Toastmasters sounds too contrived for my tastes--what I pieced together from philosophy courses and debates is the following:
1. Wear something you feel comfortable in, so you don't lose concentration by doing something stupid like constantly adjusting your pants or bra strap.
2. Know your subject* far beyond what you think will come up, make notes that may be particularly interesting to your audience and investigate further.
3. Do not write a full speech that you just stand there and read, you'll look like an idiot and put people to sleep. Only children like being read to.
4. I can't remember which philosopher this was from, but my chemistry mentor gave me an excellent tip: In your head, imagine each section of the speech as a room where you slowly travel from one room to the next. "Decorate" these imaginary rooms with trigger images in a logical order so you can smoothly flow from one part to the next.
5. I used an outline of the 4 main sections of the speech, to rein in and tame tangents, even though I didn't have to use it much.
Worked really well for me in classrooms where I was the student or the teacher, also works well for job interviews. The end is the best when you actually get questions and can confidently answer them.
*When I say "know a subject," I'm serious. I had to give a speech on a few chapters on meaning/effects of Tolstoy's "My Confessions," so I read the entire book, read a bio of Tolstoy and synopses of the books of his I hadn't read, along with some history of the time period he lived in.
