Ultimate Guide to Public Speaking: Tips to Overcome Fear and Become a Confident Speaker
Table of Contents
- What is Public Speaking?
- The 5 Levels of Public Speaking
- Common Public Speaking Mistakes to Avoid
- The Nano Speech Framework for Public Speaking
- How to Become a Confident Speaker
- How to Calm Your Mind for Public Speaking
- Public Speaking Preparation
- Storytelling in Public Speaking
- How to Craft an Engaging Speech
- Accelerate Your Public Speaking Skills
Public speaking is one of the most common fears worldwide, but mastering speaking can transform your confidence, career and personal growth. Studies show that 75% of the global population have a fear of public speaking. What that means is by getting over your fear you automatically jump into the top 25% of speakers in the world.
With some purposeful practice you can become a great public speaker.
Throughout this ultimate guide to public speaking you will learn how to overcome your fear of public speaking and how to become a confident speaker without throwing yourself in the deep end.
If you find speaking stressful, it’s not your fault. You were taught the wrong things about public speaking in school. Or maybe you have been given well intentioned but unhelpful advice from friends, teachers, and colleagues. Education teaches you to throw yourself in the deep end but that isn’t the best way to become confident at public speaking.
By the end of this guide, you will have obtained the insights required to truly get started on your public speaking journey. If you are a beginner you will get the tools you need to start. If you are a seasoned speaker you will get some tips on how to optimize your public speaking skills. Backed by experience from a 2x Best Selling Author with years of public speaking coaching experience, get ready for a journey that turns what is now a stressful experience into something that you can do effortlessly.
What is Public Speaking? Definitions, Examples, and Everyday Practice
Public Speaking is more than just delivering a speech on stage. It includes any scenario where you communicate clearly to an audience, from boardroom presentations to everyday conversations.
For sure, public speaking can be standing on stage in front of hundreds of people delivering a speech, or delivering a presentation to a board meeting at work. Of course, these are both examples of public speaking, but they both come with a pressure cooker environment. Public speaking doesn’t just happen in pressure cooker environments.
Everyday Public Speaking: How Small Conversations Build Your Skills
You can practice public speaking every day through small, low-pressure interactions, turning ordinary conversations into opportunities to improve your communication skills. In it’s most basic form, public speaking is just a conversation. Every interaction you have is an opportunity to practice your public speaking and all you need is three things:
A clear open to start the conversation
A clear message in the middle
A clear close to end the conversation
This is the structure of a presentation, but it can also be the structure of asking for directions or ordering a coffee. This simple structure is what I call the nano speech, and you can use it to scale up your conversations into relevant practice for public speaking. You are using the skills required to speak in public every day, you just haven’t thought about it like that before. What you consider to be public speaking makes a difference to how often you are able to practice in low pressure environments. This is a shift that makes all the difference to becoming a confident speaker.
Understanding that public speaking doesn’t have to come with pressure attached, and that you do it every day is the first step to becoming confident. It allows you to purposefully practice without high stakes and ensure you deliver at your best every time.
The 5 Levels of Public Speaking: From Fearful to Confident Speaker
Understanding the 5 levels of public speaking can help you identify where you are on your journey from fear and anxiety to confident and competent speaker.
If someone asked you whether you are good at public speaking or not you would probably say no, but it isn’t that clear cut. Public speaking is a journey and it’s important to recognize it isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ activity. There are different levels of comfort and skill involved and depending on where you are in your journey you need different things.
That’s why I created 5 levels of public speaking from someone who avoids speaking altogether to someone who has mastered public speaking.
Level 1: I Won’t Speak in Public: Overcoming Initial Fear
At this level, fear of speaking in front of others prevents most people from even trying, but starting small is the first step towards overcoming public speaking anxiety. The idea of speaking in front of others causes a deep sense of fear and discomfort.
Many people at this stage actively avoid situations where they might be asked to speak. This is a natural starting point for many, and it's important to acknowledge that if you're here, you're not alone. The key to moving forward is to start small. Look for low-pressure opportunities where you can gradually become more comfortable speaking in front of others.
