I'm so nervous during presentations and meetings, how can I improve my public speaking?

There are groups/clubs out there to help oneself to improve public speaking, try to join one! Alternatively, making sure you are prepared and focused mixed in with some self belief can also improve public speaking and reduce the stress and anxiety involved !

There are lots of ways to improve your public speaking. The first thing to remember is that you are only nervous because you care, and you can turn that energy into momentum for a fantastic presentation! There are some courses that you can go on, such as: https://www.radainbusiness.com/open-courses/presentation-skills/stage-fright or http://thecomedyschool.com/corporate/c8-communicate-keith-palmer.html These will give you some techniques on how to work WITH your nerves and to take away and practise. It is also great to be in a room with people that have similar experiences to you. I don't believe that anything can 'cure' you of nerves, because if you didn't care you wouldn't be doing it. The key is to Stop, Think, Breathe and THEN Speak. You will be amazed how doing some deep breathing beforehand can help. Best of luck - you've got this!

Start by trying to understand exactly what it is about public speaking that makes you nervous. Ask yourself the question: "Am I nervous because I am afraid I will make a mistake?" If the answer to this question is "yes," Then I think it's wise to practice your speech as often as you can in front of people you know will not judge you if you make a mistake. Practicing allows you to create a script in your mind of what you would like to say and allows the presentation to become more automatic when faced with the real situation. Ask yourself the question: "Am I nervous because I am worried about what others will think about my speech?" For me, the answer used to be "Yes". Reminding myself that I can't control what others think of me regardless of how well or terrible I do, has really helped me. Worrying about what others think of you is a waste of your time. Lastly, Reframing my mindset about my emotions has helped me hours or minutes before a big speech. Remind yourself that you're about to do something difficult, and people grow from difficult things. Because people grow from difficult things, this means you are about to do something meaningful. This means that your increased heart rate and sweaty palms are signs of excitement and not fear. This little switch in mindset makes a big difference. Best of luck to you!

Practice makes perfect; try and do your best to prepare beforehand. Record yourself, and watch the recordings. See how you sound and look; then, measure that versus how you'd like to sound and look. A great piece of advice I heard is to act like you would if you'd done public speaking many times beforehand. And if it's your first time publicly speaking--remember--the audience probably doesn't know that. When practicing, it's good to visualize your audience, and I think even have a mini mock audience of your own could be terrific. All in all, remember that you're trying your best, and it's not the end of the world if you make a mistake.