How to Get 1% Better at Public Speaking Every Day
Liam Sandford
Liam Sandford is a Head of Marketing, public speaking expert, and 2x Best Selling Author including the book Effortless Public Speaking. He helps ambitious professionals and entrepreneurs communicate with impact to get noticed, grow their career, and build their business.
Nobody becomes a great speaker in one leap. The ones who look effortless got there by doing something small and unglamorous over and over, getting a fraction better each day until it added up. Improvement in public speaking is not about perfection, it is about progress, and small daily gains compound into something you can genuinely feel.
You do not need to wait for a big stage or a special opportunity. You can get 1% better each day by building a speaking habit, using the Nano Speech to practise with purpose, and trusting the compounding effect to do its work.
The Power of Compounding and Daily Improvement
Improvement works like compound interest. You might not see a difference day to day, but small progress stacks up. In finance, compound interest grows your money faster because you earn interest on your interest, and skill works the same way.
Learn one technique, apply one piece of feedback, or rehearse one small section of your speech each day, and that learning compounds. What you do today becomes the foundation for tomorrow, and over months that effort multiplies into mastery.
How the Compounding Effect Works for Speakers
Think about learning an instrument. You start with a single chord. The next day you add another, then another, and eventually you are playing whole songs. You did not transform overnight, you compounded small progress into real skill.
Public speaking is no different. Every day you prepare, rehearse or reflect, you strengthen the skill. Even on the days when you cannot see the improvement, you are laying the groundwork for what comes later. The job is to stay consistent and trust the process.
Building the Habit of Daily Speaking Practice
If you want to get better, consistency matters more than intensity. Practising once a month changes nothing. A small daily habit changes everything.
The Nano Speech makes daily practice simple and structured. It has three parts: open, body, close.
Use the Nano Speech Framework to Guide Practice
Each day, run a short speech of about 60 seconds in this shape:
Open: start with a strong hook, a question, a story, or a statement that grabs attention.
Body: share one key idea or lesson with a supporting example.
Close: end with a clear takeaway, a reflection, or a call to action.
Build short daily Nano Speeches and you develop rhythm, structure and confidence. Over time you get sharper at openings that grab attention, points that land cleanly, and closes you plan rather than fumble, which is exactly what you need when you scale a conversation up into a presentation.
Patience, Consistency, and the Reality of Improvement
One of the biggest obstacles to growing as a speaker is our craving for instant results. We live in a world of instant streaming, next day delivery and immediate feedback, and that culture makes steady growth feel painfully slow.
But speaking is a long game. You will not become captivating overnight. The speakers who grow the most are the ones who show up every day, reflect on what worked, and keep improving 1% at a time.
The Compounding Math of Small Gains
In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear points out that if you get just 1% better every day, you end up roughly 37 times better over a year, because each gain builds on the last rather than starting from scratch. Improvement is not a quick win, it is a steady commitment. You may not notice the daily change, but look back after months of deliberate practice and the distance you have covered is obvious.
Personal Development as the Foundation of Growth
Improvement as a speaker starts with understanding yourself. Before you can grow your communication, you need to know who you are, how you learn best, and what drives you.
Get to Know Yourself
Learning about your own personality and preferences helps you grow faster. For example, I worked out that I am an introvert who recharges through quiet time. Once I knew that, I stopped trying to match the energy of extroverted speakers and leaned into preparation, reflection and deliberate delivery instead. Knowing myself helped me manage my time, energy and focus properly.
When you understand your strengths, you can design a practice routine that works with you rather than against you.
Read, Reflect, and Apply
Reading is one of the most powerful ways to grow, but only if you act on what you read. When I read Essentialism by Greg McKeown, I realised I was pouring time into trivial things. I applied the lesson, cut the distractions, and focused on work that mattered.
Do the same with speaking. When you read about a technique, try it. When you watch a great speaker, study how they use pauses, rhythm and storytelling. Then apply it in your next practice session. That loop builds lasting improvement.
Showing Up and Staying Consistent
To get 1% better every day, you have to show up. Some days the motivation will not be there, and that is fine. Rest when you need to, but do not let a break quietly become a new habit.
