• Prepare a child for public speaking early in life.little girl making a speech image by Olga Sapegina from Fotolia.com
  
  Some people fear public speaking so much that it becomes a phobia, called glossophobia. In any public speaking event the speaker will probably experience some nervousness. Helping children overcome fears of public speaking early on can help them later when they may have no choice but to give a speech in front of an audience. The more opportunities to speak in front of an audience, the better. This audience can even be parents or relatives.
  
  

Practice

• Much of the success for public speaking comes before the speech is given. Few people can get up in front of an audience and give a speech with no preparation. Children first starting out with public speaking can rehearse the speech while looking into a mirror, while taking a shower or at any other time that they are free. The child does not have to memorize the entire speech, but getting comfortable with certain ideas and knowing the overall flow of the talk can be useful.
  
  

Write the Speech

• The child should write the speech by herself. The child can then come up with phrases and words that she is comfortable with. Writing her own material might make her more confident about the content included in the speech and can give her reason to do a wonderful job. Since she owns the content, she will want to present it in the best way possible.
  
  

Record and Watch

• Have a child practice giving the speech while recording on a video camera. He can watch the video afterward and understand what the audience will see. He might notice that he says "um" or "uh" a lot, or he might feel that he needs to be more animated while talking. This change of perspective can be eye opening and help to instill confidence for when he actually has to give the speech.
  
  

Be Confident

• Children should feel confident that no matter the setting for the speech, the audience will be supportive. Audience members want to see a good speech. If there is a big crowd, the child should think about how exciting it is that so many people want to hear what she has to say. Many people have such fear of public speaking that they never overcome it. As a child, she is demonstrating that she has the confidence to do something scary.