Work on something you really believe in. For example, if you love your Ipod, you might want to tell people why it's so wonderful. I call this ``faith,'' and it's an important part of everyday life. When you really believe in a certain product, subject or issue, your faith shows through in everything you say about it, and you can easily influence others to try it or believe in it.

Build your confidence by writing the speech on paper. Count the words. Cut the length by ten percent to get rid of the ``fat.'' You want to keep only the ``muscle''. Revise it again and cut it by another ten percent. After three revisions, it will be much better. Less is better than more.

Once it is written, practice giving it in front of a mirror. Then practice it some more. Use a tripod to make a video of yourself and study the video. After several rounds, you'll get really good and your confidence will be much improved.

Now get four or five file cards and set down the important points, and add a few key words to jog your memory. Practice the speech using only the card notes before a camera or the mirror. To overcome your fear, you'll have to do a little work.

You may be thinking, ``I have a terrible accent in English. People will laugh at me!'' But you watch TV and you know celebrities don't speak every word perfectly. Your beautiful Thai accent is a positive selling point. It makes you more believable because you speak like a ``real'' person, not like a TV commercial.

Make time to arrive early at the place where you will give your presentation to get the ``feel'' of the room. Ask the person in charge if you'll have a microphone and a projector if you are planning to use them. If circumstances permit, test the microphone and the sound system by speaking a few words into the microphone. Stand at the podium and ``mentally'' deliver your speech or argument. Doing all or most of these will help to relax you and boost your confidence.

Making a presentation is both mental and physical, so just before going on pump yourself up a bit (like boxers do before going into the ring) and get the adrenaline flowing. Visualize the crowd giving you thunderous applause at the end of your successful speech and repeat to yourself: ``I can do this!''

There you have it! Powerful, confident public speaking in English (or any language). Dream it, dare it and then do it. It works!

James P Louviere is an editor and writer at Assumption University. He has been an educator, civil rights activist and has a PhD in educational psychology and science education. Please send feedback to louvieredream@yahoo.com

— EPA
Some people fear public speaking more than death by fire. The fear of speaking in public can be overcome by using the following ideas.

DRRAM, DARE, Do
JAMES P LOUVIERE

Overcoming stage fright

Opera stars and stage actors get stage fright, too. So don't think you have a special weakness. It's just nature shooting you full of adrenaline for an ordeal. You can use that powerful energy to help you perform even better. Follow the few steps below and you'll learn to control your fears.

First, choose a great topic or modify an assigned topic so that it fits your own views. A good topic choice would be something you know about through experience or personal knowledge. Also, it should be something that everybody would like to know about or at least would find interesting. This will help to grab and maintain your audience's attention.

When you choose a topic, be sure it involves a topic that ``moves'' you. Is it funny, does it make you angry; does it compel you to want to take action? For example, you may want to speak about how you got a great job, meeting a famous person, your pet or motorcycle. You can also speak on things that you really dislike or want to change.

Next, think of the audience as a small group of your closest ``friends'' who you want to entertain, warn, educate, inform, or inspire. Visualizing your audience as your friends instead of ``the enemy'' will help to keep you calm and reduce your fears.

Finally, prepare your speech well and then practice, practice, practice.

Faith, confidence, enthusiasm