What tools/solutions/seminars are available today to help people
overcome the fear of public speaking?

I don't have time right now to give a good answer, but I will give you
my advice based on personal experience: Consider joining Toastmasters,
an educational organization devoted to helping people master the art
of public speaking.
http://www.toastmasters.org/entry.htm

I agree with mvguy.  Toastmasters is a great organization.  They've
helped me when I needed to give a speech.

Here is a list of more than 100 links dealing with overcoming the fear
of public speaking:

http://www.selfgrowth.com/public.html

Dear gboomer,

Some simple advice, just from my experience:

- Practice, practice, practice... You could even start in front of a
mirror, or group of friends or family :-)

- Initially pick a subject that you know backwards.

- The above gives you confidence on the subject matter and YOUR
presentation.

- The fear will subside after you have successfully survived a few
times :-)

Regards,

Stand up straight - Speak out loud - Sit down quick!

Good question. When I read it I realized for the first time that I no
longer fear public speaking - I have progressed to the point where I
simply dislike it. ;-)

What worked for me... practice, practice, practice.

But perhaps more useful, here's what worked for me:

* Don't try to memorize your presentation. Practice from bullet points
until you can give your speech relatively smoothly. I find that
working from bullet points and, to some degree, extemporizing helps
slow down my presentation. Otherwise, I can find myself speaking at an
alarming speed - and it is *much* better to be too slow than too fast.

* Don't worry about making mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes during
speeches. If you have not memorized your speech, you will be able to
quickly move on, and most people won't even notice. (And, as everybody
makes mistakes, those who notice won't think anything of it. Don't
believe me? Ask other speakers what their biggest mistake was, or the
biggest mistake they have seen from a speaker.)

* Don't apologize for the material. Don't say, "I'm sorry this is such
dry, boring material" at the start of your presentation - the audience
will then expect to be bored. Also, don't apologize if you make a
mistake. Don't apologize if you say "um" too many times. Just give
your presentation. (Note, I'm not saying you can't say "I'm sorry" in
immediately correcting a minor stumble - for example, "I would like to
thank Mr. Jackson, I'm sorry, Mr. Johnson for that wonderful
introduction". In that context, "I'm sorry" is much more eloquent than
"um".)

* Be careful with jokes. Don't tell the latest joke you downloaded
from the Internet. But if you have a sense of humor, weave some humor
into your presentation. Avoid political, racial, or gender-based jokes
like the proverbial plague.

* If you are pronouncing difficult names or words, find out how to
pronounce them before your presentation.

* Don't tell "war stories", but do relate to the audience through
examples. A war story tells the audience about something that happened
to you, or to another person, with peripheral relevance to the speech.
An example is short, to the point, perhaps even poignant, and helps
the audience learn.

* Make eye contact with people in the audience. Make sure you move
from person to person. If you're under "stage lights", the audience
will be somewhat silhouetted, and it will be strange to try to make
eye contact when you can't actually see their eyes - but they can see
your eyes. Don't make eye contact like you're a typewriter or eating
corn (row by row). If it helps, pick five or six friendly-looking
faces in the audience, and focus your eye contact on them. (Anything
is better than "tunnel vision".)

* Know what you will do with your hands. If you're lucky, you'll be a
natural with hand gestures. If not, you need to avoid nervous habits
such as key-jingling or pen-clicking. If you are behind a lectern, you
can hold it with a death grip if it helps. If you are behind a
microphone without any "shield", you will have to give this some
thought, based on your comfort level - but make sure your thought
isn't "I'll stuff my hands in my pockets".

* Think 3 times 3 - three main points, each with three subpoints. It
will help you focus your speaking.

* The worst part is the *fear* of speaking, not the speaking itself.

Let's see... The fourth or fifth time I introduced a particular
lawyer, he made a reference to his partner by name, and I learned that
I had been mispronouncing his firm name (on videotape and audiotape)
on all prior occasions. After the presentation I asked him, "Why
didn't you tell me?" He replied, "I didn't think it was important".
Nobody ever said a word to me about it.

In introducing speakers, I sometimes had to try to present from notes
handed to me moments before I took the microphone, with those notes
often being in unbelievably small typeface (nine or ten point type).
Under stage lights, I have mispronounced a number of "easy" words, or
tripped over organization names. Nobody has ever said anything.

If you are afraid of "freezing", your fear is probably misplaced. A
lot of people fear freezing, but it rarely happens. More common is
"losing your place", resulting in a pause that feels eternal, but
really takes just a second or two. (And nobody ever says anything
about them.) If you truly fear freezing, have somebody available to
"thaw" you. For example, if there is a moderator, you can give him a
question to ask you in the event of an awkward pause. If you are
giving a speech for a class, the teacher will probably agree to cue
you, or you can work out a code with a friend (a certain type of cough
or noise) to bring you back to focus. But you will almost certainly
find that any such preparation is unnecessary.

