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Simulate the Situation

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You already know that few people can simply walk up to a podium for the first time and deliver a perfect speech. Seasoned public speakers often look and sound great in large part because they’ve done it before and done it often. Exposing yourself to some of the more unnerving aspects of public speaking—for example, an audience—through simulation can help you become more comfortable. A simulation might include some or all of the following elements:

Create similar conditions. Think about the room you’ll deliver your speech in: what is its size, space, layout? Keep these things in mind as you rehearse—or even better, arrange to rehearse in the room where you will be speaking. Awareness of these conditions will help you practice eye contact, movement, gestures, and your use of notes.
Practice in front of someone. Try practicing in front of someone or, preferably, a few people. One method for getting over anxiety about speaking in front of an audience is to “practice upward”: practice first in front of one friend, then two, then three, and so on, until you are comfortable speaking before a fairly large group.
Keep an eye on your time. Use a stopwatch or a kitchen timer to stay on target with your allotted speech time. You might even keep track of how much time you spend on each point, particularly if you have a tendency to go into a lot of detail early on or to rush at the end.