According to various polls and surveys, public speaking is one of the scariest things a person will ever have to do, often more feared than serious physical dangers, even death.

For some people, public speaking is a fairly natural part of the routine of life. Teachers, vendors, supervisors, they all have to speak to crowds of a certain size on a regular basis. And perhaps certain personalities gravitate toward jobs and situations where public speaking is a must. It is rare to meet a professor, trial lawyer, or military instructor who is meek and timid and afraid to hear his own voice come out of his mouth in front of a group. But it is common to find scientists, librarians and architects who have such fears. As well as delivery men, construction workers and accountants. Anyone who is not required to speak before crowds in an organized, convincing, and articulate manner can harbor extreme unease at the prospect of public speaking. In fact, even some of the aforementioned people who do speaking in public on a regular basis may not feel like they are at the level of ease and effectiveness that they would like to be or that they feel is expected of them.

The need to speak in public often arises outside one’s job or profession. Maybe you need to toast someone at a wedding, or give a humorous trip down memory lane speech at a birthday party or anniversary dinner. Perhaps in your house of worship you are suddenly called upon to speak to the congregation. Or you join a social or political organization where you unexpectedly find yourself in a leadership role. Perhaps you find yourself in court, called to the stand at a trial, and need to rise to the occasion like Jack Nicholson’s character in “A Few Good Men” and deliver an unforgettable, searing speech topped off with the legendary line “No. you can HANDLE the truth!” Whatever the case, it is almost certain that you will be presented with important instances of public speaking.

Instead of dreading your moments in the spotlight, you can easily follow a few simple steps and learn how to thrive there; being the bold and confident public speaker who puts everyone at ease and inspires trust and greater listening in his every word.

Let’s look at four essential ingredients for a great public speaker. If you just remember what I call ‘The Four C’s,’ you’ll be way ahead of the game. In fact, you’ll be able to go out like a pro. The Four C’s are Composition, Cadence, Communication and Comedy. Let’s find out exactly what they imply.

1.) Composition. This means how you present yourself or behave. Your body is your instrument. You’re thinking, “Wait, my mouth is my instrument when I speak.” Yes, but your whole body is physically the vessel that carries your voice, and visually, emotionally, and even spiritually, your whole body helps you connect with the people you’re talking to.

Try to stand up straight and straighten your spine and limbs. Not drumstick, tense, stiff and straight, but self-respecting, imposing. Stand at your maximum height. If you feel much more comfortable leaning in a little or leaning in slightly, that’s fine. The point is to find your “power position,” where your body feels most naturally authoritative and subservient to being watched and heard.

Look outside and scan the crowd. Develop hand gestures that convey strength and discipline. Maybe fingers together, facing up, like a “church steeple”, or a very loose fist like Bill Clinton used to do, or a flat “karate chop” hand. Some people point. Some give the “thumbs up”. Some tap the table or podium below them for emphasis. The point is, experiment beforehand and find your “power position” and your “power moves” or “power gestures.”

If you feel nervous at the beginning of a speech, take plus time before you start, be more deliberate and look around the room and the crowd for a few moments. you know exactly why are you taking the time and looking around you. Everything you do is on purpose. You are in control. You are leading and the crowd will follow. This is just a law of nature.

2.) Cadence. This means the tempo, the rhythm or the speed at which you are speaking. Most people, most of the time, just talk too fast. They rush. If you’re a nervous guy who has any inclination to talk fast, especially when you’re nervous, then SLOW DOWN. Speak to yourself a good fraction slower than what initially comes out of your mouth.

Slowing down a bit helps you appear more deliberate and in control. To the public, what sounds slow to you probably sounds very coherent and, in fact, easier to understand. Also, if it doesn’t sound rushed and rushed, then the almost subliminal message to people is that: “no matter how long it takes to say it and how long we sit through it all, we know it must be interesting and good.” it’s worth listening to, because he doesn’t rush and doesn’t apologize for having to tell it. Actually, it must be important.”

