I found that the more I did the speeches, the easier it got, and I was someone who despised talking in front of a group. I also had to train myself that nobody in the audience is going to know if I accidentally misspoke a word, or if I had changed the order of points in a speech. If I didn’t indicate I’d made a mistake, they had no idea. If I meant to use one adjective, but used another that meant the same thing, I learned never to call attention to it by saying ‘Oh, excuse me, I meant…’, because they had no idea there was an error.
Also, pauses are OK. If you forget a word, pause for a couple of seconds. What to you feels like an eternity is probably not that long. The audience will notice your pause less if you do not say ‘Ummmm’ to cover the silence.
Look above their heads, especially if you are on a raised platform. You can talk to the back wall all day, and it’ll look like you’re making eye contact. Do not word for word memorize a speech or take it written out on a sheet of paper to read from. It’ll lead to more problems if you skip a sentence or can’t figure out what line you’re on. Memorize your key points, make a few notes on cards if it helps, but by and large realize that the exact wording of your speech is going to change when you get up there. Nobody, unless reading from a teleprompter, reads a speech in exactly the same words that they planned.
Ask for a podium or a lecturn. It gives a sense of security by giving you something to ‘hide behind’ while speaking, allows you a place to put your hands so that you’re not fidgety, and helps promote a general sense of security as an anchor point. You can always move around and return to the podium if you need to, and it will give you a place to rest your notes so you’re not fumbling through them.
If at all possible, use a slide presentation with an overhead. Dimming the lights and giving the audience something to focus on instead of yourself can take a lot of the pressure off, because you know they’re not staring at you, they’re looking at the slides.
Don’t feel you have to use big, complicated words in your speech if you are more comfortable using smaller ones. Speak in language that is comfortable to you, that accurately describes your point, and you’ll be less prone to make mistakes. Know the topic, so that if you get stuck up there, you’ll be able to find some fact or piece of information to unstick yourself.
If you’re nervous, you’re nervous. That’s not something that goes away quickly. I’ve been lecturing as an instructor at a college for nearly two years, and every term on the first day of class, I’m nervous as hell. I get nervous at commencement every time I give the faculty address. The audience will not make a big deal of your nervousness unless you do, occasional asshole aside. The nervousness will lessen as you go on, but may never completely disappear. One of the things I do is try to imagine that I’m not giving a speech, but having a conversation. I try to engage the audience a bit, toss out a couple questions (ask them how they’re doing, get them nodding ‘Yes’, develop a little rapport).
Mostly, remember, if you’re in a speech class, everyone else there is probably as terrified at talking in front of people as you are. Nobody’s going to laugh at you because they don’t want you laughing at them when it’s their turn.
G’luck up there. Remember to zip your fly. 
