by Christina Conner

Created on: August 03, 2009   Last Updated: August 05, 2009

Public speaking is a huge fear for many people. This should encourage you in some ways; everyone is scared or nervous about public speaking. Even if someone is very well-practiced or confident, they still have little flashes of nervousness and butterflies. So you're not alone!

What is important is to learn to take the adrenaline and anxiety and channel it into your presentation to make it amazing. Here are some other tips to help you become a dynamic public speaker.

1) Know what you want to say. This seems like an obvious one, but it doesn't always happen. Write out everything that you want to include (in any order, whatever pops into your head!) and then simply read through the document. Highlight the major talking points and reorganize your speech according to those points. If you have some ideas that can't be categorized into your major points, these could be filler. Get rid of them.

2) Take the written and make it spoken. You do not want to read from a sheet of paper or straight from note cards. This is unprofessional and can make for a dull presentation for the audience. Write out a bullet list of your major talking points and see if you can elaborate on each of them. Review your full document each time you stumble or don't know what to say next. Practice this step until you can deliver the information from only some of the major talking points in front of you. Find out if you can use note cards or a Power Point presentation to help you, or if it will just be you and a microphone.

3) Do not memorize. Know what you want to say, but don't try to memorize your speech word by word. If you get off track or forget part of your speech, it will be more difficult to get back.

4) See how long it takes you to deliver your speech, and double check with your boss to find out how much time you need to fill. It's never good to ramble on after your allotted time is up and even worse to have a too short presentation.

5) Practice in front of a full-length mirror. Be aware of your hands. Don't put them in your pockets; don't play with your hair. Try to keep your weight evenly distributed on both feet. Don't cross your legs. Make eye contact with yourself in the mirror.

6) Practice in front of loved ones. Even though it may be more casual, make the practice presentations rehearsals of the final presentation. Ask your audience to tell you where you need to elaborate or on what point you spent too much time.

7) Practice in the shower. You won't be able to have note

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