Regular reps move you forward, and even short sessions count. Rehearse your next presentation, deliver a Nano Speech, or record yourself speaking for a minute. Every small action compounds. Keep showing up and you build discipline and resilience alongside the skill, even when the progress feels invisible.
Measuring Progress Without Pressure
Improvement in speaking is not always measurable day to day. You will not see dramatic results every session, and that is fine. Rather than tracking perfection, track consistency.
Reflect after each practice and ask yourself:
Did I get my message across clearly?
Did I connect emotionally?
Did I build anticipation or curiosity?
Progress is often about awareness. The more intentional you are about your practice, the faster it compounds.
Key Principles for Continuous Speaking Improvement
1. Focus on the Process, Not the Outcome
Growth lives in the daily actions, not just the big moments. Build the habit of practice rather than fixating on the next performance.
2. Build Momentum with Small Wins
Mark the progress, even when it feels small. Every good rehearsal, sharper delivery or new insight adds to your growth.
3. Trust the Compounding Effect
Real improvement takes time. Be patient and consistent, and let the compounding effect do the heavy lifting.
The Power of 1% Daily Improvement
Improving as a speaker is a lifelong process. You do not need to be perfect, you just need to keep improving. Each time you read, practise or reflect, you take a step forward.
It is built on small habits, deliberate practice and patience. Use the Nano Speech to structure your daily practice, show up with intent, and trust that each small effort compounds into a skill you can feel getting easier. Focus on getting 1% better every day, and a year from now you will look back amazed at the distance. For more, work through the Ultimate Guide to Public Speaking.
Frequently Asked Questions About Improving at Public Speaking
How do you get better at public speaking every day?
Make the practice small and constant rather than rare and intense. Run a 60 second Nano Speech each day with a clear open, body and close, apply one piece of feedback, and reflect on how it went. None of it feels dramatic in the moment, but the gains compound, so a year of small daily steps adds up to a change you could never get from the occasional big effort.
Does the 1% better idea really work?
Yes, because of compounding. James Clear's point in Atomic Habits is that 1% a day leaves you many times better over a year, since each small gain builds on the last rather than starting from scratch. You will rarely notice the change on any given day, which is why people give up, but over months of deliberate practice the difference becomes obvious.
How long should you practise public speaking each day?
Not long. A single 60 second Nano Speech is enough to keep the habit alive and the skill compounding, and even recording yourself speaking for a minute counts. Consistency matters more than length, so a short rep every day beats a long session once a month. The point is to show up often, not to grind.
Why does knowing your personality help you improve?
Because it lets you build a routine that works with you instead of against you. When I realised I was an introvert who recharges in quiet, I stopped forcing myself to perform like an extrovert and leaned into preparation and reflection instead. Knowing how you learn and where your energy comes from means you stop copying other people's methods and start using your own strengths.
How do you stay consistent when you cannot see progress?
Track consistency rather than perfection. You will not see dramatic results every session, so judge yourself on showing up and on small reflective questions: did the message land, did I connect, did I build curiosity. Rest when you need to, but do not let a break turn into a habit. The progress is happening even when it is invisible, and looking back over months is where you finally see it.
TL;DR: How to Get 1% Better at Public Speaking Every Day
Great speakers are built through small, consistent actions that compound over time. Daily progress beats chasing perfection, and the skill grows almost without you noticing.
Improve 1% each day: small, deliberate practice adds up to big results over time.
Use the Nano Speech: practise a short, structured speech daily with a clear open, body and close.
Be patient and consistent: real growth comes from steady repetition, not instant results.
Know yourself: build habits that fit your personality and the way you learn, and you grow faster.
Trust the process: every short practice, reflection or small win compounds into lasting improvement.
More From Liam Sandford
Read my book: Effortless Public Speaking. Learn how to speak confidently, reduce stress, and turn public speaking into your competitive advantage. These actionable public speaking tips will help you improve your presentation skills for any audience.
Join the free 5-day email course: Get daily lessons packed with practical strategies to deliver effective presentations and speak confidently. This course is designed to build your public speaking skills step by step. Sign up below: