Public speaking

Look at Toastmaster clubs. I was going to go along pre covid but they do plenty of things online. Seem pretty inclusive and a good way to get better.
 
Big fear of mine, my bro in law does after dinner speaches for a living, personally only alcohol would get me through
 
Doing it is the best way. I used to **** myself when presenting to groups of even a handful of people. Shakey voice, nervous mannerisms, the lot. After doing it many times though it just becomes easier and easier to the point that speaking at a conference of hundreds of people becomes comfortable, even enjoyable.

IMO there is no other way.
 
Practice.

Practice in front of the mirror out loud.

Practice and film yourself. It will seem cringy and awkward when rewatching it but you will really see what you are doing wrong and how to improve.

The biggest thing for me when I'm nervous I speak really quickly. I was told by a coach that I literally have to slow down to half speed. It seemed really slow to myself but to everyone else it is the right speed. :rolleyes:
 
As well as the obvious about practice, working your way up from talking to progressively larger amounts of people and knowing far more about the subject than the slice of it you’re talking about, a good tip I heard from Jordan Peterson is to remember a crowd is a group of individuals. Direct your attention to different people in the audience as if you’re having a conversation with them specifically, moving from person to person rather than trying to speak to some collective human mass from start to finish.
 
Enjoy silence and don't be tempted to fill it in with loads of garbled words.

Also, video record yourself. Then watch it very closely. You'll have loads of weird ticks and probably say 'err' a billion times.
 
Get used to reading books out loud, and try to emulate people who do it 'properly'. Get into the characters, speed up, slow down, etc. It'll get you better at delivering words.
 
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