How-do-I-become-more-confident-while-talking-to-people ?

Dear friend,
The same question bothered me every moment. I tried reading and following all these widely accepted strategies like "Fake it till you make it" and the rest of these. After getting no respite from the problem I once stumbled on an article by Acharya Prashant which was an eye-opener. Following is an excerpt from the article:

"Let me ask you a question. Do you require confidence when you have to speak in a room all alone? No. But you require confidence when you have speak in a hall filled with audience. Right?
What is the essential difference between both the situations? The process of speaking is happening in a vacant room and also in the room filled with the audience. But in second situation, ‘others’ are present. You are afraid of these ‘others’. And you require confidence only to deal with the ‘others’.

So it is better to ask, how to get rid of this fear?

Then you have to understand deeply that why are we afraid. I have always known myself through others. If others applaud for me, then I consider myself to be brilliant. If others criticize me, then I consider myself to be bad. I have no understanding of myself, whatever others have told me about myself, I have accepted it. This is Ego. It is this Ego that gives rise to fear because I have always known myself through others. That is why I am always afraid of speaking in front of others. That is why I am always afraid of others’ opinions. That is why I am always afraid of others’ impression about me. At the root of confidence lies the fear of others, fear of external factors. And all this because you do not know yourself. You know yourself only as an image in the eyes of others. Do not try to ‘look’ confident. The more you ask for confidence, the more it indicates that you are afraid. Do not ask for confidence. Remain simple! Do not try to become something. Just remain as you are. Simple, ordinary!
Do not try to become something, then everything will be alright.
You will feel light. You will get rid of a lot of burden."

credit: Rohit-Razdan