Would rather stick pins in my eyes

I have to do this talk for work in front of a room full of adults at a seminar next Monday, they have come up before and normally the head of Senco does them, i have been asked before if i would but have managed to avoid it, now im being told i have to as the head has prior comittments....and im bloody terrified.

Put me in a room full of children im fine, competent, confident and i love it, a room full of adults and im the opposite, my colleagues have said i will be fine, im good at what i do so it shouldnt be a problem.....but there not getting it!

I am good at my job, dont like the paperwork aspect (who does?) but i genuinely enjoy working with children..thats why i went down this career route...not to stand and talk in front of adults about it..not a whole room full, no exageration but its making me a nervous wreck thinking about it.

I define as having an introvert personality, im not a lover of parties, huge gatherings, i have a small circle of friends and im happy to be in my own company, just give me a good book and i could escape for days without feeling the need for human contact...of course thats not realistic but if it was i would be content.

Yeah perhaps confidence, or lack of is a part of it, im not confident in social settings, i can get by when i need to but im more at ease with people i know and that know me.  Im actually a full on chatterbox and will natter away with those i know and are used to me and on here 'blogland' i can natter, but if this was a 'munch' and in person i would be quiet sitting on the sidelines just content to listen.

The bossman is slightly the opposite, he would not be comfortable in a room full of children but talking to a crowd of adults is no problem but then part of what he does is getting paid to do talks, he has done radio and television so his confidence in that arena is far superior to mine but then thats experience as well.

So im sitting here today trying to write this damn talk but at the same time thinking of how to get out of it....even thinking of pulling a 'sickie' and i know thats really bad but the thought of public humiliation (which is so not my thing lol) is making me feel sick.