I posted here a little while ago about some symptoms which seem to go along with Social Anxiety Disorder, but I'm not so sure any more that I could have that. I've gotten up in front of a couple of my college classes to give presentations, run a few meetings, and given a half hour long presentation to quite few police dept. officials successfully without much anxiety. Sometime I still have issues with getting shaky, but not as much as before. I think I may be able to beat this thing on my own. So my first question is... does it seem to you all like I have Social Anxiety Disorder, or is it something else?

Should I still seek therapy (as suggested by some of the respondents to my previous post), or does it sound like that with confidence, I can beat this on my own??? I really want to beat it by myself if at all possible. I could probably use a few tips to keep calm under stress, that could probably help me a bunch.

If what you describe here is all of your symptoms, I don't think you have anything more than what most people have. I have read that the fear of public speaking is one of the greatest fears. The only things I can tell you are the obvious ones - know your subject, and speak to groups as much as possible. I see by your profile that you are young. Take a course in public speaking at a community college. It really makes a difference. The course will teach you several things. One is that you are not the only one to feel that way. Another is that the better you know your subject, the more confidence you will have. Remember that, in most cases, the people you speak before want to hear what you have to say. Even if they disagree with your position, they will listen to be able to counter the points you make. Eye contact is very important, as is not forgetting part of the room. When walking up to the podium, look at some of the people at the edges of the audience. Pick out one or two in each area. Speak to them. Speak to the left side, the right side, the front, and the back. Making your point concisely is important. An old saying is that, in a speech, you tell them what you are going to say, then you say it, and then you tell them what you said.

Sounds like you have a very normal fear of speaking in front of people. Social Anxiety Disorder is generally associated with people who have difficulty leaving their homes.

When I was young, I had what I thought was a phobia (they hadn't named disorders yet then) about being the center of attention in ANY situation. I was painfully shy, and even as young as grade school, if I was going to have to walk into class alone, I was absolutely terror-stricken.

I never took any drama or debate classes in high school because I knew I would never be able to muster up the strength to speak to a group.

In my 20's, I was working in an office where I was increasingly required to participate in meetings with a large number of staff. It wasn't too bad, however, because I was a department lead, knew everyone quite well, and most of my contributions had to do with training issues. So it was a given that they really wanted to hear what I had to say.

As I progressed through my career, I became more involved in Convention Sales and large groups. The hotel I worked at had a policy. At the first general session or major get-together of the group, the Salesperson in charge was required to welcome the group, thanking the company for its business. The first time I had to welcome a group, it was the American Grey Eagles - a very elite group of retired pilots that met every year. There were about 200 of them.

I was so frightened that I would choke up at the microphone. But as I walked through the room, I did exactly what Dorian suggested. I picked out the couple of familiar faces I knew (from pre-convention meetings) and I spoke to them. Although my arranged speech was only about 2 minutes long, it seemed like SO much longer and I felt very self-concious. I had practiced what I was going to say, however, so that helped ALOT - I was able to say what I needed to without much concious thought, and afterwards my Director patted me on the back and told me what a good job I'd done

That was like a trial-by-fire, and the fact that it went well helped me immensily. After that, I continued to give welcome speeches and officiate at Awards Banquets for golf tournaments as required, and it got easier and easier. The largest group I was ever involved in was over 600, an annual Bocce tournament that I handled for 3 years. I was a constant presence for the three days of their tournament, and presented awards, which entailed being on stage (with theater lighting no less) for 2 hours. It was just great!

It's been years since I've had to speak in front of a group, but it's something that I sincerely came to enjoy. Give it time, and put yourself in positions where you can practice - especially so you get used to speaking into a microphone. It will get more and more comfortable for you as time goes on.

Good Luck!