Fear of public speaking can be a paralyzing fear and can lead to horrible moments of embarrassment. However, public speaking does not have to be such a big ordeal. With the right organization and preparation anyone can give public speeches like a professional.

Before you ever start on your speech, talk to the people organizing the event or meeting and narrow down the specifics of the meeting. Find out what the topic is, if you will be speaking alone or with a panel, the time frame allotted the experience of the audience and if there will be a question and answer session involved.  Getting this information early is vital to creating an effective speech.

If you have the ability to look at the area wear you will be speaking, do so.

You can see how much space you have and the audio/ video capabilities of the location, should you need visual or audio aides.

Find the main message of you speech and start to create an outline. Study the subject and think about how you want to structure your speech. Start with the main subjects and move on to sub headings. Once your outline is drawn up, review it to make sure all the information up is going over is relevant to the core message of the speech.

Create a good starting off point. The first few minutes of your talk should be the most polished. This time is normally when people are the most nervous. When you are prepared you are more confident and this is evident to those listening.  It is important to appear knowledgeable and prepared to those attending.

Practice your speech. The more you practice the more comfortable you will become with the information. When practicing keep in mind these points. Share your passion and enthusiasm about the topic. If the people can see your link to the topic they will be more excepting of the information you provide.  Make sure that you have the time frame in mind as you practice. Try not to be too long winded or cut it too short.  Do not write the entire speech out word-for-word. When you have a word-for –word copy in front of you, you tend to want to read it to the crowd.

Always remember, giving a speech won’t kill you. Relax take deep breaths and remember to make eye contact.  If you are nervous choose two or three people in the audience to look at. After your speech, give your contact information out so that people can contact you about questions or to discuss the topic in more detail.