Delivery

Be conscious of your body language right from the start. Stand with your weight equal on both feet, and look around at your audience for a few seconds before you start to speak (this is a simple trick and will make you appear very confident and at ease).

Take your time. What will seem like an age to you will really only be a few seconds to your audience. Use pauses to gather your thoughts, glance at your notes and breathe in and out (yes, it's easy to forget!)

Try to make eye contact. Take slow 'sweeps' back and forth around the room as you speak and everyone will feel included. You've no idea how powerful this technique is for winning people's attention and reassuring the audience: that's why autocue screens are placed to either side of the speaker at conferences, not right in front of them.

Think of the audience. The more you concentrate on engaging with them rather than speaking 'at' them, the more at ease you will appear and the less time you will have to worry about your nerves.

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