I spoke at both the master’s candidate hooding ceremony and at commencement. The hooding ceremony was easier because it was in a more intimate space and the audience could relate more to my speech. I also felt freer to ad lib a little bit, and made a few asides that got genuine laughs. There were maybe 1,000 at hooding.
Around 6,000 people were at commencement. The undergraduate class president and I spoke after the keynote address, but before the awarding of diplomas, and I felt that the audience didn’t want to hear yet another speech. So I kept it short and sweet.
Not speaking, but the largest audience I’ve sung for was about 10,000. I sang the Alma Mater at commencement for my Master’s degree. The audience included Madeleine Albright (commencement speaker) and Ozzie Smith (receiving an honorary doctorate), making it my most famous audience as well.
About 150 – I presented an idea for a community journalism program at the local junior college; made the presentation to publishers and editors at a Colorado Press Association conference a decade ago. It wasn’t too bad – the audience was automatically receptive to the idea, and I knew almost all of them personally.
I prefered talking to larger crowds than to small groups of say 10-15 people. It’s easier, for me, because it is less personal and also plays to my Mussolini fantasies.
Worst, was about 20 Mexicans in a crowded meeting room just south of the border, where I was giving a class in English on driving rules for the US.
The thing was simultaneously translated for those with weak English.
It was horrible as I realized they were talking about me in Spanish, knowing I wouldn’t understand.
I’ve never been or ever wanted to be in a position to do public speaking.
The nearest I came to it was as the father of the bride at my daughters wedding. I was told in no uncertain terms I had to do it and I worried about it for at least 9 months. What should have been a happy day was spoilt for me until I did my speech then everything was hunky dory.
I researched what I was meant to cover in the speech, wrote it, rewrote it, refined it and practised speaking it. I had all relevant points written on cards and I had it timed just long enough (6 mins.) to ensure that every point was covered.
It actually went well and I was complimented for it which surprised me, the audience even laughed at the jokes.
One thing which helped me was the knowledge that every one there (about 150 people) were there because they wanted to be and the day was about the bride and groom,not me.
It was daft to get so worried about it but fortunately I’ll never have to do it again and that suits me fine. I would never, ever speak in a business environment, I’m just not cut out for it.
I had to get up and give a speech in front of a bunch of professors at an English literature conference, as some kind of student representative. Nervous doesn’t even begin to describe it. I had thought it was some kind of discussion panel, for some reason, where I’d only be answering questions, but it turned out I had to stand at the podium and actually come up with something original. Mind you, this was when I was undergrad, and I had to face an auditorium full of literature professors from all over Korea. I discovered this literally half an hour before I had to speak. The audience was maybe a hundred or so people - I’ve spoken in front of larger - but I’ve never been more terrified in my life.
Thankfully, I didn’t faint or make a complete fool out of myself.
I wasn’t well-prepared, but I knew my subject matter very well. Also, I find it easier to speak in front of larger audiences because you can’t see any of their faces anyway. I just focus on the back wall instead of trying to look at anyone in particular.
In other instances I would memorize my speech until I was sick of it. That helps.
In my churchgoing days, I spoke in front of 300-500 people a few times. The only way I know of to overcome nervousness is to practice, practice, practice. I used to deliver my talks to the mirror, to the wall, to my dad or brothers…until it was boring to me. Once the talk was getting boring to practice, I knew I was good to go. I could then deliver it in front of people smoothly and confidently (my biggest pitfall is speaking too quickly when I’m nervous; other people freeze) without any disasters. YMMV.
About 200. My internship program in college required that we give a 15-minute talk with questions at a symposium, describing our internship work.
I was nervous, but I did remarkably well. I didn’t memorize an exact script – just an outline with the main talking points. Having slides makes it much, much easier, because if you run out of things to say, all you have to do is move to the next slide.
I’ll take that any day over a smaller group meeting that requires me to speak off the cuff. My mind likes to go blank at the most inopportune moments.
Every few years I speak to 400 or so, and smaller crowds more frequently. I feel somewhat nervous, worse and worse as I get closer to showtime, but once I’m rolling I usually feel good.
One time I told the crowd that crowds made me nervous, and that I was trying somebody’s advice by imagining them all naked, and that now they made me nervous and also alarmed because they were naked. This went over well. If you want to use it, though, make it a point not to make eye contact with your more glyptopygic colleagues while you are saying the naked things.
