I know some speakers who brag about still being nervous even after doing the same speech for ten years. Please. I don't need that kind of pressure. Part of the problem is that we fail to recognize the difference in excitement and anxiety.

Excitement: This is an opportunity to help people.

Anxiety: I hope I don't mess up.

Excitement: This is a solid presentation that is easily applied.

Anxiety: Is this a bunch of confusing garble? Will anyone know what I'm talking about?

Excitement: This is a new crowd. They'll be getting the best material for the first time!

Anxiety: This is a new crowd. If I blow it, I'll never be invited back.

The more you speak the less nervous and the more excited you will (should) become. It's possible to reach a level of zero nerves and while sensing a positive confidence. This is what athletes and top speakers call "the zone." It's a place where the presentation flows seamlessly without conscious effort.

These are the keys to making the switch from anxiety to excitement...

#1. Speak for experience, not just speaking experience. Speaking does more than give you experience with your words. More importantly it will help you learn to handle various situations. You discover what to do when the audience doesn't laugh. When a point doesn't connect. When technology fails. When the room is not set up right. You will begin to realize that you are more concerned about these issues than the audience ever will be. And it relaxes you.

#2. Live your message. Many speakers stay nervous over time because they have good information, but they don't live it. Deep down we know if we are being honest with the audience or not. If we're not, if we compile a stack of information and try to go in and act like an expert, we should be nervous. "Live your message" sounds cliché, but don't be fooled. There is an unmistakable difference between the speaker with real passion and contrived enthusiasm.

#3. Grasp the value of your message to the audience. What are you giving an audience that they can't easily find elsewhere? That can emerge in the form of information, style, relevance, practicality, experience, and the like. When I speak I work extensively with the planner to make sure I will deliver what that particular audience specifically needs. That instantly increases the value of the talk. It's adapted, but not canned.

#4. Reflect on each engagement positively. Process each event for what you can learn and apply next time. What to avoid and what to expand. Don't get so emotionally involved that you think things like, "I was so embarrassed! I'll never speak again." Our minds magnify encounters and make them much better or worse than reality. Refuse to get caught in the trap of negative evaluation.

Practicing those four areas will give you confidence. You do not have to keep getting nervous. You will not be nervous for the rest of your speaking life. Ultimately it will come down to belief. Those who believe they will always be nervous will always be nervous. Those who don't believe, won't. And that's not oversimplified.

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Paul Evans has helped over 30,000 public speakers get over their fear. His Instant Speaking Success Public Speaking Course has a special bonus to help you with your public speaking training.