Getting over Fear in Teaching

There are three ways to get over fear in teaching situations:

1. Keep perspective: this is the Lord's business, and you are His tool
2. Remember that the students want to like you
3. Be prepared

Let me talk more about #2, because it's often the one that helps teachers the most.

Psychological research has shown that audiences really want to like the speaker. They feel much better about being there in the first place.

You can help your students like you by having a conversation with them, rather than speaking "at" them as if they were distant alien beings. Use words, tempo, and story that are authentically you and come from your own experiences. Your tone of voice, gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact convey a sense of how important the students are to you.