5 Tips For Successful Public Speaking

1. Know the audience. Greet some of the audience as they arrive. It's easier to speak to a group of friends than to a group of strangers.

2. Know your material. If you're not familiar with your material or are uncomfortable with it, your nervousness will increase. Practice your speech and revise it if necessary.

3. Relax. Ease tension by doing exercises.

4. Don't apologize. If you mention your nervousness or apologize for any problems you think you have with your speech, you may be calling the audience's attention to something they hadn't noticed. Keep silent.

5. Concentrate on the message -- not the medium. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties, and outwardly toward your message and your audience. Your nervousness will dissipate.