Barre with Justine

Have you had the experience of stepping in front of a huge class of 300+ students in a lecture hall to deliver a library session?

Have you felt anxious before the presentation or rattled by the handful of students who silently slip out from the back once you begin to speak about library research? (every. single. time.)

It’s very rare for someone to feel imbued with confidence in this type of situation. When librarians visit a class, they are meeting a group of students who already have an established classroom culture with the Professor. We are guest lecturers who are coming in ‘blind’, not knowing how discussions have already gone in class, how receptive the students are to learning, or which students might be more engaged than others. (side note: I remember being a TA for the first time and commiserating with my fellow grad students about how no one would participate in the discussions except for one guy, Mike, who we all confirmed was the best and we loved having him in our seminars!)

I used to feel incredibly anxious about these types of presentations but, for a variety of reasons, they don’t affect me as much as they once did. I hope to share here some tips for how you can feel more confident in front of a class, large or small.

Use “warmth cues”

This is a term from Vanessa Van Edwards, whose work I love reading. In her books and online, Van Edwards shares very easy to implement ideas for engaging with people in various situations. Warmth cues are things like smiling, using open body language, and demonstrating that you are listening. I use these types of cues all the time in the classroom AND when I teach group fitness.

In group fitness, everything is slightly exaggerated. Movements need to be more robust for participants who are following and, though it seems silly, smiles need to be brighter and nods & encouragement need to be dialed up. Similarly, in a large classroom, students can make a decision about us within seconds (it’s true – read more here!) Smiling, even if it’s a shaky smile from nerves, can build a warm classroom right from the very beginning of the class.

Students will never remember everything you tell them in a class BUT, if they can remember that the person from the library was kind and helpful, you’ve left a positive impression about the library.

Build your confidence in other settings

I trained to be a fitness instructor during my first contract here at Brock University. Teaching fitness was something I had always wanted to do but, knowing that I would be going into classes and being naturally shy, it seemed the perfect time to take the plunge. Teaching my first fitness class at the YMCA was terrifying but also completely exhilarating. I still try to push myself out of my comfort zone to teach in new situations and do presentations at conferences because it continues to build my confidence.

Consider: are there opportunities outside of the library for you to present about something you love?

Remind yourself that students are struggling too

It may be my research interest in wellness or being an aunt to a university student that makes me feel for today’s students. Their lack of engagement with the library research presentation may have nothing to do with your glittering efforts or your carefully designed lecture. The students may be struggling with a heavy workload that day or exhausted from working at the part-time job that many of them have. Keeping this in mind helps me stay focused on being kind and not taking things too personally. It’s easy to say ‘well they should have paid attention’ but being open to helping them after the class is something that I think we are all open to doing and it’s worth reminding the students of this too.

There will also always be some students who are engaged during the class; make eye contact with these helpful students and look to them for those same “warmth cues” that you are giving out – the nods, the notetaking. This will help to take the pressure off of you, as the presenter, and remind yourself that your efforts are important.

I hope this helps to boost your confidence in classes and would love to hear your thoughts, as always!