Public speaking
None of this is expert advice. It's what people worked out for themselves, usually the hard way — what actually helped, and what they'd tell someone standing where you are. Take what fits and leave the rest.
If you only read a few
If you are nervous, admit it to the audience to build rapport and ease tension.
It makes people relate to you, respect you more, and root for you.
- One source advises against telling students you are nervous and new.
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Start your speech with a joke, riddle, or story to break the ice and ease tension for both you and the audience.
It sets both the speaker and the audience at ease.
- Do not begin with a quote.
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Remind yourself that audience members are likely stressed about their own turns or distracted, rather than closely judging you.
People are often focused on planning their own speech or thinking elsewhere.
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Try to forget about the people in the room during your presentation.
It feels awesome once you can do it.
- It is very hard to do.
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Ask yourself if the current stressor will matter in 5 days, 5 months, or 5 years to gain perspective.
It helps realize the issue is relative and happens to everyone.
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Volunteer to present first to finish quickly, avoid waiting anxiety, and prevent comparisons to earlier speakers.
Practice speaking to progressively larger groups: start with one person, then five, then twenty.
Once you hit twenty, you are okay for bigger groups.
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Volunteer to present first to finish quickly, avoid waiting anxiety, and prevent comparisons to earlier speakers.
Waiting can increase anxiety; presenting first means the audience is fresh and there is no prior performance to compare against, which may lead to higher grades or better employment chances.
- Some argue that waiting allows you to learn from others' mistakes and teacher feedback.
- One person noted they choke if they see someone they know, which might be more likely early on, though this is not explicitly tied to position.
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Accept that being a wreck before going on stage is normal.
Most speakers feel this way.
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Chew gum before or during speaking.
It signals to your body that you are not in a dangerous situation, as you would not eat if you were.
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Learn your topic inside and out before speaking to build confidence in what you are saying.
Deep knowledge of the subject matter leads to confidence on stage.
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If you forget part of your speech, do not worry; the audience does not know what you intended to say.
The audience is unaware of your planned content and will not notice the omission.
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If you feel too nervous to continue, ask the group to write in their journals while you finish paperwork to regain your footing.
It buys time to compose yourself before speaking again.
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Include genuine jokes in your presentation to make people laugh; avoid corny ones.
It is a fast way to fix the problem of tension.
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Take improv theatre or comedy classes to improve spontaneity and stage comfort.
If it clicks, you'll never be the same.
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Listen to high-volume music like 'We Will Rock You' before the speech to get pumped up.
you will get the pump
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Engage the audience by asking questions here and there, whether directed to one person, all, or rhetorical.
This helps build confidence and makes you feel in control.
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Admit when you are unsure about something and promise to find the answer later instead of pretending to know.
Owning up to a lack of knowledge is described as an awesome skill.
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Start a short session by humorously acknowledging a much longer allocated time to get a laugh.
One person used this tactic (e.g., claiming 2 hours for a 10-30 minute talk) to set a relaxed tone.
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Volunteer for public speaking opportunities, especially those you dread, and repeat them until they no longer phase you.
Each time you do it, you will learn a little more about how to control yourself in those situations, and your performance will get a little better each time.
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Plant your feet and avoid pacing to convey authority and appear less nervous.
Pacing looks nervous and weak, while staying still conveys authority and is less distracting.
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Mingle with audience members beforehand to create familiar faces for eye contact.
Having familiar faces helps put you at ease.
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Present fourth or fifth, or immediately after someone who performs poorly, to lower audience expectations and make your strong introduction stand out as a relief.
Expectations are lowered after a poor performance, making people grateful for a change of pace.
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Deliver your presentation as if you are talking to friends.
One person found this approach helpful.
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Volunteer to present second to observe the first speaker's performance and identify common mistakes to avoid.
You gain the benefits of an early slot while gaining insight into what went wrong previously, reducing the risk of flying blind.
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Present second in a sequence to allow time to adjust your content based on the first speaker's performance.
It gets rid of some pressure without leaving you anxiously waiting to go last.
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Walk around the room while presenting if you are nervous.
One person found this was the best tip their communications teacher taught them for managing nervousness.
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Reframe butterflies in your stomach as excitement rather than fear.
