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[Reudh]

Speaking of, if you happen to find a web-building spider of comparable size to the flies in your house, don't kill it. It will eat the flies and mostly stay in its web.

Not killing web-building spiders is generally good advice. I saw one tying down a wasp once. It was a long struggle but the spider had the better tools.

I have an even better tool.

-exterminsnippus-

We often leave the huntsmans in our house alone, because terrifying in appearance as they are, they're barely venomous, non-aggressive and will hunt other, more dangerous spiders like Redbacks or Whitetails.

[Dutchling]

I have to give a presentation in a few hours.

I got over part of my fear for this (no longer anxious to speak in public because it's speaking in public) but I still really suck at it, which makes me still not want to do it. I just always manage to say what is supposed to take 5 minutes in 20 seconds even though I do not feel nervous at all. I hate that >.<

[Frumple]

... bring a metronome? Time your words to swings. Then you'll have a steady cadence! And it'll take up more time.

Look a little funny, but hell, what works, right?

Not something I've done m'self (back when I was working out pacing, I just timed it to breathing, and kept breathing slow), but I've seen the suggestion before.

[Dutchling]

Well, I'm not that desperate yet .
I will try to focus on breathing though.

edit: speaking of being terrified: I just found out the bathroom stalls have new little garbage cans for some reason.

Took me a few seconds to realize the error of my ways.

[Helgoland]

Try a tiny amount of alcohol, say, half a shot of liquor or half a glass of beer. It'll mostly be placebo, but it ought to work!

[Dutchling]

Sadly no that time for that anymore.

Sounds like a good idea though. Getting sociable is the #1 sign of me getting drunk.

[Iceblaster]

Fucking mosquito hawks.

No matter how many times I see them, they still make me shit myself in fear.

[SalmonGod]

Speeches:  The #1 thing to remember is that almost everybody dreads them.  Especially if this is a speech class or something.  All those people watching you?  They're sitting there with the same sense of impending doom that you were before you took the stage, with few exceptions.  They're too pre-occupied with their own fear of judgment to be judging you.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

Excellent point.

In general, with speeches, organization is key.

Try to focus on your topic points that you will write on a card. If you forget some info and can't keep talking on one point, move on to the next one.

Practice your speech ahead of time, timing yourself. You might actually need to add more information ... 5 minutes is a long time to talk.

You can get more out of a short speech by adding an introduction and conclusion. When you step up, say hello, introduce yourself, and say a little something about what you're talking about today. It's like a preview, and it helps them organize what you're saying as you say it. If you outline 3 points you want to make at first, everyone's going to be a tiny bit excited when you finish one point and move on to the next one, because you've fulfilled their expectations.

The conclusion follow the same pattern: briefly mention again your important points. End with a phrase that sounds good.

A final suggestion would be, if there's a Q&A period after, actually put answers to common questions in your speech. I guarantee you if your speech is about some problem, someone in the audience will ask what everyday people like the audience can do to help solve the problem. It makes them feel special even though they know damn well they aren't going to go out of their way to do a damn thing. So nip that bastard in the bud and stop them from asking that cliche question, by answering it in the speech.

So, organize your thoughts, tell the audience how you're organizing it, do the speech, and recap with a little sumpin-sumpin. You're gonna like the way you sound: I guarantee it.

[Dutchling]

#SalmonGod Yeah, except the speech is based on a report I make for an organization which is actually going to send representatives to the next speech :x

I fully agree on the organization/preparation thing though. I tend to avoid preparing for them in some false hope I'll avoid the speech itself as well then I guess.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

Well that's good! Man, you will have so much to talk about. Paring it down to just the most important stuff will be the hard part.

And adults in an organization are just as fearful of public speaking. Unless you went through a college degree where all your classes had group projects and presentations, and you take a public speaking class, and go to Toastmasters meetings ... heck, after all that I still get butterflies.

One point that hasn't come up: all those people in the audience aren't just stewing and bitchy. They want you to succeed. They want you to do well. Really, they're all pulling for you: they're on your team.

[Squill]

So I'm going to be participating in a German-American exchange program. I'll be hosting a German student for three weeks, and in the summer I'll be going to Germany for three weeks.
I am getting very nervous now. My exchange partner is flying over in 16 days, and I'm beginning to see issues I didn't think much about when I signed up, mainly that I'm weird and quiet and a little bit socially awkward. While I don't imagine it will be a problem talking to the German student, I'm worried that I'll ruin his experience with my lack of interaction. Although people would probably be more likely to talk then the German student than to me, I'm worried most about lunch. I don't know anyone at my lunch, and so for the whole year I have sat alone. I kinda think that he'd want to see what the typical American school lunch is like, rather than what mine is like.

[Helgoland]

There's a fairly large chance that guy will be weird too, you know?

[Squill]

There's a fairly large chance that guy will be weird too, you know?

I've been communicating with him via email. He certainly seems a lot sportier than me; he plays a lot of soccer and I don't play or watch any sort of sport.
If he is weird, than it's probably in a different way than me.

[Helgoland]

You'll be an odd couple, then. You'll make for a great lighthearted comedy!