How I did it is a little funny. I told a coworker what I wanted to do, mostly because he had been in plays most of his life and I thought he could give me advice. The only thing he gave me was the announcement that an audition was happening at the time in less than a week. His advice, "it's now or never". 

Well I took his advice and buckled down with a copy of the script. It was The Glass Menagerie, so it fit my criteria of being a small cast and drama-based. I had another friend help me out with the basics, like keeping my thumb on my place in the script and don't be fidgety, and other little things I had no clue about. I read in front of as many friends and family that would tolerate me. I think that really helped, doing it in as many different environments as possible. 

Once the first day of the audition came around, I tried my hardest to not be nervous. When I felt my stomach getting a little shaky from the tension, I immediately told myself, "No, don't do it. Don't be nervous." It worked most of the day. And what also helped was listening to a certain song that rang out with confidence. Every time I felt nervous I would listen to the song and it helped.