Would you rather scrub your bathroom floor than get up and speak in front of people? If so, you're not alone. The fear of public speaking is the #1 fear in Americans, and affects people across the globe. I've helped hundreds of people build presentation skills and I'd like to help you too. Here are six crucial steps to take the stress out of public speaking.

Step #1: Know Your Audience

When you know your audience you can tailor the presentation to benefit them. Learn about your audience by conducting a brief email survey, interviewing audience members beforehand, and asking the meeting planner questions.

Knowing your audience will reduce performance anxiety because you'll feel a connection with them. You'll know that you are talking about interesting topics, which eliminates the fear of boring them. They will participate and become more engaged.

Step #2: Select the Right Topic

You also need to choose the right topic for YOU. Research shows that the top three professional speaker characteristics are the topic, speaker's enthusiasm, and knowledge. You'll achieve all three when you discuss something you know, love, and can easily talk about. If you're assigned a topic, you can:

1. Tie the assigned topic to what you want to discuss.
2. Engage your curiosity and become interested. If you are not interested in the topic, no one else will be.
3. Smile and gesture during your talk to convey interest.
4. Partner up with someone and discuss only the parts you enjoy.

Step #3: Become Less Self-Conscious

Have you noticed yourself mentally inventorying your hair, posture, voice, outfit, and word choices? These things make you more self conscious and cause social anxiety. Instead focus on something external and get your attention off of yourself. Some ways to focus externally include: Pay attention to what others are saying; Observe how the room looks; Get into the feeling and passion behind what you're saying. Practice focusing externally in other conversations and situations so you can get good at it before your presentation.

Step #4: Get Physically and Mentally Ready Beforehand

If you are someone who gets anxiety symptoms such as racing heart, sweating, or shaking, get your body relaxed through exercise. To burn off nervous energy and release muscle tension, get 30-45 minutes of cardiovascular exercise three hours before your talk. Do some calming exercises like stretching, deep breathing, and muscle relaxation 20-30 minutes beforehand. Get mentally ready by imagining yourself delivering the presentation exactly as you want. Picture yourself feeling great and the audience reacting very well. A few minutes before you start, focus your energy on the powerful image you've created.

Step #5: Conquer Your Fearful Thoughts

Figure out exactly what you're afraid of and then evaluate the likelihood of the fear happening. If you're afraid of tripping, calculate how many times you've tripped in the past or consider how you handled it if you did. It's probably not nearly as bad as you think. A common mistake is thinking that because you felt nervous, the performance was horrible. How you felt is not the best measure of how things actually went. Most people say their talk went worse than audience members report.

Step #6: Connect with Your Audience

We all know what it is like to have someone speak at us. Think of yourself as having a conversation with the audience, just as you would during a one on one conversation. Allow your personality to shine through. Remember to look at individuals for at least three seconds but not longer than five or ten seconds or they'll feel stared down. Use animated facial expressions and do not hide behind a lectern or other prop.

Practice Your Way to Success

Now you have the 6 steps: knowing your audience, picking your topic, reducing self-consciousness, preparing effectively, handling fearful thoughts, and connecting with the audience. Put them to practice with as much public speaking as possible and you'll gain poise, polish, and confidence.