The short version
Public speaking is a trainable motor skill, not a personality trait. The fear is near-universal and physiological, and the fix is the same as any skill: structure, reps, and shrinking the gap between how speaking feels and how it looks.
What it actually is
A talk is a sequence of ideas delivered under mild adrenaline. The craft splits cleanly in two: the content (one clear point, a structure the audience can follow) and the delivery (pace, pauses, eyes). Both improve independently with practice.
Why the fear is normal
Stage fright is your threat system misreading attention as danger; it hits experienced speakers too. The reliable finding is that audiences perceive far less nervousness than speakers feel, so the shaking you notice is mostly invisible.
How to think about it
Prepare the first minute word for word, because nerves peak at the start. Structure the rest as three points with stories attached. Then get reps in low-stakes rooms: meetings, toasts, standups. Volume of attempts beats intensity of any one attempt.
