Presenting is such an important skill. I can't sleep, so here are some thoughts on how to become a solid public speaker if you don't get to attend TechStars or YC.<p>Qualifications: I usually have people tell me I'm a natural at speaking after I give a talk on something. When I was in high school, I took an argument class and later a public speaking class. During half of my presentations I'd become so flustered I'd tell the teacher I couldn't keep going and I'd sit down. I wanted to be good, but yes--I was that bad.<p>As with all things that we suck at, it helps to get it handled. The key to becoming great at presenting is to do a lot of it. In college I took every communications course I could find--this helped. I also joined a local Toastmasters group. This was really helpful. Toastmasters exists to help you become a better leader and communicator. This group cured me of "umms" and "ahhs" during speaking (they would drop a marble into a pan every time it happened).<p>In ROTC we learned the military way of giving briefings. No it has nothing to do with powerpoint (contrary to popular belief). We learned to change tonality, step away from the safe lectern, and to use a certain format for our talks. The format basically stated: tell the audience what you're going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them. I recommend reading a short book on public speaking for some theoretical information to get the same background.<p>In summary, you can get better at public speaking. Practice is the key. Join toastmasters for a good opportunity. Read a book and try out some of the tricks you're reading about there. When you're ready--go to meetup.com and find some groups to give a talk to. You'll be a dynamite speaker in no time.