Your audience wants to relax and enjoy your presentation. It’s your job to help them relax. If they think you are uneasy, or see you get off to a rough start, they will be uneasy. Don’t give them any reason to be concerned. Set them at ease from the beginning. The best way to do this is to have a strong start planned and know exactly what you are going to say at the beginning. We’ll discuss the simplest and best openers later. For now, remember: even if you are working from an outline (rather than a script), you should write out your first sentence or paragraph word-for-word and commit it to memory. Then if you are nervous at the start – a pretty common problem – you can be confident that you won’t freeze because you know your opener.
The same rule applies to your ending. Always plan it word-for-word. Many speakers get near the end and draw a complete blank about how then intended to leave the audience with a strong ending. Consequently, they don’t.

One potential curveball that can throw a speaker off his or her stride at the start is the person introducing you. As a speaker, it’s your job to make sure your introduction is as carefully planned as your speech. Next up: Managing Your Introduction by an Master of Ceremonies or Session Chair.