I do sometimes have to speak publicly. I do it with great frequency to groups of 10-20. Piece of cake.
The largest group I’ve had to address with any kind of coherent set of statements was about 100.
The largest group I’ve ever stood in front of where I knew all eyes were on me was at the 1996 Centennial Olympics Opening Ceremonies. There were 81,000 people in the stadium. Evander Holyfield ran with the torch. I ran with Evander. So for all of 30 seconds, I had 81,000 people staring at me.
I did just what you are supposed to do. I imagined all of them sitting there in their underpants.
Like olives I gave the salutatorian speech at my HS graduation. There were 400+ in my graduating class, plus the audience, so who knows what the total was? I was a complete and utter wreck.
Now I have a part-time job that involves public speaking, so twice a week I’ll be up in front of 30 or so people at least, sometimes up to 100 on rare occasion. I feel a lot different about public speaking now than I did back in high school, let me tell you.
What the the largest audience you’ve ever had, in a public speaking situation?
To date, 100. Next month maybe a few more.
…if I spoke to a group of strangers, I’d probably be a bit nervous.
I’ve been doing this for two years and I’m still nervous, but it doesn’t necessarily have to mess you up.
…how did you get past your nervousness?
As other posters have said, I know I’m the one who knows the most about my subject and if I remember that it really helps a lot.
If I stumble over my words or blank out for a second, I just keep going and don’t call attention to it. Again, as others have said, if I don’t know that answer to something I admit it and if the person who asked wants a follow-up I make sure they get it.
I’m a bit of a zealot and I know I’m right, and that helps, too. Seriously!
I also write my speech down beyond the usual party line introduction, mission statement, etc. I’m not afraid to read from my script as long as I remember to look up at the audience once in awhile. Also… do you get to use visual aids? I have a video, handouts, some giveaways. That’s big help.
As far as opening with a joke or anecdote, I avoid that, but I think that’s a totally individual decision. Professionally speaking I don’t come off as a particularly funny person so I don’t go there.
…there is a good chance I’ll be speaking to a group of 100+ people in the next month or so.
Good luck. It may sound like a platitude, but from experience I think you’ll be fine and do way better than you think you will!
That’s a good point. The largest in-person group I’ve spoken to would be about 150-200. But I’ve also spoken several times on a program that was shown nationally in Canada (but didn’t get much of an audience). Does that count for the OP?
The largest group I’ve spoken in front of was probably about 500. It was at an academic conference when I was part of a panel discussion.
I have what I call “reverse stage fright”. When I have to talking to one person or even a small intimate group of people I don’t know I’m nervous as a pregnant nun, but large groups, where there’s no chance of having to pretend one-on-one eye contact and all that, I have no anxiety whatever. I was once driven to a convention center by a fellow conference attendee who walked with me to our conference and said little more than “pretty day” “how are you”, and in front of the auditorium (this being a presentation in front of 75 or so) became a very energized and, pardon the immodesty, dynamic speaker. She came up to me later and said “Damn! Did you do coke or something as you walked in? I didn’t recognize that as the same person I drove here and walked in with!” And of course I nervously laughed because it was that awkward one-on-one with a stranger.
On a regular basis I’ve had audiences of:
Grownups - ~25 (over 100 if we’re talking just being the center of attention for 5 minutes, however)
Kids - 100+
Speaking in front of kids is completely different from speaking to adults, IMHO. Even though they pay closer attention (if they’re interested in what your saying, that is, but art and stories does usually get their interest) they aren’t scary to talk to. Probably because you don’t worry about what they think of your performance the same way, and most of us don’t speak to kids in a high stakes sort of situation so it matters less how you do.
At any rate I was never nervous to speak to the kiddos, but grownup audiences used to scare me so much I’d be sick to my stomach. There was one method that was extremely effective to get rid of that nervousness, though.
Do it a lot.
Practice not only makes perfect, it also keeps you from feeling like you need to throw up before you address the group. Now I only worry about the results, rather than the speaking too. (most of my public speaking takes the form of training people who need to pass exams on the materials I present, hence “results”)
Oh, I always write down what I’m planning to say too. 98% of the time I never even look at my notes, but it makes you feel more in control of the situation to have a plan of attack and notes to fall back on if you forget something.
