Teachers are confident people, right? They have to be, standing in front of a roomful of children, day in, day out. That’s why they are the go-to people to make a speech or read a poem at family events: it’s a breeze for them.

Or is it?

Classrooms are our comfort zones. We own that space. But when we have to step outside it, perhaps to present an assembly or deliver some training, suddenly the simplest things such as talking, breathing and standing become as complicated as understanding superstring theory.

And when it comes to walking, well, that’s when things get really weird.

There are many reasons why your legs may feel wobbly when you’re out of your safe space. One of the most common contributing factors is adrenaline, which is produced when the body goes into fight-or-flight mode.

And then there is the self-consciousness factor. Suddenly, you are very conscious of your gait, of where your shoulders are, of what your arms are doing: does this look like a strut? Do I want it to look like a strut? Am I giving off the sensitive-but-firm vibe I am striving for? Am I slouching? You make a million minor adjustments with every stride.

The combination of these two factors makes for a mess. Suddenly you are a toddler taking your first steps. And the knock-on effect? Blushing, hesitancy, an overwhelming feeling of dread. Whatever you were about to do is now forever tainted by the horrendously awkward way you walked into position.

You think I am exaggerating? Well, maybe you have just not recognised the problem. Get someone to film you the next time you walk on to a stage or to the front of the assembly. You will not see what you thought you would see. Guaranteed.

The question is, what do we do about it?

I guess we could do nothing. If we all do it, then it surely levels out: the audience almost expects an awkward shuffle/stride/run to the podium. For the people who don’t know they’re doing it, maybe continued ignorance is the answer. If you were in that camp before reading the above 300 words, I am sorry.

If you were already well aware of the issue, though, then tackling it seems sensible: the audience may not care, but it is affecting how you present.

My advice is to keep it simple. Adopt a good posture of having your shoulders back and your head up. Everything else should fall into place naturally. Then slow yourself down - we speed up when nervous so if you walk a beat slower than usual, you are probably at about normal speed.

Do this, and all should be well. But you can only pull it off if you distract your brain - too much focus on what you are doing distorts things. So here’s an idea: sing a song in your head. Pick something easy to remember and recite it for the duration of your potter to the podium.

I recommend Walk of Life by Dire Straits. Naturally.

Gemma Corby is a supply teacher and freelance journalist

This article originally appeared in the 30 October 2020 issue under the headline “Teachers: walk this (or that) way”