Do you mean speaking in gerneral, or only when speaking a foreign language (english)? If you only feel uncomfortable speaking english then my advice would be: 1. Remember that most people are patient if they know you are learning their language. 2. Think about the fact that your English is probably much better than their Chinese. You should feel good about that. And confident. Only by practicing and making mistakes will you learn to speak well.

Hi Amy there are lots of tips for you at; http://www.italki.com/knowledge/contribution-ENGLISH+ORAL+PRESENTATIONS1.htm

first, you should know your topic well - its essential and the possible question that your listener might throw unto you. Marie-Hélène and Panda both suggested you to practice in front of a mirror. it's great. I've tried this before. to me, the most ' scary' thing in delivering your speech is when your listener is gazing menacingly at you as though they're trying to intimidate you. here's what I'm doing: 1. I'm fixing my eyes to those who are staring at me and trying to make them understand what I'm really talking about. 2. I just consider my listener as 'knowledge seeker' thru my speech. 3. I'm constantly wearing a smile to alleviate nervousness. 4. (optional) Sometimes, I'm asking them if they're getting what I'm saying. 5. I also limit being 'too formal' in delivering my speech (i.e. gesture, facial reaction, vocabularies, etc.). Amy, the bottomline is this. try to capture their attention as friendly as you can be and you'll find out that your gaining confidence and you'll be speaking smoothly in front of them. :)

hello Amy Are you confident when you speak your own language ? If yes don't worry it will come for the new one If not, you have to work on your self-estime... 1- You can try in front of a mirror 2- You can try to expose a speech to your best friend 3- You can take some drama lesson Usually that sort of confidence comes with time and effort...

It is natural to feel nervous before a speech, everyone does. Here are some tips that may help. - Know what you are presenting, throw in humor, personal stories, and engage the audience to make it more interesting. If you feel the audience is enjoying it, you'll feel less nervous. - Practice. Practice in front of the mirror, practice in front a group of friends, or even practice on a busy street ^_^, but practice practice practice. Be loud and confident. - Relax. Don't just jump into the presentation, smile, take a deep breath, count to 3, etc.. Some other tips from personal experience that may help, instead of focusing on the people in the audience, I focus on objects behind the audience, haha I know it sounds weird... but it was easier for me talking to something that doesn't have eyes staring back at you. ^___^