How to stop being nervous before/during the speech?

Do you feel nervous when you are in the stage? It is perfectly normal to be nervous before delivering a speech, no matter how many times you have spoken before.  There are some simple tips to avoid being nervous during your speech:

• show up early and get to know the people/speaking environment better. Familiarity of people/environment helps you to minimize your nervousness.
• check whether your props (including projector, computers) are working fine before the meeting. This will avoid unwanted last minute frustrations.
• take a few deep breaths and exhale slowly, before your speech. This relaxes your body, helping your blood pressure to lower and your mind to clear. This will enable free flow of words when you start to speak.
• have your opening memorized and it will help to break the ice and get you rolling

If you make mistakes during your speech, because of nervousness, don't stop speaking and don't apologize. Remember that the audience wants you to succeed. They will feel your pain too, and they will understand what you are going through.

Also read:

Small things make perfection, but perfection isn't a small thing
Do you Sharpen the Saw?
How to effectively write/memorize your speech script?