You aren't scared, you are excited.
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Pretend to be a professional by walking around, referring to visual aids, and asking and answering questions as you go.
One person reported that doing this eventually helped them become good at presenting.
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Accept that being afraid is a common human experience and that you can still function despite it.
Realizing this truth can open up opportunities once believed unattainable.
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One approach that helped: present without glasses if you have poor vision.
The blurry audience feels less present, which reduces pressure, and they seem amazingly receptive.
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- One approach that helped reduce nervousness: take off your glasses to blur the audience's faces.1
- If you have mild vision issues, try removing your glasses to avoid focusing intensely on individual audience members.1
Imagine the audience is made of adoring fans or rejected contestants from a talent show rather than imagining them naked.
Imagining everyone is naked doesn't work for some; imagining adoring fans or specific celebrities can be better.
- The old remedy of imagining everyone is naked doesn't work for me.
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Focus on carrying yourself well in your most recent interaction to overwrite previous impressions of being quiet or soft-spoken.
People tend to forget earlier awkward moments and remember only your most recent interaction.
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Imagine that you are only wearing underwear while speaking.
One person reported this makes nervousness go away.
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If you are going to be wrong, be completely and unreservedly wrong.
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Ask an easy question after a classmate's awkward presentation to boost their confidence.
The presenter will likely know the answer, providing a confidence boost.
- The presenter might fail to answer the easy question, making the situation more awkward.
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Do not apologize for your work, grammar, or quality before presenting it.
Apologizing sets you up for more scrutiny and devaluation by accentuating flaws rather than strengths.
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Alleviate tension in awkward situations by verbally explaining what is happening to the audience.
Treating the audience like humans encourages them to return the favor.
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Calculate the exact time you will finish speaking to remind yourself that the discomfort is temporary and insignificant.
It makes the event seem insignificant because it will be over by a specific future time.
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If presenting in a foreign language where your delivery is expected to be imperfect, present first.
Audiences expect rougher delivery in this context.
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Push yourself to join social activities even when you feel uncomfortable.
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Never announce that you are nervous before or during your speech.
Announcing nervousness sucks for everyone involved.
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Recognize that extroversion relates only to gaining energy from people, not speaking skill, so introverts can be excellent speakers who simply need alone time to recharge afterward.
Many extroverts dislike public speaking.
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Avoid imagining the audience naked as a technique to reduce intimidation, as it is ineffective for many.
It doesn't work.
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View nervousness as a tool for preparation and focus, and recognize that its intensity decreases with frequent practice.
Nervousness can aid preparation and focus, and becomes less intense with repetition.
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Avoid direct eye contact by looking over people's heads, at the back wall, or at their foreheads or noses.
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Tell yourself the listeners are supportive and hope for your success.
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Over-prepare for presentations to eliminate issues and build confidence.
Confidence comes from preparation.
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Be yourself rather than adopting a different persona while speaking to maintain naturalness.
Adopting a different persona lacks naturalness.
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Reduce intimidation by remembering that everyone has had embarrassing bodily accidents, such as soiling their pants.
Recognizing this shared vulnerability removes the intimidating factor from the audience's opinions.
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Pretend you are an important celebrity during interviews or speeches to gain confidence.
It gives you confidence.
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Follow a humorous icebreaker with a specific detail about your hobbies to find shared interests.
Someone in the room likely has a similar interest.
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Do mock presentations for colleagues who need help; one person found this liberating.
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Take small steps, recognizing that baby steps are still progress.
Remind yourself that most people will forget your speech within two days as they focus on other important life matters.
People move on to other priorities quickly.
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Print your speech and change the text color every 3 or 4 lines.
This helps you quickly locate your place on the page after making eye contact.
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Use index cards with bullet points in a logical sequence instead of writing out your full speech.
This allows for more natural speaking and better flow if you are confident in the material.
- Only useful if you are confident of the material you're speaking on.
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Pause briefly to catch your breath, read notes, or drink water.
It is 100% normal behavior and benefits the presentation.
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Explicitly state that you will read from your notes when emphasizing critical points.
It can help hammer home specific messages.
- This can help or hurt professional perception.
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Focus on why a topic is important to the speaker to find it fascinating.
