One of the techniques suggested for those with a fear of public speaking is to imagine one's audience in their smalls. As someone who used to suffer from extreme stage fright I'm not sure that would help at all. Fortunately, for reasons I don't understand and completely unrelated to people in their undies, audiences don't worry me any more. If it was a problem, I have a new Susan-patented technique. Imagine the people in front of you as crash test dummies. I think this would work because in many of my lectures, particularly those in the early morning, I secretly suspect the human-like figures in front of me are actually low tech droids created with no intelligence artificial or otherwise and certainly no communication skills. They kind of look the part but it's "lights on no-one home". And I'm not the only one. A colleague says he teaches holograms. Perhaps the problem is I'm wooden and they are just trying to blend in. Who knows. Around campus picking the live creatures from the dummies is obviously a "thing". The trees are full of carvings of wildlife. On a quick glance you can be tricked. Today I thought my eyes were playing tricks. There was a carve cockatoo where I expected it to be and next to it? Those feathers sticking out of the tree looked kind of real and was new. And then it crawled out of the hole and revealed itself as totally alive and kicking. Next week I might even discover life in the lectures. I live in hope.
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