How to Avoid Stage Fright

How can I avoid stage fright?

* Be well prepared! Have a comprehensive lesson plan with alternative back-up activities in case you finish early or some part of your plan does not go as you expected. Don't just wing it. This is not fair to your students. They have paid dearly for your time and expertise.

* If you are a GTF assisting a professor, present yourself as an experienced student rather than a teacher. You have majored in this discipline, attended the lectures, taken the tests, and written the papers. You are the primary conduit between the instructor and your students. You are there to facilitate their understanding of the material and to help answer their questions. You are not, in most cases, a content expert; you won't know the answer to every question your students ask. With your help, however, they can find those answers.

*Write your agenda for the class on the board to help you track what needs to be covered for the period. This way you are free to move around the room.

* Think in terms of communication rather than performance. Your students are not theater critics waiting for you to flub a line. They're probably more empathetic than judgmental, and if you take a moment here and there to refer to your notes, or back up and explain a previous point, you'll enhance the clarity of your presentation.

* The longer you talk, the more your nervousness will subside. Pay attention to the process: I'm better already. . . better yet. . . still better.

* Speak to one person in the classroom at a time. Make eye contact. Try smiling!

* Take it slow. Pause and give people time to catch up with you; they're working as hard as you are.

* Consider going through a practice run with a staff member in the Teaching Effectiveness Program. We can give you valuable feedback and suggestions on lesson plans, good icebreakers, lecturing techniques and overall course organization.

- University of Oregon, Teaching Effectiveness Program