Hi gboomer,

I had an interesting conversation just tonight while on a date with a
friend concerning public speeches and why are they so difficult. 
Public speaking is way up there in fears... probably deserves to be at
the top of the list for humans!

I can remember standing in front of a class in school giving a 45
second book report that should have taken 20 minutes at least.  :) 
Scared?  Yup!

Toastmasters, toastmasters!  They've been around since 1924.  Here's a
link to communicating tips directly from their site:
10 Tips For Successful Public Speaking 
http://www.toastmasters.org/tips.asp

As an adult, I gave successful speeches to auditoriums filled with
students and teachers from kindergarten to 12th grade, concerning a
program I started in regards to safety for children and Safe Houses
they might be able to get to when in danger.

At the time I had no knowledge about Toastmasters, and probably would
have benefited greatly from the program.

Good Luck and realize you are definitely not alone!

tlspiegel-ga

Hi again,

Here's more excellent information for you:

Public Speaking
http://www.bradford.ac.uk/acad/civeng/skills/pubspeak.htm
"Introduction
Many people feel anxious about giving a formal talk or presentation in
public. Christine Stuart in her book, 'Effective Speaking' cites a
survey in the USA where 3,000 adults were asked to list their ten
worst fears. Speaking in Public came out as the number one fear -
above even fears of financial ruin and death!"

tlspiegel-ga

All of the advice so far has been, in my opinion, wonderful. 
Toastmasters is definitely an option.  Also, many community colleges
offer courses in public speaking.  (I say community colleges because
private universities will charge you an arm and a leg.)  My first
course in public speaking?  Through 4-H.  A wonderful program,
although more focussed on youth.  There are also a myriad of books
available both on the internet and at most large bookstores, that
focus on comforting those afraid of public speaking, and that give
wonderful advice.  I would suggest doing a goolge search for some free
online resources, or support groups.

In giving a few presentations at my university, I have fell upon these
personal tricks that help me.
You are judged on eye contact.  This is un-nerving.  The solution,
pick a spot or several spots in the crowd, not particularly in the
line of sight at someone, and look there between lines.  Above the
audience's heads is a wonderful place to look.

Practice the speach before hand.  Not too many times, though.  If you
over-practice it, it will become rushed and the audience will pick up
on that and make you nervous.

Take deep breaths through the nose beforehand.  If necessary, take
something to squeeze in your hand, but only if you are standing behind
something.  The audience will be distracted if they can see you
squeezing around on something.

Practice ennunciating certain words, and pay attention to the sound
the words make coming out of your mouth.  THis will help distract you
from the people watching you.

Always introduce yourself to a few people before your speech.  You
don't want people in the crowd you know well, or this can be
unnerving.  However, a friendly face or two that you don't
particularly know well, but are acquainted with, will help
tremendously.

Eliminate the word "um" from your vocabulary.  Like someone else said
before, don't appologize for saying it, but it is a definite break in
your speech and will become noticeable, and make you a little nervous.

Smile.  A smile makes you feel better.  It releases andorphons or
something or other into the brain and makes you feel better.  So
smile.  Even if you don't feel like it.

If you tend to throw up out of nervousness, I suggest eating a meal of
dry toast and water beforehand.  It helps fill the stomach, but tends
to be thrown up less.

Coldness helps settle the stomach and nerves.  I don't know the
medical reason, it just does.  Rubbing ice on your bottom lip foe a
while before the speech will help settle your stomach, and holding a
wet, cold paper towel, tucked into your fist, will help a little if
not viewable to your audience.

Don't look at people's faces unless you are reading something
confusing and want to gauge whether or not to invite questions. 
OTherwise, looking at people's faces unnerves you.

Dress well.  WHen you look good, you feel wonderful.

Think of something that makes you happy.  If you start to stumble a
little, think of your secret thing, smile, and go on.

Do not imagine people in their underwear.  THis is difficult and
distracting, and makes things worse.

Practice in front of a mirror, then in front of your most frank
friends.  Let them tell you how they liked it.  Ask them what you
could do to be better.

Practice your speech in a cartoon character voice.  Or in a
Shakespeare style.  Be really over the top.  Use your hands a lot. 
Sway, yell, and then read it as though you are in a soap opera.  Sure
the neighbors will think you are crazy, but by the time you go to
actually say your speech, it will be the funniest thing you have ever
heard, and saying it seriously won't be so bad.  You might even end up
giggling a little.  Giggling helps nerves.

Wear comfortable shoes.

There are many things you can do to help relieve stress about public
speaking.  I used to be terrified.  The over-the-top recitation is my
favorite tool, although I don't really use it any more.  I hope these
help and I can only advise you to be creative and use what works for
you.

