Many people rank public speaking as their top fear, even above death. Remember, even experienced speakers can feel nervous before a presentation. So you are not alone on this. In this video, let's see why blackboard presentations are so challenging and what we can do to overcome it. The video includes read testimonies from senior students.
Some pointers to try to control your anxiety.
Techniques during the presentation:
Do the double-inhale technique (breathing exercise) to reduce anxiety: you can do it 2 or 3 times, even just that helps. See the double-inhale technique https://youtu.be/rBdhqBGqiMc?si=TjchgGtkOG0oiYcZ&t=78
Maintain good body posture: avoid putting tension in your jaw, shoulders, and fists; do not hunch your shoulders, try to have an open chest; you can do a slight smile to relax your face and send a relaxing signal to your brain. It is easier to control your body than your mind, that is why it is good to focus on your body. Relax your body, and the mind will follow.
Techniques outside the presentation
Visualization technique: consciously, visualize in as much detail as possible yourself presenting an exercise, consider multiple scenarios, visualize how people respond and how you respond. Use this to (1) trick your brain into believing that this situation is a common - so that the experience of presenting does not feel so new; (2) to deal with any possible scenario that makes you anxious and prepare yourself for it.
What is the worst that can happen? Ask yourself this question to gain perspective on your anxiety. Often, the worst-case scenario isn't as catastrophic as we imagine. By considering the potential outcomes, you can reduce fear by realizing that even if something goes wrong, it's not the end of the world. This is a stoic tool.
What does this say about me? It is not the presentation perse that scares us, but our perception of it. Particularly, we tend to infer many things about ourselves from it. What does this say about me if my answer is wrong?; if I do not know how to explain myself?; if people laugh at my handwriting?; if my voice sounds weird when I talk? Will people laugh at me? Will the teacher not like me? Will they discover that I cannot do maths? etcetera, etcetera. The mind is the queen of drama. Listen to the drama, examine it, and you will understand, that you do not have to believe it.
Give yourself a treat. Reward yourself for stepping out of your comfort zone and completing the presentation. You did it! Independently of the outcome, you stepped out. Congrats! It is not a small feat.
Practice in other contexts and/or record yourself. Explain your solutions to your colleagues, try to make it realistic. Practice in places where you feel safe. The key is to gain familiarity with presenting and, hopefully, get encouragement from nice colleagues.
Final word:
If you try to avoid it now, it will handicap you later. I know it is daunting, but in many spheres of life you will need to go out there and speak in public. The sooner you get used to it, the better. You will probably always feel a bit stressed and, as remarked above, that is not necessarily a bad thing. But do not let this fear stop you. Do not stop pursuing your goals because of this.
Extra reading: below is a personal experience on being anxious before an oral presentation (as researchers, we need to give talks quite often)