How can I build confidence?I am really shy and I really want to be able to speak in front of people.

In trying to overcome shyness it is very important to realize that shyness is an essential and even useful quality in all people. So shyness is not something that you can, or even need to completely eliminate from your life. What you need to is to manage your shyness and overcome it in situations where it is necessary to do so.

Second thing, shyness and confidence are not opposites, although nervousness at times may be considered opposite of confidence. It is important for you to be clear in your mind about what is your problem. Nervousness is caused by a feeling of insecurity, by a fear of being unable to handle a situation appropriately. It is possible to overcome by being more thorough in your preparation and by progressively taking on more responsibilities, and performing more difficult tasks.

Shyness refers specifically to the feeling of hesitation in interacting with others or otherwise exposing your thoughts and behavior to others. In public speaking the effect of shyness gets multiplied because of the presence of a large number of people, and for the need of public speaker to take the initiative and act like a central figure in the whole proceedings.

To overcome your shyness and to act confidently in presence of others, it not to fight your shyness. When you feel shy, remind yourself that it is a natural reaction for all the people, and in this way accept your shyness, rather than fight it. If you try to fight your shyness, this can make you nervous and increase your problem. Give yourself a few seconds to let the feeling of shyness settle down. Deep breathing and taking a sip of water can also help.

Second, approach to overcoming shyness is to practice in small steps interacting with people you don't know. For situations like these it is good to have ready with you as repertoire of subjects for small talk.

Public speaking is more than just overcoming your shyness. You need to develop the ability to think on your feet, and to express your ideas in a clear and interesting way. These two abilities are best developed with practice. You nod to start practicing with making short speeches, may be just one minute speech, on subjects you are familiar with. Then you can gradually move to longer speech on a wader range of subjects.

It would be best if you an form a small group of friends to practice public speaking this way. Even a group of two can be very effective. If even that is not possible, you can try practicing by yourself.