Do you have an oral to do at school, or a presentation at work? Are you afraid of talking in front of people? Well, fret no longer, for I will give you some pointers on how to deliver your speech without hesitation. It's easy, really. There are just a few things to keep in mind.

1) Over the heads of your audience: People will always tell you to look in the eyes of those to whom you are speaking. Don't! If you do so, chances are that you will settle on a few faces and always look at them. This will make them feel uncomfortable and, therefore, they will not pay attention to what you say. The trick is to look just over the heads of people, provided they are sitting in rows. In doing this, you give the illusion that you're at looking somebody, but the audience doesn't know exactly whom. It's brilliant because you don't have to face the beady, scrutinizing eyes of your listeners.

2) Organization: Always remember to structure your talk. Have a plan and follow it through. You'll be surprised how many people don't realize that this helps. If your speech proceeds in a logical order, your audience will stay with you throughout. Sometimes, you see people who haven't organized their info properly and they end up standing there, mumbling something inaudible, sounding like Bob Dylan. Or worse, they say nothing. During an oral, 10 seconds of silence seems like ages. The listeners then feel uncomfortable, and who needs that, really? But structuring a good oral presentation takes time and work.

3) Don't practice in front of friends: Remember, never, never try out your speech on your buddies. This will always result in 2 things: laughter on their part and frustration on yours. Friends never take each other seriously when practicing speeches. They laugh at the most serious parts. This always leads to the speaker getting ticked off, as shown in the following dramatization:

Speaker: ?and this resulted in 3 deaths, which?

Friends: Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-hhhhaaaaaaaaa!!!!!! --Cough, cough-- Haha!

Speaker: Come on guys! My oral is in an hour, and this is serious!

Friends: Ok, ok, sorry. Please, conti---hahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

Speaker: That's it! You guys are all jerks! I hate you! --Sob, sob--

Hmm? All this preparation seems to be the cause of much heartache. I suppose based on all this, the last point to suggest to you is this: 4) Don't practice: That's right. Don't practice at all. Just go up there with a general idea of what to say and you'll do just fine.