Butterflies in your stomach, dry mouth, arms sweating, envisioning your escape. It’s inevitable that at some point in your career, you’ll need to speak in front ofaudience; whether it is at a small meeting, a conference, on a panel or at a company-wide presentation. Public Speaking is the number one fear among Americans. Here are nine tips that can help you get through your next public speaking appearance.

1. Get to know your audience before hand- Research your audience. Find out why they are there, what their job responsibilities, how knowledgeable are they of the topic you are speaking about?

2. Avoid overuse of PowerPoint- Don’t put them to sleep. Slides are important but they shouldn’t be springboards to your speech or inundated with words and clip art. You should have large size font, consistent style throughout the presentation and half the slide should be blank. You can also show some video if it is relatable to your topic.

3. Master your content- Speak about what you know. You will feel more relaxed and confident if you know your material. If you are asked to speak about something you are familiar or knowledgeable with, decline the offer.

4. Interact with your audience- Build a relationship with your audience and encourage questions.

5. Limit talking about your self- The speaker bio, provided to the audience in advance tells them who you are so don’t spend time talking about yourself. Make it about them.

6. Wear your story telling cap- Using stories to illustrate your point is what will make your audience remember you and what you spoke to them about. Include a good story in your speech and you will connect to the audience better.

7. Own your content- Find something original and unique to say to your audience. Don’t use quotes and experts thoughts.

8. Remember social media- Be sure to remember what you say and how you say it. One off quote can go viral on social media and affect your reputation and your organizations.

9. Do not picture your audience naked- This old advice of picturing your audience more vulnerable than you doesn’t hold true. You should picture your audience positively, thinking positive thoughts and being on your team cheering you on. The crowd is rooting for you.