rocknbil - 6:53 pm on Feb 21, 2010 (gmt 0)

Not directly related to public speaking, but part of it is overcoming the nervousness, letting what you want to say come naturally. I was awful in front of even a small group of 6 or 8 people. The thoughts never seemed to come out of the mouth and always sounded forced.

Karaoke.

That's right . . . once you realize you won't die of embarrassment, the fear of speaking/performing just fades away. Karaoke did this for me, I now do a "DJ" thing for a community dance . . . no singing (I'm sure they all appreciate) but I run the show, announce the dancers, etc., and have so much fun with it it's unbelievable.

I guess that's the second part of being comfortable in front of an audience, believing in what you have to say and enjoying it, rather than perceiving it as a scary and difficult task.