Fear of public speaking is something that goes back a long way. The Greek orator Demosthenes was said to have shouted above the waves with pebbles in his mouth so that he could learn to speak clearly. Public speaking anxiety is, in fact, one of the primary fears that people face on a daily basis and it is for this reason that it is possible to find public speaking help from a variety of source.

One can take a public speaking course or a rhetoric class, but there are also models that people can follow to take up a public speaking course with their own curriculum. It should be kept in mind that the contexts of public speaking have changed quite a bit over the years. For example, a public speaking course today might cover various topics, like how to speak with a Powerpoint presentation behind you.

Speaking with a Powerpoint presentation is something that requires some level of care. There are models for how to do it the right way, such as Steve Jobs, who could easily glide in and out of Powerpoint and never depended on it too much.

A public speaking course can go a long way toward giving people self confidence. This is really the key to effective speaking. Self confidence. Not confidence in your notes, or on your Powerpoint slides. When you are up there, you have no one to depend on but yourself.