Speaking in front of a group of any size is certainly daunting and something that many people find challenging.
The good news is the more often you do it, the easier it becomes, but its certainly worth remembering that being nervous is completely normal and nothing at all to worry about.
A few tips I hope you find useful would include:
1) Know your audiance.......make sure the pitch is appropriate for the group you're speaking to........getting overly technical with non-technical people is pointless.
2) Know your subject........if you're speaking on something make sure you know your stuff inside out and be sure to have a clear 'objective' for the event. Knowledge is power and in public speaking scenarios it also give you confidence.......remember your audiance doesn't know what they don't know!
3) Prepare.......make sure the venue is ready, any props you're using (laptop/projector, microphone, video, etc) have been tested in advance and that you've done a final check just before you're due to start.........a last minute malfunction discovered during testing can be overcome but it could be less easy to get past a technical glitch mid presentation.
4) Practice........being a subject matter expert won't ensure your presentation runs smoothly so make sure you rehearse it, several times. By rehearsing it, you'll be able to iron out any wee problems with the flow of the content and the timings........there's nothing worse than being told an event is going to last 60 mins only to find it lasts 90mins
5) Always have a contingency plan.........once you've got your final presentation in place develop a back-up plan so you're covered in the event something goes wrong at the last minute. It could be something as simple as ensuring you have a second projector or spare seats or simply some 'non-technical' props that you could deploy in the event your projector fails.
There are a number of other things you can do to help ensure your event is as successful as possible but in my experience the five tips above are the most critical in ensuring the actual presentation bit goes well.
This is an area that I've got considerable experience in Barry so if you'd like a hand in putting together an SBF event just let me know, I'd be happy to lend a hand!
