Practice makes Perfect (almost)
I have a lot of familiarity speaking in front of crowds because I used to be a High School Presenter. My day would consist of speaking to numerous teenage classrooms. I never had a fear of public speaking but the butterflys were always apparent right before I got the first sentence out. It is true, the more knowledge you have on the topic the more comfortable you are sharing it with others. The more presentations I did the more speaking became second nature. The butterflies will diminish after time and the possibility of excitement might surprise you.
Practice makes better (not perfect). I generally speak in public Monday thru Thursday (in front of college students). At the end of each lecture day I question my lectures. Examples:
Did I say everything I intended to say?
Did I hold the attention of the audience?
What type of non-verbal feed back did notice?
I use the answers to these and other questions to help prepare me for my next lecture day.
When I have a purpose for speaking and a plan I don't get nervous. It's when I have to speak spur of the moment without a plan that I get nervous.
Krista,
How were you able to keep on track with the topics discussed?
