Telling each person will be different, I think that person-by-person is usually easier than some kind of public service announcement. Start with people who you trust most, who you trust not to tell everyone else (unless you want that???). Some people write a letter if they don't think they can say it out loud.
Personally I told people twice, once just to say it, the second time to say I'm definite about it and am going to start transitioning etc. I did my research so that I could answer questions. People might want to know what you plan on changing, socially or medically - but it's okay to say you haven't decided yet.
I'm also putting together info from the health services etc as a resource so that i don't have to explain the formal procedure of accessing treatment myself - there are also useful glossaries of terms etc if you look for leaflets and PDFs from gender identity clinics - you can usually find them via google even if you aren't a patient at the specific clinic.
As for abuse... if you're talking about the more violent end of the scale, make sure you have a support system in place if you think you might be in danger. Don't throw yourself into the deep end
