Giving your first talk is mostly a planning problem. Start eight weeks before the event and the stress spreads out nicely.
Eight weeks out: the outline
Write the three things people should remember. Everything else in the talk exists to support those three points.
Four weeks out: the first run-through
Give the talk to two colleagues, even if the slides are rough. You will find the parts that need more time and the parts nobody missed.
The week of the event
- Check the screen ratio and the adapter.
- Time yourself once more and cut five minutes.
- Sleep. Really.