"Picture the audience in their underwear."
Why did anyone ever think this was great advice? The suggestion to imagine your audience naked is even worse. I'm sure whoever originated the idea figured it would make the speaker feel more at ease because his or her audience would appear less intimidating, but to be honest, the "tip" comes off as a bad hack at best and downright creepy at worst.
Many speakers address diverse audiences; young people and older ones, all body types and sizes, both genders, and so on. Standing in front of these people and undressing them in your mind before talking to them would appear to do anything but put a presenter at ease. I would think picturing them disrobed would be distracting, anxiety-inducing and embarrassing. How would you control your facial expressions and your mind from wandering off topic?
A better use of your imagination would be to do visualization exercises of yourself (before you take the stage) delivering a well-thought-out, well-practiced, and well-paced speech. Imagine having confidence, standing tall with your shoulders back; moving about the stage, making eye-contact with listeners and speaking with authority. Do some deep breathing before it is time for you to speak and picture yourself enjoying your presentation. See it. Feel it. Do it.
If you have spent the necessary time preparing and practicing your talk, the only things left to do are things that will make the day less stressful such as arriving earlier than needed (so you don't have to worry about being late and have time to get familiar with the room). Introducing yourself to event volunteers or hosts if they don't already know you is another way to feel more at ease.
As mentioned above, a few minutes of visualization or reflection before taking your place will also help you. Whatever you do, don't picture the audience in their undergarments.
-More tips on http://phillyspeechwriter.com
Always remember to control your breath, every so often, slow down and breath through your nose. Everyone will think you are giving a thoughtful pause but in reality you are just slowing everything down. Also during this time scan the audience and draw them into your speech.
Good tips. Thanks for commenting.