Scarier than death

A few hours back I gave a talk before an audience of about fifty. They say that fear of public speaking is bigger than the fear of death. I was reminded of a technique to get rid of this fear. This was taught by my English teacher, Mr. R. S. Rathore, during my schooldays.
I studied in a residential school - Sainik School, Balachadi, Jamnagar. We used to live in dormitories. A dormitory was a big common hall with beds in two rows and cupboards along the wall. Each dormitory used house about 20 boys.
Our day would typically start very early necessitating a break after lunch. Probably an hour. To be a good public speaker, Mr. Rathore gave us a simple exercise. During the break, stand up on the bed and speak on any topic in any language for three minutes. You had to do this for ten consecutive days ignoring the indifference, applause or heckling by the other boys. In case you missed a day, the count would start from one again.
I cannot claim to be a great speaker. I think, I do reasonably well. Mr. Rathore's exercise definitely helped me overcome my fear.
I think the biggest fear while speaking in public is the fear of ridicule. Would the audience jeer at me? Are they getting bored? Why is the gentleman in the left corner smiling? Why is the lady on the right looking at her watch? etc. etc. You need to manage a contradiction. Say what the audience appreciates and at the same time not get very attached to their visible response.