I was recently interviewed by Authority Magazine for a topic that I have some experience with–public speaking. I don’t think I’ve ever done an interview quite this comprehensive, so it should be a good read. I’ve also got a fun video summarizing the main points.
Be authentically interested. This works regardless of your initial confidence level. Unless you are outrageously famous and/or charismatic, people are not going to want to listen just because your mouth is opening and closing. Instead, let them see how interesting the topic itself is, so that they can see it through your eyes. Your topic isn’t important because you are talking about it; you are talking about it because it is important.