How do I get better at DMing?

I have a feeling like I'm boring my players, they simply aren't interested in the game, and I think the problem might be me.
Usually I have to drink a few beers to be interesting, otherwise I'm too ashamed to talk, especially when it comes to roleplaying as NPCs. I just want to be more eloquent and immerse my players in the story.
What can I do?

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A) Drink more
B) Realize everyone wants you to give your best shot no matter how silly you seem (or more likely how you only think you seem). The really shameful thing is running a boring game because you were too scared to try harder.
Also, read more books. Surprising how much a good book can help you understand what makes interesting npcs and engaging dialogue.

Read some flowery talk fantasy novel beforehand. Recite it in your head.

It'll help accustom your brain to descriptive language.

Also, I find looking at cool fantasy art on deviantart and artstation really sparks my neurons.

Don't be too hard on yourself. I've had times when I wrapped up sessions early because I was sure players weren't interested, only to have them later compliment me for the good sessions. Sometimes it's hard to gauge exactly what the others are thinking.

Thanks.
I haven't read anything except poetry in a long time, I really should find some good novel, and I've also noticed how reading or looking/drawing characters helps me, and even playing cRPGs, especially older ones makes me think about what a player wants in a game.
I was also thinking of doing some sort of puzzles so players could try to solve them outside of the game, but I don't know if this is a good idea.
Thanks again, you've really been helpful.

Lovable or at least memorable characters to encounter.

As a player, I can say this: If I keep showing up to a GM's game, it's because I want to be there, because I see playing with him as the most fun activity to which I can dedicate my precious and limited free time. I have many other ways to spend my time, and my GM's games consistently win out over almost all of them, so that should say something very positive about him.

I don't always thank my GM because I always like his work and I worry about sounding like a broken record always telling him that I like things. I see it as a given that I enjoy playing with him. I wish there were better ways to express my continuous approval and support for him in a way that he can believe.

i feel that social anxiety man, i really do.
something that helps me is to do a kind of mental dress rehearsal before games, something i picked up in drama class.
try to imagine the scene that's giving you angst. play it out in your head, get up and move around, speak as the npcs and envision the players responses, have the npc respond accordingly.
then restart the scene and play it out a different way, do this a couple times till you feel you have a good handle on how it's likely to go, based on past dealings with the pcs.
it helps to feel like you have a plan even if you don't have a script for every possible response.
know that curve balls are gonna happen, don't be afraid to call a smoke break so you can take a second to think if one of those curve balls catches you totally flat footed.
most people are pretty understanding of that kind of thing, even if it breaks the game flow up a little.
make outlines for yourself of events you want to happen each session. outlines are better than scripts because it leaves room for those pesky curve-balls. if you don't get to all the items then so be it, there's always next session.

i look at each game kinda like a jazz number, i know where it's gonna start, i know where i want it to end but the middle is full of improvisation. the spotlight switches from person to person as inspiration strikes them and they kick it up a notch before the baton passes to another. even if it all goes off the rails it can end up as a beautiful sort of clusterfuck that can be a lot of fun for everyone involved, if you can roll with the punches.

If they are laughing, asking questions, looking scared, looking around the room imagining what you just described. Your doing fine. Some nights are better than others, at the end of the day though as long as your not a magical realm speerg lord you’ll be alright.

Also alcohol does help when performing for a group of 5 for 3 to 4 hours

Don't listen to people telling you to use flowery language. Focus on getting your ideas across. If the ideas are good, the best description is the one that takes the least effort to receive and decode, not the one with the most archaid terms.

Archaic* I had one job

don't be afraid to steal from things you like, this is something that took awhile to come to terms with but a good DM is a thief in the best ways possible

"good artist copy: great artist steal" - me

Archaic language is such a dumb thing to stress over imo, it doesn't add much to immersion

however using period appropriate sayings if you're playing a historic game is a nice little touch, but far from mandatory

Well user, you can always offer him a personal 1 on 1 session after the other players leave.

The same way you get better at anything.

First, spend a lot of time watching other people do it, both who are good at it and who are bad at it, so you can get ideas of what works and what doesn't, lift habits from the ones you like and clearly define what sort of behavior is bad so you recognize it faster in yourself.

Second, spend a lot of analyzing your own work, judging it, and thinking about what went well, what was surprisingly effective or fun, what fell flat, when you lost control of things and why. When you find something that works, think about how to recreate it. When you find something that fell flat, try to understand why, and work out how to avoid that in the past. Be critical of yourself and always thinking about ways to improve.

Third, plan. A lot of GMs brag about how good they are an improvising. Some even refuse to do prep at all, and say people who do it are wasting their time. Those GMs are always, ALWAYS underwhelming, and often outright terrible. You improvise when you need to, you don't rely on it for everything. Planning is crucial to success. Even if most of what you plan never gets used, the act of planning it makes you better prepared for when you have to improvise.

And lastly, practice. Practice on its own will not make you better, because if you do something wrong, you can do it for a hundred years and you won't get any better at it. But at the same time, nothing beats actual experience.

tl;dr, study other GMs, analyze your successes and failures, plan as much as possible, and always be willing to try again

I only show up cause the GM's a friend. Some games I don't even like but continue because I would otherwise have no context to hang out in.

Some players just feel obligated to show up.

youtube.com/watch?v=IL4vWJbwmqM

Delivery is important, especially if immersion is the goal. I would kill to have a gm who would just once try to deliver information like it's not being read from a fucking textbook

kek

I like to throw in some minigames every so often. Like, once the party ran across a trade caravan, and the merchants challenged them to a game of Liar's Dice. Or once a tribe they were helping asked each of them for a story. Literally any story. No matter what the players told, the tribespeople treated it like the hottest shit they'd ever heard.
It helps the players get a little more relaxed with roleplaying.

Also, make sure to accommodate your player's choices. If they save a character, give reminders that they're still alive every so often. If they fight an enemy and he escapes, have him show up for revenge later. If they have an inside joke, give them material (in moderation) for it.
Make them feel like their actions and choices have a lasting impact on their world. It gets them invested.

minigames are great if you need to do some emergency prep during a session

also random tables are g8 even if you arent an improv heavy DM, they make great idea engines while planning