyboy75]

Actually, I've found I'm more comfortable with

a semi-hostile audience. That way you know where you stand immediately. I like taking questions and firing back (I have to give scientific presentations often). It's the ones that seem to go too smoothly that bother me.

[Donkeyboy75]

12. Actually, I've found I'm more comfortable with

a semi-hostile audience. That way you know where you stand immediately. I like taking questions and firing back (I have to give scientific presentations often). It's the ones that seem to go too smoothly that bother me.

[Commendatori]

15. Throwing things?

Are you speaking at a darts convention? ;)

[deadeye]

13. I thought you were supposed to pretend that everyone

in the crowd is naked. :)

[Commendatori]

14. Doesn't work, because when you try it,

you'll find a bunch of people you find repulsive. If I pictured beautiful women naked that would hamper my ability to speak, and if I pictured men or really old women naked, that would hamper my ability to eat. The phrasing is meant in friendly jest, of course, but it's the truth in my case.

[Dookus]

I tried that

but my erection just made me more self-concious.

[tsakshaug]

16. I like to speak

Which is strange, because one-on-one and in small groups I am very shy. Put me infront of more than 15 people and I have a ball

[Lavender Brown]

I had panic attacks

just from having to do presentations in high school and college! I had to learn special breathing techniques to calm down beforehand so I didn't get all breathless and flustered when I was trying to talk. It helped a lot, but I'm still not a big fan. :)

[EstimatedProphet]

17. You're not alone in that

Drives me crazy too. But I know from past experience:
1) it does get easier the more you do it
2) the worst part is right when you start. After that the presentation gets easier. I can start to relax after about a minute.

[Teddy_Salad]

18. Oh dear

I know what you mean.

I have panic attacks in certain situations and no crap, I would rather die than have to stand up and talk in front of a lot of people.

In fact, I could not do it.

It pisses me off too because I know my 'condition' has stopped me from doing a lot of things in my life.

[Jack_Dawson]

21. Everyone has to at some point though...right?

Weddings? Meetings?