Good luck,
Dexterpexter

All of the above comments are great.  As a school teacher and a
preforming musician I have had the opportunity to speak to crowds of 1
all the way up to crowds of 5,000.  I love it.  Why?  Attitude.  I'm
not a great speaker, but I've practiced and don't do badly.  I
remember when I was in 2nd grade and I recorded myself speaking into a
small tape recorder.  I hated my voice.  When I was in 10th grade
after giving a speech in class my teacher for a lack of anything else
to say, said that I had a very distinctive voice. Ever since then I
realized that we all have voices and unless there is something that is
quite abnormal or very unpleasent about it, then we have nothing to be
ashamed of.  Attitude Number One:  Don't be ashamed of the way your
voice sounds.
If you are asked to give a speech, unless it is a requirement for a
class, that should tell you the person or group asking you to speak
have a belief in you that you can do a good job.  Furthermore be very
prepared, meaning know what you are going to say, (best not word for
word as in memorized as said before it's dangerous to rely on
memorization) know your subject.  Most of my students who have
problems giving speeches do so because they simply don't know what to
say.  If you are well prepared in your subject matter consider
yourself an expert and unless there truly is an expert in the audience
on your subject then you should be the most knowledgable person in the
room.  Attitude Number Two: Be Confident in your knowlegde.

Prepare and then Practice then Kick-Butt and who cares what anyone
else thinks. You're the one that stood up there and gave it a shot. 
After each speech it gets easier.  I personally love and I believe
everyone can develope that same mind set.  Know what you are going to
say. Know how you want to say it.

Good Luck  Pwi_Pwii

Sorry for the many typos.

As a teacher, I should have corrected them.

Pwi_Pwii

Just a couple of minor additions to some excellent advice:

Jokes - you need to be a bit wary of them.  Don't tell jokes unless
you do so in normal conversation anyway.  There is nothing worse than
a speaker telling a joke in a forced and unnatural manner.  If you do
want to use jokes, make sure you know your audience very well, so that
you can gauge the type of humour that might appeal.  I personally
don't tell jokes because I can never remember the punchlines :( 
However, I do inject humour into my presentations with one or two wry
comments.

Topics - the best situation is when you not only know your subject
backwards, but when it is one about which you are passionately
interested.  Your interest and enthusiasm will come through and make a
very positive impression on your audience.

Notes - bullet points for each issue you want to raise, plus specific
facts and figures if you think you might have difficulty remembering
them.  Use typed rather than handwritten notes, preferably printed in
a largish font, because sometimes lighting conditions are less than
perfect.  NEVER read out a formally written paper as this will
guarantee an instant cure for the insomniacs in your audience.  My
next suggestion is a bit controversial, but when I started I used to
write out my talk in a conversational style (and print it off in large
font).  With a bit of practice, I found I was able to read it without
anyone noticing the fact (very short glances down at the paper,
looking at people in the audience most of the time).  I then worked at
gradually cutting down the notes until I got them down to bullet
points.  However, having very comprehensive notes at the start was a
useful crutch, because I didn't have to worry about my poor memory,
missing something out through panic, etc.

Visual aids - these can be useful if used with care.  Don't use too
many slides. Include only those which add value to what you are
saying.  I use a rough rule of thumb of not less than 2 minutes per
slide, ie if the speech is 20 minutes, I have a maximum of ten slides.
 Keep them simple, with the minimum number of words to get across your
point. Showing them in Powerpoint off a computer is less stressful
then messing about with a bunch of slippery overheads.  However, have
overheads as a backup if something goes wrong with the computer setup,
and have the presentation on disk/CD in case there is a problem with
hooking up your laptop to the projector.  If using your own laptop,
get it hooked up and tested well in advance of your speech.

Presentation style - practise speaking your talk out loud in advance
to make sure it fits the time, but remember that in a practice session
you will probably be speaking a little faster than in the auditorium. 
Practise speaking slower than you would in ordinary conversation.  You
will probably find that this feels incredibly slow to start with, but
it isn't really!  If you are a woman, you might want to experiment
with pitching your voice a bit lower than usual - this is one of the
tricks used by Margaret Thatcher.  Also, if you are a woman make sure
that your clothing will allow you to use a clip-on microphone (ie wear
a jacket, or a dress or top with a suitably large collar).  Don't
refuse to use a microphone unless you are totally sure that your voice
will carry to the back of the room.  If you do speak without a
microphone, focus on the people at the back and project your voice
towards them.  Find a way of presenting that suits you, although you
will obviously sometimes be constrained by the nature of the event. 
For example, I am best when I can be fairly informal.  Where possible,
I leave the lectern and come further forward towards the audience, so
that I can feel that I am engaging them in discussion rather than
speaking at them.

Timing - make sure that you do not run over your alloted time,
especially if there are a number of speakers.  Be aware of what can be
cut out of your talk if you do start running out of time.

Finally, remember that you are there because someone decided that you
have something worth saying.  The audience are there because they want
to hear you.  Think of them as your friends  --  and enjoy!