I have spoken publicly a lot (still do). Many of the suggestions in the article are context-specific, or have widely varied appeal depending on the person (I am not going to show up early and have herbal tea, sorry...)

But I am going to rehearse. Many, many times. Not just prepare, mind you, but _rehearse_. With a small tape recorder going, I will practice, analyze, revise and practice some more.

I think this is the one thing that separates those who come off as professional from those that come off as amateurish.