Level 2: I Have a Fear of Public Speaking: Managing Nerves
If you experience nervousness when speaking in public, you are not alone, but learning to manage small speaking tasks gradually builds confidence. This level is where most people start to recognize they hate public speaking.
You may feel nervous, but you can manage small speaking tasks if you really must, like answering questions in a meeting or delivering a presentation for an assignment. It feels like you will always hate public speaking but it becomes more manageable with every speaking experience you have. At this point, it’s helpful to practice your public speaking in everyday conversations, which will help you build out relevant practice outside of a pressure situation.
Level 3: I Can Speak, But It’s stressful: Building Confidence
Even when you can deliver a speech, stress and anxiety can persist, making deliberate practice and preparation essential for improving public speaking skills. At this level, you know you can deliver a speech or presentation but you still feel stressed and uneasy beforehand.
This stage requires a lot of practice and preparation to ensure that your performance goes as smoothly as possible. At this level you should focus on the preparation to start on the bits you are least confident talking about. You should be applying the nano speech to every presentation at this level which will help you build confidence. The more you speak in public, the more success you will build, and that is where confidence comes from.
Level 4: I Am a Confident Speaker: Delivering Presentations with Ease
A confident speaker has practiced enough to communicate clearly, connect with the audience, and deliver presentations without excessive stress. You have practiced enough that speaking in front of an audience doesn’t leave you wanting to back out.
At this point, you are comfortable with your delivery and know that you will deliver at your best every time. You use the nano speech to deliver a clear message and engage your audience without overthinking it. Your confidence comes from repeated, consistent practice, building on the successful previous speeches and presentations you have delivered.
Level 5: I Am a Competent Speaker: Mastering Public Speaking Skills
Competent speakers can adapt their message to any audience, deliver engaging presentations, and use storytelling to make their speeches memorable. Competence in public speaking is where you truly begin to shine. You can adjust your delivery to suit different contexts, from small meetings to large conference keynotes.
Your speeches are consistently well received because you have mastered the nano speech, the ability to read the room, and tailor your message to speak directly to your audience. You are able to embed compelling storytelling into your public speaking which enhances your engagement with the audience and allows you to deliver a message that is remembered long after the event. At this level, public speaking is effortless.
Common Public Speaking Mistakes to Avoid: Unlearning Bad Habits
Many people develop bad public speaking habits that hold them back, but recognizing and correcting these mistakes is key to becoming a confident speaker. Most public speaking advice is unintentionally unhelpful. It is not specific enough and doesn’t meet you where you are at. This is how people fall into bad habits, often without realizing, especially in the work environment. These habits can get in the way of becoming a great speaker. Let’s run through some of the common public speaking mistakes you should be avoiding. Being aware of these pitfalls will help you improve your presentation skills.
Scripting Your Presentation: Why Memorizing Hurts Your Delivery
Relying on a fully scripted presentation can make your delivery sound robotic and increase anxiety if you forget a word. While it may seem like a script gives you a sense of control, it puts all of the pressure on your memory. Even if you have a great memory, in a stressful situation you may not remember everything.
I used to script my presentations, and one time I forgot one word and it derailed everything. It wasn’t the plan to go off book. I couldn’t remember the next word and I couldn’t find a way to get back on track. If I hadn’t scripted but instead used the nano speech, I would have been okay. Scripting can also make you sound robotic, and can ruin your ability to connect with the audience. Instead of memorizing, focus on structuring your message using the nano speech.
Avoid the 10/10/10 Structure: Keep Your Presentations Engaging
Repeating the same content multiple times in the 10/10/10 structure is disengaging, instead you should focus on delivering clear, concise messages instead. The 10/10/10 structure is synonymous with the corporate environment. 10 minutes on the agenda, 10 minutes delivering your message, and 10 minutes conclusion. This is a terrible structure to use.
