How I deal with fireflies in my tummy?

Bismillah...

A friend, upon knowing how I never had any exam except 3 minor tests in 5 years study asked how do I really cope with presentations, don't I feel nervous or anything.

I guess for most architecture students, weekly presentation is like going to the toilet in a cold wintry night. It's  torturous sometimes, but we gotta do it anyway because to wet your mattress during winter is the worse decision ever, It ain't no sun to light it dry, leaving you sleeping on the floor for the following months. Damp and dirty mattress will invite bedbugs... and, oh, you know what they do... ok sudah2.. the analogy is getting to far... but who wets a mattress even in a other season? baloq sungguh. eee. pengotoq.

Anyway, most of us can actually do the presentation subconsciously... u know, like how you p** with your eyes half-opened/closed. It's just something we used to do. fullstop.

Nevertheless, for major presentations... as for me, I still get fireflies in my tummy... No matter how many years I've been doing it, it's still feel the same, every time, especially when I know there'll be a list of well-known scrutinizers architects as my guest critics.

So, how do I keep the cool?

1. GET YOUR WORK DONE!!! / Be prepared. Kalau dah kerja tak siap2 sah2 la ketaq. tak upaya la. Asriah, nanti tolong print awal2 sikit.

Hahaa.. takdak gambaq nak letak.

2. Dress well. When I was in high school, I used to join forums and some other public speaking competitions, Bahasa Melayu la tapinya... and I remember preparing the night before making sure my uniform is freshly washed and ironed. I would also laced up my shoes tightly. That was the reason why I wore laced shoes during high schools although most girls would go for normal pump shoes. Brogues are my favorite now. These days, I would think on what to wear a day earlier as I always face incurable indecisiveness in deciding on daily outdoor attire. Sometimes I would iron and hang it next to my bed if the presentation should start early in the morning. But normally I would just iron on the day. Ya, saya mmg rajin iron baju. sampai stakat ni smua yg jd roomate kat hall ni teguq. takdala suka. tapi habit. pastu kdg lupa tutup iron. -_-". Anyway, I think, "when you look good, you feel good" kinda works for me. Plus, when you know you look presentable, you at least have one thing less to worry about. Make sure your attire is appropriate and comfortable though, not just pretty or nice. I did mistakes too sometimes, like how I wore skirt for my last presentation not realizing I had to climb and crawl to setup the presentation. Expect the unexpected. But don't get too excited, to an extent... hari lain pucat macam nak mati, mai nak present, tudia aih mulut merah... tebai setimba... 6 kilometer nampak dah bibiaq dia. dress moderately. Like last time, I wore black and white since my presentation panels were all very colorful. Nak orang tengok kerja ka, nak orang tgk hang? Ok. dah... I should prolly write a separate post for this... ahhaha

3. Be confident. but how? I know it's not easy to get THE confident. Aside form point #1, you have to believe in what you're going to say. 'Know' them well but never memorize the text (if you had any) word by word. If you did, once you forgot... you'll just go blank. It happened to me before. I got lost and didn't know how to pick up where I left. Also, do not read up or at least, don't read too much from text. It's ok when it comes to quotes... but if you just read from the beginning to the end, your presentation tends to sound like this "--------------------------" and it's BORING! Same goes to slides presentation. Avoid placing long texts or paragraphs. Use points and BIG and punchy font if suitable. Say it slightly different form the slides because apparently your audience can read. Also, to have the confident, you really need to believe in yourself and your authority in telling people what they (just assume) don't know.... and throw your voice as you speak, at least... it fakes the confident even though it's not really there.

4. Drink enough water. I'm not suggesting to eat which is actually quite necessary. It's your mouth that should do the talking not your tummy. But in my case, I most of the time prefer not to eat (much) because when I get too nervous, I always feel like vomiting, and if I had eaten, I would then end up vomiting causing me feeling tired and all. I always keep a bottle  of water with me. Maybe carry something to munch. Buah-buahan ka... oh, tapi yg sesuai laa.. satgi makan epal krukrakkrukkrak... hingaq kot.

5. Talk to the critics, or maybe just anyone. Anxiety piles up if you keep quite. But don't create a scene laa.. org present kat depan dok potpetpotpet stail anak mami kat blakang susah la. If you had a chance, talk to the critics... I find this helps, because presenting to a complete stranger who would later criticizes your work is rather...hmm intricate? I don't know how to say it, but to put it simply... talking to your critics eases the tension between you and them, thus it makes you feel easier when it comes to 'telling' them your work. It's like warming up. 

6. Unless you must, don't pay too much attention on other people's presentation. ahaha.. why? Intimidation is one. Common... let's get real, won't you get intimidated when the person before you were all pumped and praised up by the critics? or what if the critics were so mean...what if the person's works seemed fine to you but he got bogged down so badly. what if... ahaha.. ok... my point here is, our emotion is usually quite unstable before the presentation, thus... all the 'if-examples' can sometimes demotivate us. Thus, listen... but don't give too much heed. I sometimes go out  for a little walk from the room when it gets too intense pretending like going to the toilet. yeah, I think they were some presentations in which people would have thought I got kidney problems. Or find a distraction, like texting friends or twitting... I don't know.. it depends on you.

7. Last, but the most important one is to tawakkal to Allah. Say bismillah, recite the prayer of Moses. After all, Allah is the most powerful of all. He makes it easy whatever He wills. If Allah were to test you with difficulties, no matter how you've prepared... it won't be as easy as you wish. Pray. jangan prepare nak present sampai tak solat. 

There go 7 points from me. Cukup la kot. I think my points are more on doing architecture presentations... maybe some are quite unrelated to you. Mind to share yours?

*I prefer fireflies than butterflies. ;)