However, if you suspect that you may be a slow talker by nature, ask a few friends or confidants and confirm. If you really speak very slowly, then speed up a bit. But most of you will naturally be quick when you initially speak in public.

3.) Communication. Well, you know what this word literally means. But what do I really mean by that? It’s so easy to forget when you’re speaking in public, but you’re really just having some kind of conversation with human beings. It could be a presidential speech, a trial lawyer in court, an actor thanking the Academy Awards, or a comedian playing the part of him. They are all just TALKING TO HUMANS. Sure, audiences don’t respond literally, and sure the size and scope of the situation is very different from an intimate conversation, but the basic mechanics of intention, emotion Y personal need they are really the same. And I know that every one of you reading this knows how to talk, how to talk to a person, whether it’s a family member, a co-worker, a friend, a trader, whatever. When you talk to another person, you naturally and subconsciously bring real emotion and urgency to what you’re saying, because the words actually mean something to you. They come from a need, whatever: “Can I have some fries?”, “I can’t believe you finished your report,” “I hate the 405 freeway!” or “Will you give me a hug?” It sounds simple, and in your daily life it IS simple.

Being a human being, you are a GENIUS in realistic and convincing communication. Now, just bring that into your public address. When you speak, imagine a real person you know, right in front of you or in the audience. Talk to that person if you need to. Connect with that person in your mind. Convince him of the importance, the deep meaning of what you are saying. Unless you’re just calling out bingo numbers or reciting statistics for half an hour, you’re not just saying words. You are saying THOUGHTS, FEELINGS and IDEAS. You are communicating MEANINGS.

Now, of course, emotional doesn’t mean loud, overly dramatic, or scary. It literally means that there is some emotional component or feeling attached to it, the way normal people talk almost all the time, at least the normal people you want to listen to.

So, to sum up Communication, practice speaking in public as if you were conversing with close friends or people who don’t intimidate you at all. And make personal and emotional associations with what you’re saying so it sounds like you CARE about those ideas. Because you really care about them. Because then the audience will care.

4.) Comedy. Humor, lightness, fun, comedy. Whatever the name, it is a very powerful and valuable weapon for public speaking. Presidents use humor. Corporate CEOs use it. Law enforcement uses it. The same goes for the military, athletes, teachers, managers, and professionals of all kinds, stripes, and classifications.

Human beings use humor, and not just those we consider “clowns”, “pranksters” or “funny”. Sometimes the most deadly serious character can crack a sharp comic line and bring the house down, raising their stature and command to even higher levels. Think of the character of Arnold Schwarzenegger in the terminator films. It was a huge, heartless robotic killing machine. And he had a series of funny phrases that have become the most used and appreciated in the world. Now you are probably No a robot with no heart and no sense of humor. In fact, probably do You already use humor in some moments of your life. The key is to bring sharp and appropriate humor to your public address.

If you find yourself unable to write witty, appropriate, relevant, and wildly funny lines in your speech or presentation, fear not. There are professional comedy writers out there who can make you laugh at the right moments for a reasonable and affordable price, and no one in the audience needs to know about it. In fact, everyone may assume that you are the brilliant comic mind behind the golden zingers.

I happen to own a company called The Funny Business that creates custom funny content for any need. We have performed speeches, toasts and roasts for weddings, birthdays, bar mitzvahs and corporate promotions. We have made presentations that involve quite detailed and specific technical and corporate jargon. We have created standup material for high-end comedians and aspiring comedians. In fact, if you come to The Funny Business and ask for something funny to be written, we’ll do it! Unless we can’t do it, and then we’ll tell you, but probably in a fun way.

Not everyone was born a giant of oratory: a Bill Clinton, a John F. Kennedy, a Winston Churchill. But with a little work, a little preparation, and some serious focus on the Four Cs, anyone can become a strong and compelling public speaker.