Top 10 Tips On How To Overcome Presentation Nerves As A Student!

Table of Contents

Got a big presentation coming up at university and worried about those dreaded presentation nerves?

Don’t worry, we got you! Things like presentations can be really daunting, whether they’re virtual or in person!

It’s all about remaining calm, cool and confident, and not letting any nerves get the better of you.

We’ve got some top 10 tips here on how to overcome presentation nerves as a student, because let’s be honest, they can be overwhelming!

So, sit back, relax, take a breath, and let’s nail this presentation.

1. Practice Practice Practice!

practice

So our main point on how to overcome presentation nerves as a student is, of course, plenty of practice!

Whether that’s in front of your uni mates in the library or in your luxury student accommodation – practice is key.

Call up your family and go over your presentation, or write down a few notes on some revision cards so it’s nice and fresh in your mind.

It’s important to not put too much pressure on yourself when practicing though, mistakes are natural and if they happen – don’t worry!

We’re all human at the end of the day, and you should be totes proud of yourself for even doing a presentation as a student.

2. Arrive Early

arrive early

Still feeling those presentation nerves? If your presentation is in person, make sure you arrive early so you’re nice and prepared.

Arriving early is important to make sure you’re set up easily, and there won’t be any technical difficulties!

Whether you need to set up your laptop and plug it into the big screen, or need to go over some notes, arriving early is the best option.

That way, you can have some time to prepare, take some deep breaths, and be confident!

3. Stay Hydrated

stay hydrated

A super important one is staying hydrated, not only will it help calm your nerves, but stop you from having a dry throat too!

It’s a good idea to have a bottle of water handy, just in case you feel like it during your presentation.

It’ll not only refresh you but stop your voice from sounding all crackly and nervy – bonus!

4. Power Stance

power stance

Yasssss it’s all about the power stance people! Having a nice powerful stance can really increase your confidence levels and make you feel good.

Sounds silly, but it’s amazing how good you’ll feel just even standing in a certain way!

Certain stances can really make you feel powerful and can banish away any presentation nerves.

You may feel a little weird practicing power stances, but trust us, we’ve tried and tested it and it actually works!

5. Turn Your Nerves Into Excitement

nerves into excitement

Got a bit of a nervy tummy and butterflies? We challenge you to turn that into excitement, it’s a really easy trick.

Try to train your brain to feel excited and ready for the presentation, as opposed to dreading it and biting your nails!

The night before when you’re tossing and turning struggling to sleep, have a word with yourself, tell yourself you got this.

Tell yourself that you can’t wait to smash this presentation, and look forward to a cheeky reward after (which we’ll touch on later.)

Turning your nerves into excitement takes practice, but it’s a really good way of waving goodbye to those grim presentation nerves.

6. Block Out Distractions

block out distractions nerves

When you’re giving your presentation, whether that be virtual or in person, remember to try and block out distractions.

Distractions can make you even more nervous, resulting in you feeling unconfident and under prepared.

Now, distractions could be anything from your mate in the classroom smirking at you, or a loud ticking clock.

Just remember this is your time to shine and don’t let any distractions bug you!

7.  Take Deep Breaths

take deep breaths

Breathe in…and out! Now I know you probably think reminding you to breathe is a little bit obvious…

But, we’re talking about deep breaths here, they can actually really calm you when you’re in a nervous situation.

Take a deep breath in through your nose and let your belly push your hand out, your chest shouldn’t move.

Feel the hand on your belly go in and use it to push all the air out, sounds weird but this breathing exercise for relaxation is fab.

8. Positive Affirmations

positive affirmations

You’ve probably heard the term ‘positive affirmations’ floating around here and there, but what do positive affirmations actually mean?

Well, we’re here to give you a little lesson on them, and believe it or not, they’re actually pretty easy to grasp!

Positive affirmations are all about harnessing positive thinking, and turning negative thoughts into, you guessed it…positive ones!

Affirmations are positive statements you repeat over and over in your head to challenge and overcome self-sabotaging thoughts.

For example in this case, keep telling yourself you’re going to absolutely smash this interview, you’ll be amazing etc.

Don’t worry about feeling arrogant, this is all about being confident, there’s nothing wrong with that!

9.  Meet And Greet

meet and greet to overcome nerves

Of course, this point might not apply if your speech is virtual, but even if it is, you can still meet and introduce yourself to everyone watching!

This will really help ease your nerves, and make you realise that it’s really not all as bad as you think.

Meeting and greeting the people attending your presentation will also give off confident vibes, which is definitely what we want!

10. Reward Yourself

reward yourself nerves

Perhaps the best part of getting over presentation nerves is rewarding yourself with something after your presentation!

Whether that’s a cheeky glass of wine with your mates, a takeaway, or a trip to the cinema, make sure it’s something you know you’ll enjoy.

That way, you can feel positive going into your presentation knowing that you can have a fab time afterwards!

After all, you deserve a reward, uni presentations can be daunting and difficult, but we promise they’re never as bad as you think.

We hope you found these tips useful! We know that presentation nerves are real, and it can be super difficult to shift them, but if you take these steps on board, you’re bound to nail it. Remember to relax, be chill, and be confident! You got this.