Agreed! Once I get it our there and say my lil’ joke or whatever, it physically relaxes me where I don’t have to worry what they’re thinking and JUST talk. Mentally it helps me to try and hyper focus as much as possible on the content itself. It’s helpful to remind myself why the fuck I’m up there and that I’m not trying to win toastmasters. You have something to say and you’ve done the work…so don’t be afraid to stand on that and draw your confidence from that. P.S. That’s also why I like to use visuals like PowerPoint and print outs, job aids, or whatever to supplement my presentation and fill in gaps I don’t think I’ll be able to get to just verbally. I literally have put words on a slide before so I could just prompt the audience or reference the topic indirectly - because I KNEW I was gonna stutter on it and mess up my flow. All that to say. Be creative and do your thing. People will respect you if you make them.