Troubles uploading to ftp

I'm trying to figure out how to upload from my private_html to my public_html files so people can view my message board? I've read thru many FAQ's and help forums and I can not find anywere that will explain in plain english what I need to do. The only thing I've been able to figure out, is that I should be able to drag and drop files. this is an last ditch effort to figure this out because I realize that this forum isn't read by too many people.