Mainly, I'm really nervous and insecure right now and would love to boost my confidence. HN looks like the proper place for me to ask: any tips? I know to:
1. Review, review, review the presentation 2. Arrive early to get to know the people
Not just review, but give it. Talk to the mirror or a chair, and picture yourself actually giving the talk. Reading it to yourself is not as good as actually saying it out loud.
Practice good body language. It's been well studied that having confident body language will actually improve your confidence. When you arrive early: Stand tall, walk around with your hands clasped behind you (a very confident position) and get to know the space. I used to do this before interviews, while other candidates sat frozen in the reception room.
Think of 1-3 main points you want the listeners to come away with. No matter how good your presentation, nobody will remember the entire thing, so be realistic... Focus on a few central points that you want to get across.
Consider acknowledging in the very beginning that it's your first talk and you're a bit nervous. This has the dual benefit of making the crowd less critical and relieving you of some stress.
If you can arrange it somehow, film the talk. (Ask a friend in the audience or the organizer.) Then you'll be able to watch yourself present (it'll be unbearable, but do it!) and learn from your mistakes.
After the talk, approach a few people from the audience (or the organizer) and ask for some constructive criticism. "This was my first talk, actually. What do you think I could do better next time?"
It's filmed so I'll review it when they upload it, thank you
If you're a guy and/or not into wearing lingerie you can always wear a ridiculous shirt underneath your presentation clothes that has something outrageous on it. Or (if you're crazy enough) put a printout of something random, like a banana or a hamster or Oscar the Grouch in your pocket. Just thinking in the first ten seconds that you did something so nonsensical make you kind of wonder if you are losing your mind- in which case you may have a little chuckle to yourself, causing the tension to dissolve. Also, you will know something the audience absolutely doesn't.
I realize this is exceptionally unorthodox advice, but it works so don't knock it 'til you've tried it.
Another tip is to pretend that you are talking to a room full of friends, that you have been accepted by all of the audience members already and they support you. Takes the edge off...
jsonne is absolutely right the lead up is always worse and after 10 to 20 seconds it starts to feel normal.
Knock 'em dead, you're gonna kill it.
Practice is the main thing, you are speaking about your own project so you know your content well which is a great start.
Make sure that you know the main points you want to get across and make them clearly.
It's very tempting to rush a talk when you are nervous. I used to put BREATH in my speaker notes when I first started speaking to remind myself to pause, breath, think about the next point.
Practice your opening so you know it really well, as many have said the first few minutes are the hardest, so if you really know what you are going to start out with you can get over that bit and into the main talk.
I speak at loads of events, am still always a bit nervous, but it does get easier the more you do it.
Also, keep in mind that most people in the audience are truly interested in what you have to say. Some people will attend to other things during the talk, but most people are pretty focused on what you have to say, and want to see you do well.
Good luck, and it just gets better with practice!
Best of luck. I've found that the lead up is actual worse than actually presenting. 10 to 20 seconds in, you'll feel fine.