I'll let you in on a secret -I'm always nervous when I go out on stage, when I do public performances of any kind including public speaking. But nobody's the wiser. Every single one of the people around me think I've got it all figured out and not a care in the world.
You'd be surprised to know how many good speakers really are nervous when performing, even if we seek out those kind of situations or work in those kinds of jobs. Nerves do not have to make you into a bad speaker.
So what to do? Well, there's tons of stuff of course and different things work better for different people. But here's some of it:
Remember that you're not speaking to a bunch of people, you're actually talking to a group of persons. If you take away everyone but say a friend from that crows, you're only really talking like you do everyday. That's really what the situation is. You're just talking to somebody, this time there happens to be several somebodies, but they're still just persons listening to what you've got to say. Think on the positive aspects of speaking in public. You get to say what you have to say and nobody will probably interrupt you, you've got the floor, you've got the time, nobody but you gets to speak when you do. In a way -you've got the power.
Also as I said, you're just talking to people. Try and act like it. Don't make the speech into a you and them scenario, talk with them -throw out questions, side comments, a joke or two, these aren't just to loosen up the crowd, they're for your benefit as well to get back to a healthy perspective on the situation. Instead of focusing your eyes on a far away inanimate target, look at the people. Find the friendly faces in the crowd and speak to them as if you were just talking to a friend about a subject that inspires you (in a longer speech than normal yeah, but at least they won't interrupt you). Encourage questions if it's allowed because that makes the speech even more of a conversation.
Know your subject, don't necessarily know your speech. Power point presentations are great because if you lose your way you can just take a moment and check your keywords on the screen. It's doubly great because then you don't have to have too complex notes on you and no papers that rattle.
Don't be afraid of silence. Often when speaking in public we tend to talk really fast if we do know our subject (if we lose our way, it's the hemming and hawing instead), don't be afraid to make pauses and let something you've said sink in. Take a sip of water, study your notes in peace, just close your mouth, look out the window for a moment and breathe.
Moving around is good, so is keeping something in your hand like a pen. An old favorite of mine is taking a seat on top of the desk or the stage or whatever's in front if that's allowed (I usually don't ask, but some teachers frown on that stuff so you might wanna clear it with them first) to get a more casual feel going. Then you can move away, doodle on the board, make gestures with your hands and so on.
Here's the key element to remember though: You're not making a speech, you're telling people about something that you know about that may or may not interest them but that you want to speak of anyway and now you can, because it's your show.
Alright, that's the loooong and not so short of it.
Good luck with your continued speaking!
^^