You may as well make your presentation 10 minutes and deliver it once, but with the 10/10/10 structure you deliver the same information three times in different ways. It’s a waste of everyone’s time and is incredibly disengaging. The only structure you will ever need for public speaking is the nano speech (more detail on this in the next section of this article).
Don’t Hide Behind the Podium: Connect with Your Audience
Standing behind a podium creates a barrier between you and your audience, making it harder to build trust and connection. This can make you appear distant or detached. Instead, step out from behind the podium – you don’t want to appear as if you are hiding from your audience. It will help you build trust with the audience and create a more personal connection with your audience if you are not behind a podium.
Why Opening with a Joke Can Backfire in Public Speaking
Starting your presentation with a joke is risky and can distract from your message if it doesn’t land with the audience. Speaking is easy, but comedy is hard. If your joke lands well, great – you haven’t really gained much because its what you are about to say that is important. If your joke doesn’t land well you have lost your audience before you have even started. Not everyone in the audience will find you funny – trying to make people laugh will add another thing you will need to manage. Honestly the risk isn’t worth it.
Filling Time is a Mistake: Less is More in Presentations
Trying to fill every moment with words often dilutes your message. Concise, focused delivery is more effective. you have been given 15 minutes to deliver your presentation. But if you can deliver the same value in 10 minutes, it’s a waste of time to keep talking for the sake of talking. Rather than trying to fill time, you should be focused on delivering the clearest message you can, and that often means delivering it in less time.
Watching Yourself Back: How to Review Speeches Effectively
Watching recordings of your presentations can be helpful if you know exactly what to focus on, otherwise it can increase self-doubt and anxiety. This is how you get into the cycle of doom – trying to avoid what happened last time. Instead if you are watching yourself back you should know what you are looking for when watching yourself back. Look for the positives, that way you can build on what happened last time rather than trying to avoid it. Only watch yourself back if you know exactly what you are looking to improve on.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Other Speakers: Focus on Your Journey
Comparing yourself to professional speakers can increase stress but focusing on your own progress is the key to improvement. It’s easy to compare yourself to other speakers, but it’s important to remember that everyone’s speaking journey is different. They are great speakers because they have their own stories to tell, the use their personalities and their strengths. What works for one person may not work for you, and vice versa. Comparing to a TEDx speaker isn’t helpful if you are just starting out on your journey – your comparison should be where you used to be, not other people.
PowerPoint is Not Your Prompt: Prepare Your Speech, Not Slides
Relying on PowerPoint slides as your cue can weaken your presentation. PowerPoint is not your presentation. It’s your support act. Most people think their preparation is just putting slides together and this means they don’t spend time crafting their message. This often creates a negative experience for both the speaker and the audience. It’s why people fall back on reading bullet points off a slide even though they know that it is bad practice to do so. It is death by PowerPoint.
Over and Under Practicing: Find the Right Balance for Confidence
Practicing too little or too much can harm your delivery. The right balance builds confidence without being restrained. How much preparation you should do depends on your experience, how well you know the topic, and how comfortable you are with the presentation setting.
There is no one size fits all. Usually, people don’t practice enough, leaving all preparation until the last minute. Others over practice and either become robotic or ruin their confidence as a result. Practicing on the day of your presentation is always a bad idea – if it goes well you gain nothing and you could have delivered it without the last minute practice, if it goes horribly you could ruin your confidence. Over preparing is just as bad a habit as not preparing at all.
Stop Taking Bad Advice: Find Public Speaking Guidance That Works
Not all public speaking advice is helpful. Seeking guidance from experienced coaches ensures your practice builds the confidence you need to deliver at your best. Often people take well intentioned advice from teachers, managers, colleagues, friends and family. Unless those people know exactly what to look for their advice is unhelpful, even if they are trying to help. Typically education and workplaces teach you to put together PowerPoint decks with bullet point slides but this is not helpful if you want to become a great speaker. Advice is not created equal – you need to find it in the right places.
