[Bungleau]

LOL! It's great and frightful when people accept what you're saying, and then want to hear more!

Okay, a couple of things to make it flow more smoothly.

First, take all that you wrote down in your two days of writing and condense it into bullet-point-style notes. IOW, don't rely on the exact text of a story in your notes. Instead, rely on knowing what the story is, and when you come to it, deliver the story. It's far easier to remember six stories, points, and whatnot by name than it is by exact word.

Will the presentation be just you talking, or will you have powerpoints, slides, or something else along with you? If so, then you can put your notes on those, reminding you of what story or point to bring up next. I often give away my presentation slides to folks without thinking much about it. The slides are only 10% of what I deliver... the rest is the presentation itself.

As for nerves, forget about imagining people naked and stuff like that. Instead, remember that you're in front of a group of people that *WANT* to see you succeed. They're all friends, whether or not you've met them before. And yeah, there may be the occasional moron in there... who doesn't have an obnoxious friend or two? Just ignore them and move on.

Practice put-offs. If someone tries to ask questions to take you down a different road than you want to go, smile, acknowledge them, and let them know you can talk with them more about that later. After the session is over.

One strategy tip: Never, ever finish your presentation by asking for questions. If you do, you're leaving the door open for a moron to ask a stupid question, and everyone will leave with that on their minds.

Instead, ask for questions *before your final words*. In your final words, add one final piece of information that you haven't said before, and effectively wrap up the presentation (now, you may be thinking that new journalism isn't much different than old journalism. Well, few things are completely original, and it's the perspective that makes the difference. Embracing new trends and technology for acquiring and delivering newsworthy information is...)

By doing so, you ensure that the audience leaves while considering *YOUR* words, not some heckler's. You can also regain control from a heckler this way, and effectively close things out when you're ready (we've got time for one more question before my final words...).

As for the crowd, no matter how big it is, focus on a handful of smiling faces in scattered parts of the room. Talk to them personally, and not to the audience as a whole. This will make it much more intimate, and make people feel much more connected to you.

From a physical perspective, make sure you've got a glass of water available to you at the lectern (or wherever you'll be speaking), and make sure you've got someone who can do legwork for you (getting a fresh glass, handing stuff out, etc.).

Bottom line: remember who you're there for. If it's for the teens, then make sure that you deliver something that matters to them. If an adult argues with you about whether it's really new, smile and remind them that they're not your target... those teens, the ones who are getting something out of this, are the ones. And if they're learning, you're succeeding... new, old, or in between.

Good luck! Share how it goes!