Americans supposedly fear it more than death: public speaking. Does your smartphone hold the cure? With varying success, I've given lots of talks over the years -- wedding toasts, cozy classroom presentations, formal talks to pretty large audiences -- and, until now, I never would have considered using an app to improve the process. After all, public speaking is about organizing your thoughts, linking them together, logically building your material. It's about writing, expression and communicating with people.

An app can't do all that; you're better off joining Toastmasters. Still, I got to wondering whether there are apps that at least can help shore up the delivery: settle your nerves a bit, keep you within your time limit, help you to not get lost. Can you download a teleprompter onto your phone? It turns out, yes. For someone (me) who scribbles notes on napkins and then squints to read them while trying to appear cool at the podium, that's a definite assist.

As it turns out, there are dozens of public speaking apps. "Keynote" ($9.99, from Apple) is famous for letting you manipulate visuals, creating interactive charts and slideshows and animated transitions. But I wasn't looking for bells and whistles. I was looking for basic assistance. Here's the best of what I found, all available for iPhones and iPads.

PromptSmart Pro

(Created by PromptSmart, $14.99)

PromptSmart Pro is the above-mentioned teleprompter. It's a terrific tool: Watch your words scroll on the screen as you speak, matching your pace. What's cool is that if you go off-script or pause to take a question from the audience, the app will hold your place until you get back on track. Its voice recognition technology works.

Just add your script from an email or the cloud Relevant Products/Services. Once it's there, you won't need an internet connection to retrieve the text for your presentation. Simply tap "play" and start speaking. You can customize fonts, text sizes, background colors and text colors. And you can practice in advance, using the "recording library" function: Record your talk once, twice, three times, refining your ideas and pace. Listen back and commit your presentation to memory.

PromptSmart Pro is pricey but worth the layout -- the most useful app I found.

SmartMouth Public Speaking Toolkit

(From SmartMouth Communications, $1.99)

SmartMouth Public Speaking Toolkit is a no-frills primer and confidence builder. Main message: Don't sweat it. Most speeches and PowerPoint presentations are "pretty dreadful," it tells you. You can do better by being yourself. Throw out the rules: You don't have to begin with "Good morning" and "Thank you for having me." Try chatting with audience members as you walk through the room on your way to the podium; it's best not to start cold. Be spontaneous. Mix things up. Ask a question to break the ice and create a sense of collaboration. Remember, your audience wants you to do well.

The app encourages you to break down your topic into basic "chunks" -- an opening, a series of message points and a closing. Journal-like, it gives you blank fields in which you can jot down your ideas and text for each of the chunks. Take your time. Sketch out your thoughts. Build your talk incrementally, pressure-free. (Outliner for iPad, $4.99 from CarbonFin, is another solid tool. Touch-sensitive, it helps with organization by letting you move outline items around with the swipe of a finger.)

SpeakerClock

(From Drobnik GK, $1.99)

You've got 20 minutes. Don't blow it by going over.

This app looks just like the clock that TED conference speakers keep their eyes on. Preset your allotted time. Then, as you speak, monitor the green, yellow and red lights on the bottom of the screen as your time dwindles and runs out. If you like to stray from the podium, the clock face is large and clear enough to allow you to monitor it from a distance.

Quotebook

(By Lickability, $4.99)

Cheat: Spice up your presentation with an apt quote or two. You can search by topic or author, and you can archive your favorites. If you're delivering your presentation off the cuff, you might begin with this remark from trumpeter Miles Davis: "I'll play it first and tell you what it is later." And if you're feeling alone and nervous as the talk is about to begin, think about this, from author Henry Miller: "All growth is a leap in the dark ..."

Confident Public Speaking

(TapMedia Publishing, $0.99; a version is available for Android)

This one's on the New Agey side, not for everyone. I got into it. Hypnotherapist David Ridgeway takes you through a series of hypnotherapy sessions to build motivation and confidence. At the very least, they calm the nerves.

Stop responding to external stimulation, Ridgeway advises. Instead, remember that "our powers of feeling, reasoning, dreaming and imagining are all located within, and these are the powers" to be harnessed for successful public speaking. He talks common sense: Think of the way you feel when you're with a loved one or close friend, and how freely you express your thoughts. Step by step, the sessions are meant to transition you toward the moment when you can experience a similar ease in front of a group of strangers.

There's no magic bullet for stage fright; Laurence Olivier never got over it. But Ridgeway -- who suggests repeating the sessions over the course of 30 days -- offers some useful suggestions.

This final app can help with the jitters too:

Print n Share

(EuroSmartz, $6.99)

Print n Share is your lifesaver when you arrive to give a speech and realize you've forgotten your notes. If you've installed Print n Share on your iPhone or iPad, you can sit in your hotel room and print your notes or speech on the nearest printer.