You will learn something.
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Ask seemingly simple questions to extract useful answers and navigate tricky professional dynamics.
One person found this helpful in their job.
- Based on one person's job experience
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Highlight transition words and key topics in different colors on your notes.
This allows you to glance down quickly and maintain your pace.
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Create bullet points for subtopics, practice orally, and write transition words between topics.
Transition words help you stay on track and project confidence.
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Practice the full speech aloud as if addressing the entire room, including mind-mapping and note-making.
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Take small steps, recognizing that baby steps are still progress.
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Assign a memorable keyword or color to each distinct part of your speech to help you stay on track.
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Choose a topic that genuinely interests you.
Talking about something you genuinely interest works much better.
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Encourage audience members to take notes to promote leaning forward and prevent disengaged postures.
Taking notes keeps hands busy, preventing arm folding or head resting, and encourages leaning forward which signals interest.
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Record yourself practicing public speaking to identify immediate improvements and track progress by rewatching the footage over time.
You will immediately pick up on things you want to change and see how far you have come.
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Join a sports league or group like Toastmasters to get practice making conversation with people.
Getting out there and talking provides the necessary practice for social interaction.
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Join Toastmasters to improve public speaking and interpersonal skills.
It is a public speaking organization that helps build these skills.
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- Join a local Toastmasters club to practice public speaking, networking, and leadership.2
Take improv classes to learn techniques for handling public speaking scenarios and increase tolerance for normal social situations.
Learning to handle being put on the spot increases tolerance for normal social situations and reduces awkwardness.
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Attend an online Toastmasters meeting to connect with others and combat isolation.
Isolation is horrible.
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Practice speaking in low-stakes environments like social settings or Toastmasters to build confidence.
Practice is described as the only effective solution for improvement.
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Use university counseling or private therapy to tackle the underlying sources of fear when speaking publicly.
Professional help transformed my experience; I now handle daily public presentations without difficulty.
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Try coaching children to improve public speaking skills, which may translate well to speaking with adults.
One person found this approach helped them overcome bad public speaking habits.
- This is based on one person's experience; results may vary.
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Enunciate clearly instead of mumbling to make your speech more enjoyable.
Clarity makes the speech much more enjoyable.
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Record yourself speaking to check if your perceived flaws are actually noticeable to others.
You may feel worse about your speech than it actually sounds to others.
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Practice your speech out loud ahead of time to prepare your voice and identify stumbling blocks.
It helps you feel the words in your body cavity and makes it easier to spot word combinations that cause stuttering.
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- Practice your presentation out loud to find and fix the word combinations that trip you up.1
If you realize a mistake later, repeat the correct word naturally within a new sentence rather than stopping to correct it explicitly.
It often leads to relieved faces as people finally understand what you meant, allowing them to move on.
- This approach takes practice to remember and pull off naturally.
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Slow down your speech and stress difficult syllables to avoid messing up words.
Talking too fast can cause stuttering; stressing hard-to-pronounce syllables helps avoid errors.
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Perform vocal warm-ups and physical movements, such as shouting nonsense syllables and jumping, before speaking.
This preps the vocal cords, helps project your voice, and loosens you up.
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- Loudly sing along to your favorite song on your way to a presentation to warm up your voice.1
Write a script for your presentation if necessary, but be aware it may make delivery harder.
A script ensures a better presentation, but deviating from it can cause your mind to go blank.
- Trying to memorize or prepare a script can make a presentation harder because deviating from it increases the likelihood of going blank.
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Speak louder than you think is necessary to reduce jitters and give your voice a specific focus.
Straining your voice slightly by pushing it louder takes away jitters and provides a focal point; being too loud is preferable to being too soft.
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Start speaking slowly with long pauses to control breathing and arrange thoughts while projecting a knowledgeable demeanor.
Starting slow allows you to control breathing and gives the impression of a paused, knowledgeable style while you warm up.
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Focus on remembering the core content rather than reciting words verbatim.
This enables you to speak naturally without needing to recall specific phrasing.
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Spend significant time reviewing material to build 'public speaking muscle memory' rather than memorizing verbatim.
Repeated exposure triggers the next sentence or stanza automatically, similar to recalling alphabet order or song lyrics.
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