How to be a more confident speaker?

Question

Whenever I have to speak in front of people I get nervous but not too bad but recently I spoke in front of my church and I thought I did ok but afterward a few people told me that they couldn't hear me very well so I was a little embarrassed and my church isn't very big so any hints would be helpfull.

Answer 1

Look up Toastmasters International in your area phone book. I Guarantee it will help! Good luck

Answer 2

practice in front  of the mirror and maybe even record yourself on web cam and when possible always talk to friends as you would if you were speaking to your church (tone, loudness, etc)

Answer 3

Practice, practice, practice... Know your topic inside and out - people tend to speak more confidently about topics they know very well.

Something that's worked for me - learn to use you diaphragm.

Help make it stronger so you can project a stronger, more confident voice... practice singing a song (I use the Star Spangled Banner) as loud as you possibly can. This will help you with your volumn quite a bit... so you don't run out of breath when speaking.

Slow down, speak at a normal rate. I used to get so nervous I could give a 20 minute speech in 5 minutes. So practice your modulation and speed control.