I went from someone who was so afraid of public speaking to the point where I would be nauseous from the fear, to speaking confidently in a forum of 100+ people. I still don't enjoy presenting and avoid it where possible, but I've now gotten to the stage where I don't fear it so much anymore. Here's what I did:
Step into your 'public speaking persona'
Think like Beyonce and Sasha Fierce. The person I am when I do public speaking could not be further from the person I actually am. Before I speak, I imagine that I'm shedding my 'regular' skin, and baring my fangs to the world. When I shed the skin of my usual self, I'm leaving all of those fears and preconceptions behind, and all that's left is a delusional amount of confidence. For me, this visualisation is because I want people to know that I can step up to a challenge and won't back down. I take public speaking as an opportunity to show people what I'm made of. I've impressed seniors this way, who say it's like they're seeing a completely different side of me.
Practice practice practice!!!!
Some people are naturally gifted and can wax lyrical with little prep. I am not one of those people. I write myself a script and rehearse that script as much as I can. Even if I'm not reading off a script when presenting, I am the type of person who needs to know the words I'm going to say. When I rehearse my script, I check:
Good parts to pause (more on this in my next point)
Words that roll off my tongue well vs ones that are more difficult for me to say
I will rehearse until the words come out smoothly and confidently. The first few runs will be very rough but the more you prep, the better the output will be. Steve Jobs would spend weeks rehearsing his presentations. Not saying you need to do that much, but this just goes to show the importance of preparation.
Try to avoid using filler words. It's better to have silence, even if you're inwardly panicking about what to say next. I had this happen to me before, and afterwards I realised no one noticed my mind went blank and they assumed it was an intentional pause. Silence is a powerful tool that you can use to emphasise your message.
Speak from your chest to give your voice a clear, confident quality. Pace your speech; speaking too fast gives the impression of nervousness and makes you more likely to trip over your words. This is a tough one because when presenting I find that time could not go slower, so I have to will myself to not rush through my words.
If you act like and think you're going to mess up a presentation, you're going to. You attract the energy you put out in the world. Before I present, I imagine how satisfied I'll feel when the job is done, how the audience will be impressed with the words I'm saying, and the praise I'll receive for a job well done.
Also, realise that the audience wants you to succeed. Think about the times you've sat through someone else's bad presenting, it's physically painful watching someone mess up and you feel bad for them right?
Below are some examples of public speakers to take inspiration from. This is not to say that you need to adopt the style of any of the speakers below, but just to take in how they communicate and draw in their audience.
Steve Jobs introduces the iPhone - Enough said.
King George VI's speech - The background behind The King's Speech. King George unexpectedly became king and struggled with a stammer, you can see in the video how he works through it.
Conan O'Brien's 2011 Dartmouth College speech - A master of his craft, he combines comedy with a poignant message.
James Sexton, top American divorce lawyer - Not really public speaking because it's a podcast, but he is so emotive and intentional with the way he speaks that there is something to be learned here.
Amal Clooney's tribute to George - She is the picture of composure, and I find my style of presenting aligns most closely to hers, especially in my line of work.
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