In order to appear confident, you must possess three basic prerequisites:
· Knowledge of your subject
· Belief in yourself
· Ability to control nervousness or “stage fright”
Knowledge of your subject is only attained through research and study. Belief in your ability to speak comes from practice and experience. Both of these rely entirely on yourself. Controlling nervousness can be practised. Try steady regular breathing and relaxing the muscles of the body as much as you can. If you stand erect, move purposefully, look your audience in the eye, and let your ideas flow freely and clearly without any awkward hesitations, you will appear confident to them. In fact, you actually will be confident.
