Read the article about how to practice in Hilmatell.

Almost everyone has a fear of speaking in public.

Communication and presentations in particular can be super fun and fantastic, or a really uncomfortable experience. It all depends on the relationship we manage to create with those who are listening.
One might wonder why the fear of speaking in front of others is so great; after all, you are just supposed to talk, usually about something you know well? And almost everyone has fear to varying degrees, from mild anxiety to stage fright. But by understanding what makes us feel stressed, we can create better conditions to be comfortable when we present.

All communication is fundamentally social and human in the first place, even if it is called presentation, sales pitch, or training. In that situation, one is closely connected with their content and associated with what they are going to say… but we do not stop being human because of that.
Speaking anxiety is really about the fear of being alone. That what you say may cause you to be excluded from your group of people or to experience social shame in some form. The horror of being excluded from the group can easily become stressful. Just the thought can trigger panic in some.
It does not help to convince yourself that you are having fun, because it is not enjoyable if you do not know that you are creating the desired reactions.

Why is this situation felt so difficult for so many?

The brain is developed to communicate. You want something, say it, and await and expect reactions to it. This explains the phenomenon of why so many are brilliant at talking about their jobs when they are sitting at a dinner table and freeze up when they have to say exactly the same thing on stage as at the table.

 And it is not surprising because it is extremely unnatural and uncomfortable for the brain to be the only one speaking in front of a mass of people who are not reacting as they usually do. In many presentations, the listeners have nothing to react to because the presentation has not been made in a way that they can or should react. It is, therefore, the situation that makes it frightening, because if many are looking at you, who are you thinking about? Yes, yourself!

Strategies that can worsen the feeling

We humans are, first and foremost, social beings and therefore always act in a way that we believe gives us the greatest acceptance from those around us.

Many of us focus primarily on avoiding criticism. What can happen then is that we become self-focused and prioritize being unimpeachable and correct with far too much information over being engaging and clear. Therefore, visual aids can largely become counterproductive. The listeners try to decipher overloaded images and we lose the connection. It increases our sense of loneliness and now we are fully focused on being faultless and correct. We need to survive. We focus on what we should say but not how it is received. The best way to elevate yourself to a speaking anxiety is to just think about yourself. And whom do you really need to think about for communication to occur. 

Of course, those you have in front of you.

If you can instead be curious about their reactions, you become less self-absorbed and more present, and the feeling of a good relationship arises, much like a conversation at the dinner table. And that feeling can become even better because the reactions are amplified by the number of listeners. 

It is the listeners that give you security.

The solution is always to come closer to your listeners because all communication is fundamentally based on relationships and reactions. We do not stop being human because we have been assigned the task of speaking in front of several who are listening. And we do not listen differently just because we are sitting next to some others who are also listening. We should make listeners smart, not make them feel foolish. The funny thing is that when we succeed in this and get the desired response on different parts of a presentation, our fear decreases, and communication becomes fun instead.
The solution is to have points that elicit reactions. Reactions that you can get back and that you can become curious about. With Hilmatell's milestones, the points become clear and the reactions easier to seek.

The secret is to think more often about the listeners and make presentations with consideration for them. Hilmatell's storylines and milestones are primarily for your listeners 

So become friends with your presentation materials so you can lift your gaze, meet the listeners, and see their reactions. It is the listeners that give you security. Just like at the lunch table. For most of us, it is not harder than that. Remember that those you are talking to will be super satisfied if they know why they are listening to you and leave with something that makes them wiser and a little more capable of action.