Public speaking is something that most of us have to do at some time in our lives, but most of us would rather not do. This experience starts in school. Giving a speech can be rather unpleasant, but with the proper preparation and enough confidence, it can be easy or even enjoyable. Here is a guide on how to give an oral presentation in front of your class. Decide on a topic . Make sure it's something you are interested in. If you already have some knowledge on the subject, that's a plus, but for most presentations you will be expected to do some amount of research. 2 Research your topic thoroughly . Take detailed notes. 3 Sort your notes . Decide which information is necessary, and what can be cut. (a hi-lighter pen can be very useful here) 4 Make an outline . Start rough and general, then get specific. 5 Familiarize yourself with your topic and write your speech as if it were an essay . Learn the content of the essay well. 6 Write or print notes on index cards . These should be key points in your outline (to keep you on topic) and details and statistics (that would be too difficult to remember). 7 Practice your speech out loud until you are confident with it . It doesn't have to be identical to your essay in wording, but try to keep the content the same. 8 Try giving the speech to things around your room