The Nano Speech: A Simple Public Speaking Structure for Presentations and Conversations
The nano speech is a simple framework for public speaking that works in both everyday conversations and formal presentations, helping you communicate with clarity and confidence. Public speaking structures can sometimes feel difficult to use, and very few help you practice in low pressure environments like a conversation. That’s why I created the nano speech, so you can learn to speak well in public without having to stand on stage or deliver a huge presentation. The nano speech is the only structure you will ever need for public speaking if you want to be successful.
What is the Nano Speech Framework for Confident Public Speaking
The nano speech breaks any message into three parts: open, body and close, making public speaking more approachable and structured. You can use the nano speech framework in everyday conversations and in presentations and speeches. It is broken into three parts:
Open: hook the audience with a statistic or story
Body: deliver your main point in 1 sentence. Back it up with examples, data or a story
Close: inspire your audience with a call to action, call for engagement, or call to conversation.
The Nano Speech Framework for Confident Public Speaking
A nano speech can be as little as 10 seconds of speaking, or as much as an hour, making it a framework applicable to conversations and presentations. It is how to structure every talk you have.
How to Use the Nano Speech in Daily Conversations to Build Confidence
Using the nano speech in every day conversations helps you to practice your speaking skills in low pressure environments, building confidence for bigger presentations. You won’t deliver presentations every day so you need a way to build confidence quickly and get comfortable speaking in public.
Using the nano speech you make that practice relevant for when you do have to deliver public speaking in a high pressure environment. The best time to use a nano speech is when you open the conversation because it is just like opening your presentation. You can structure small interactions like ordering coffee or asking for directions. In it’s most basic form, this is what the nano speech could look like:
Open: Hello,
Body: I am trying to find the local supermarket.
Close Do you know where it is?
It’s basic, but when you have a fear of public speaking this is where you need to begin.
How to Use the Nano Speech in Presentations for Maximum Engagement
Using the nano speech in presentations ensures your audience stays engaged, your points are clear, and your delivery is confident. Use the nano speech structure: open, body, close, but not as you have previously done any presentation. The open is not an agenda, instead you should tell the audience a relevant story, why they should care about what you have to say, or what problem you are going to solve for the audience. This is much more engaging than an agenda which gives the audience permission to think about something else.
The body is your main point. You should always be able to deliver your main point in one sentence – if you can’t you are not clear enough yourself, and if you aren’t clear the audience won’t understand it either. The bulk of the body will then back up your main point with data, examples or stories that help make the message memorable.
Your close should be about what you want the audience to do with the information you have provided. It should not be a repeat script of what you have already said. In a work setting you might want to ask for a specific decision on what you have presented, in a training session you might be asking the group to do an activity, or in a speech you might be giving a set of action steps that will help people implement what you have told them. The setting matters in which close you choose, but you can think about them as either calls to action, calls to conversation or calls for engagement.
In a presentation your nano speech will be longer than 10 seconds. A typical presentation nano speech will last 5-10 minutes. If your presentation is longer or you have more than one main point you will begin stacking nano speeches on top of each other with transitions. Rather than closing the structure becomes:
Open, Body, Transition, Body, Transition, Body, Close.
Using the nano speech in a presentation will help you to deliver your key messages as planned, engage your audience, and leave them with the exact feeling you want to give them.
Scaling a Conversation to a Presentation Using the Nano Speech
Start with short conversations using the nano speech and gradually scale to longer presentations to build public speaking skills without creating negative experiences.
‘Start small, scale up’ is the approach you should take. Get comfortable with using the nano speech in short bursts when you open a conversation before you start extending the time you spend speaking. Get comfortable rolling through ‘open, body, close’ in your head.
Once you have done this, change up the scenario you use it in – formal work meetings, social events, calling up to book your hair cut. The nano speech applies in all situations. When you get used to the nano speech across settings you can turn it into autopilot for every time you speak – naturally it will become your ‘go to’.
