Public speaking is one of the most common fears around. Ironically, public speaking is a mandatory task for career success and social advancement (through networking or charity work). Even getting together with a group of people for after-work drinks can be viewed by some as a presentation! There are so many situations in life that call for public speaking… and so many benefits to successfully delivering a quality presentation.

So, if you want to advance in your career, or be an active member of a local club or organization, how do you calm those nerves, keep your heart from leaping out of your chest, and keep the audience glued to your words? How do you conquer the fear of public speaking?

OVERCOME YOUR FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING WITH PREPARATION

One of the secrets is to prepare. Even if you aren't aware of an opportunity in which you'll be speaking, it's a good idea to have a couple standard presentations on the tip of your tongue. For example, imagine a typical business situation you might be in (for example, a sales conference or a meeting) and put together a simple presentation of who you are, what you do, and how your work contributes to your customers' success and your company's bottom line. This is a good general presentation to use in work situations and can be easily modified "on the fly" for situations where some of the information may be irrelevant to the audience you're speaking to.

Result? Imagine this: you're sitting in a sales meeting and someone announces that they are going to call you up to the front to discuss your department's recent success on a project. Rather than bolting for the door or declining the opportunity, you can stand confidently and stride to the front. You may not have been aware that you'd be speaking, but you are prepared with (at least) a majority of your speech already. Deliver it and add a line or two as appropriate (which will come easily once you've confidently delivered your prepared speech).

OVERCOME YOUR FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING WITH PRACTICE

Prepare a typical speech and be sure to practice it regularly: several times a day for a month until it can be delivered with ease. Then scale back to once or twice a day after that. Soon it will be an automatic skill you'll possess!

But don't stop there. You can overcome your fear of public speaking in other situations, too, with additional speeches for the aspects of your life. Are you involved in a local charitable organization? Put together a speech for that situation, including what the charity does and what your role is.

And don't forget that many other parts of life also call on us to "present", even if we're not behind a microphone. Perhaps you are in the market for a job, or you're dating, or you have an active social life, or you've just moved and are meeting new people.

Think of every situation in which you might have a typical response and prepare that response ahead of time. With preparation, you can easily overcome your fear of public speaking.