"Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking…” To some people making a speech in public can be one of the most terrifying few moments of their lives. And it may be especially so if they are not well prepared, or if they are lacking in confidence or overly self-conscious or shy.

Public figures, media commentators and celebrities do it all the time with apparent ease. At times they never seem to shut up. But at some point in most people's lives, though they may not be in the public eye, they will be called upon to say a few words before an audience. So what then? How does the non-professional cope with making a speech at a family celebration, a presentation at the club, a function at work, without making a dog's dinner of it?

What do you do when you are dropped in it? You do what the professionals do. Follow the guidelines to delivering a good speech, guidelines they have often paid thousands of dollars for in expensive courses. With the right preparation, and acquiring a few skills, delivering that speech you are called on to give at the wedding celebration, birthday party, anniversary, or work retirement, will be a very rewarding and satisfying experience.

Every day we hear the professionals speak in public with apparent ease. Talk show hosts, politicians, TV presenters, heads of large companies and corporations - they seem to have words at will. They make it sound so easy. Well guess what? There is no great mystery to the art of good public speaking. Just a few simple, commonsensical rules to follow, and here they are:

1. Preparation. Prepare your speech well. Spend a little time thinking of what you are going to say and the kind of audience you are going to address. Winston Churchill often said that it only took him 10 minutes to prepare a two-hour speech, but it took him all of two hours to prepare a 10-minute one. And he was one of the finest speakers of the English language.

2. Good Opening and Ending. The first and last sections of your speech are crucial. Give them a little extra thought, maybe even writing out your opening and closing lines and learning them off. A humorous opening will get your audience's attention right away, eg, "As Henry VIII said to each of his wives in turn, 'I won't keep you very long,'” or "A good speech, they say, should be like a mini-skirt, short enough to be interesting, and long enough to cover the essentials.”

3. Body of Speech. Your speech should be structured. Write out the points you want to make in a sequence, one after the other, so that one point leads into the next.

4. Quotes. Pepper your speech with quotes. This will add power to and reinforce what you are saying.

5. Humor. Use appropriate humor/joke/funny story/funny quote to get your audience with you. When you hear them laughing they are paying attention to you and your message.

6. Eye contact. It is very important to maintain eye contact with your audience, panning back and forth across the width of the room so that you appear to be speaking to everyone directly.

7. Notes. Use cue cards with key words and phrases written on them, glancing at them every now and again to remind you of the next point. That way you will be able to maintain the all-important eye contact with your audience. Avoid reading the entire speech from a script.

8. Smile. Be sincere, avoiding over-statement or exaggered flattery if the speech is in praise of someone, and most important of all, smile.

Remember delivering a speech is not a matter of life and death. It's just a speech. If you make a little slip-up (it happens to the very best), or you're nervous (take a few deep breaths), that's OK - no one is going to shoot you. Just be yourself, follow the few tips above, and you will be pleasantly surprised with the result and your audience's reaction.

Good luck with the speech!