Once you have scaled into different settings you are ready to start applying it to every presentation you deliver. Remember that the nano speech is designed to be engaging, don’t fall back into the agenda, ramble, and conclusion structure – this is where the hard work really starts paying off. Deliver using one nano speech, and then you can start stacking them together into longer presentations with clear transitions between nano speeches.
The key with this approach is to not get impatient – the transition won’t happen overnight and it isn’t easy, but it is the difference maker in delivering your presentation with clarity every time and getting the outcome you want.
Why Use the Nano Speech? Benefits for Clear, Confident Speaking
The nano speech helps you stay organized, avoid rambling and delver presentations that resonate with your audience. You would use the nano speech to ensure:
You engage the audience with your presentation
You stay on track without rambling or overrunning
You have a clear running order in your head to avoid going on tangents
You have clear ask of the audience at the end, leaving them with a clear next step
You don’t fall into death by PowerPoint
You are the main act, not your slides
You are conversational, not robotic
How to Become a Confident Speaker: Tips, Practice and Mindset
Confidence in public speaking doesn’t come from talent, it comes from practice, preparation and small wins that build momentum. You become a confident speaker with the right type of public speaking practice. This goes against the typical advice people receive to ‘throw yourself in the deep end’ which can break your confidence.
‘I want to be a confident speaker’ is the number 1 ‘want’ that coaching clients come to me with. What people really want is to remove the stress that comes with public speaking, and being able to deliver at their best every single time they have to deliver a presentation. Learning to be confident in public speaking is possible, but it is a journey and it won’t happen overnight. The good news is it is easier than most people think.
Build Public Speaking Confidence Through Repetition and Practice
Repeating public speaking successfully in low pressure situations is the foundation for long term confidence. You can’t become confident without actually speaking in public. It’s the same with learning to drive, learning a musical instrument and just about anything else. You need successful repetitions turning the engine on or playing a note before you can feel confident doing that again. It is then only through repetition and practice of different features of driving, or stringing together a series of notes that you feel confident enough to call yourself a ‘driver’ or a ‘guitar player’.
Confidence is success remembered. The more you successfully speak in public, the more confident you will feel. This is because you find it easy to recall when you previously did public speaking successfully. Just like learning to drive you can’t go from never driving to driving Route 66 in one go, you can’t successfully go from never delivering a presentation to delivering a keynote successfully in front of 10,000 people. It takes time, but it is doable if you are intentional about creating your ‘success remembered’.
Tips for Nervous Public Speakers: Start in Comfortable Scenarios
Starting in familiar and comfortable settings reduces anxiety and creates a safe environment to practice speaking in public. Think about:
Where you are speaking – at home, at work, in a coffee shop
Who you are speaking to – friends, family, a shop assistant
The medium you are speaking in – in person, video call, phone call
Use these bullet points to craft what your most comfortable scenario is and start there with a 10 second nano speech. Nobody knows you are practicing public speaking in this setting which removes any pressure. Starting is the easy part, continuing is the hardest part.
Finding Public Speaking Practice Opportunities (Reps)
Every interaction is an opportunity for public speaking: asking for directions, ordering a coffee, booking a dentist appointment, telling your family about your workday.
You need these simple public speaking reps to build speaking confidence. Every time you open a conversation is a chance to use a nano speech. Not every conversation should be public speaking practice but building reps consistently will help you create the ‘success remembered’ that you need to deliver a presentation at your best every time.
Why You Feel ‘Rusty’ and How to Get Back on Track
If you feel ‘rusty’ when you are speaking in public it’s because you haven’t done it for a long time. This will hurt your confidence. To be your most confident self when public speaking you need to do it often, with relevant recent reps.
If you have an important presentation coming up, you should implement a daily nano speech with a range of shorter and longer nano speeches about different topics. This will help you practice the art of speaking in public before you really need to deliver at your best.
For 2 weeks, a daily nano speech will get you out of your ‘rusty’ phase and build your confidence back up with recent reps. This way, you go into your presentation feeling ready on the topic (from your preparation), and ready from a speaking angle so you give the audience what they require in the best possible way.
