Studying Online;Succeeding through Distance Learning at University

Coping with online presentations 151 
I am lecturing students face-to-face, I move about a lot. I wander 
around the platform, and I even get of the stage and walk around 
the lecture room. Students feel more engaged because I get closer 
to them. However, I am also feeling better because my brain sens-
es the muscular movement and cuts adrenaline production, which 
would otherwise make me anxious. 
Overcoming fear of presenting online 
What can you do, though, if you are presenting online? You are 
sitting still at your desk, unable to move. If your brain thinks this 
is a fght or fight situation and there is no muscular activity, you 
will just get more and more scared. Te answer to this is to use 
biology to your advantage. What you need to do is to get your 
adrenaline levels lowered before you start. If your body starts at a 
lower adrenaline level when you begin your online presentation, 
you won’t have as much anxiety. Even if you remain static in your 
chair and your adrenaline levels rise, they won’t go too high. But 
how do you lower your base adrenaline levels? Te answer is exer-
cise. It provides lots of muscular activity, lowering your adrenaline 
production. So, if you are due to make an online presentation get 
some exercise immediately before your time slot. Te best way of 
doing this is to go for a brisk 20-minute walk half an hour before 
your presentation time. You should walk fast enough to make your 
heart pound a bit and to produce some sweat. You will then have 
ten minutes to recover before your presentation. However, your 
adrenaline levels will be lower, and so you will be less anxious. In 
addition, the walk will have led to a rise of another kind of hor-
mone in your body known as “endorphins”. Tese help make you 
feel more relaxed. Hence, some vigorous exercise in the half-hour 
before a presentation will make you feel much less nervous.