Welcome back to our on-going blog series:

"Don't Picture Them in Their Underwear: 5 Uncreepy Strategies to Calm Yourself Before Public Speaking"

Let’s start out our 1st week of Speak Masterfully Speaking Tips with a brazenly simple suggestion:

If you know you struggle with speaking to a crowd of people, then don’t speak to a crowd of people.

Speak to one person.

Imagine you have a good friend sitting in the back row—someone nonjudgemental. The kind of friend you’d have no problem inviting over even if your place were a mess. Make this a private conversation between the two of you. 

Allow your eyes to take in the whole room, but keep the intention of a private conversation. Focus in on the one or two people smiling and nodding.

Not only will speaking to one person calm your nerves, it will create a feeling of intimacy with the audience.

Apply this advice to the writing of your piece as well as the delivery. To quote James Joyce, ...