Knowing your audience. Greeting a few of the audience members as they arrive. It’s easier to speak to a group of friends than to strangers.

Knowing your material. Speak about a topic you are interested in. Know more about it than you include in your speech. Try using personal stories, humor and conversational language — that way you won’t easily forget what to say throughout the speech.

Practice! Rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using. Try speaking in front of a small audience and ask them for critiques and advice. Try controlling filler words; Practice, pause and breathe. Practice with a timer and allow time for the unexpected.

Take a Deep Breath, Relax. Start off by addressing the audience. It gives you time and calms your nerves. Pause, smile and count to three before you saying anything. Transform your nervous energy into enthusiasm.

Visualize yourself giving your speech. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and confident. Visualize the audience clapping — it will boost your confidence before you speak.

Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating, informative and entertaining. They’re rooting for you to give them a great speech.

Don’t apologize. For any nervousness or problem — the audience probably never noticed it in the first place.

Concentrate on the message — not on yourself. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties and concentrate on your message and your audience.

Gain experience Through Practice. Your speech should represent you — as an authority and as a person. Experience helps to builds confidence, which is the key to effective public speaking.