Start Small, Scale Up: A Step by Step Confidence Approach
If you want to increase your confidence as a public speaker the worst thing you can do is throw yourself in the deep end. Instead you should start small, where you are comfortable, build successful reps in a comfortable environment, and then start to branch out what is comfortable. Becoming a great speaker is ultimately a simple 3 step process:
Become comfortable
Become confident
Become competent
You will only move up to being confident once you are confident. This is something I spoke about on the 21st Century Expression Podcast with Marty Green that you can watch here:
By starting with low pressure environments where you are comfortable, you remove the likelihood of creating a significant negative experience. You then start building on your successes rather than trying to avoid negative experiences you have previously had. To become confident at anything you should be building, rather than blocking. Starting small before scaling up is the best and quickest way to become confident in public speaking.
How to Calm Your Mind Before and During Public Speaking
Managing stress and anxiety before and during public speaking is critical for delivering a clear, confident presentation. Public speaking can trigger stress, anxiety and a whole host of other emotions. How you manage that massively impacts how you perform when you are speaking in public. It’s a skill that you can learn and implement, even if you find yourself with a racing mind and unable to focus either before or during your presentation.
Why You’re Equipped to Speak in Public: Understanding Your Authority
You are equipped to speak in public because you have knowledge, expertise, or personal experience to share with your audience. There are only four scenarios you can find yourself in for public speaking:
You have learned about a topic and are presenting on it (usually in education)
You are presenting your work on a particular topic
You have been asked to speak on the topic
You have chosen to speak on the topic
In each of these scenarios you have knowledge about what you are speaking about. Either you have just learned about it, other people have chosen you to speak based on your knowledge, or you are comfortable speaking about it. In each of these situations you have authority and something to say. Other people will benefit so you should back yourself. You wouldn’t be in a position to speak on the topic if you knew nothing about it.
How to Calm Nerves Before Public Speaking
Shaping a positive mindset and focusing on the opportunity rather than fear helps calm nerves before public speaking. If you tell yourself that speaking will be stressful, that you can’t do it, or that you will mess up, that will be your exact reality. Now, telling yourself that you can do it and will deliver the best presentation ever, might not result in the best presentation ever because you might not be ready for it, but it gives you a much better starting position. Starting from a negative will always result in a negative outcome. Starting from the positive will give you the best chance.
It isn’t easy, especially if you have had previous negative experiences. When you start from this position, start telling yourself about the opportunity a presentation is to showcase your expertise. This will help you start to build a positive frame of mind, and shape your narrative.
When your heart is racing, your palms get sweaty and your legs get shaky, this is your body preparing you to deliver at your best. It’s nerves for sure, but nerves are not a bad thing. Shape your narrative that your body is preparing you to deliver. This will turn your physiological responses into something you can use to drive forward and speak in public at your best. If you don’t shape your narrative, chances are you will get flustered.
Dealing with the Worst Case Scenario in Public Speaking
Planning for the worst case scenario reduces anxiety and gives you control over potential speaking challenges. ‘What if this happens? What if that happens?’ The chances of your worst case scenario happening are very slim. To deal with your worst case scenarios before your presentation, get some paper and write them down using a table.
In one column, write your worst case scenarios
In another column write down what would actually happen
In the third column, write the impact that it would have both on you and the audience
When you look at this table, the chances are you see that these things aren’t likely to happen. By writing them down you are gaining control over the fear. If you still feel that your fear is likely to happen, put some measures in place to stop them happening. For example, if you fear that you might start sweating because you get hot, don’t wear a jumper. If you fear that you might choke because you forget what you are going to say, have some water close by that you can use to clear your throat. This is a simple strategy, but it works. By gaining control over your worst case scenarios, you give yourself the best chance. If you do encounter your worst case scenario, there are ways you can bounce back from a bad presentation.
People Are Not as Focused on You as You Think
Most audiences are not focusing on every detail, so understanding this can help reduce public speaking anxiety. One of the greatest sources of public speaking anxiety is the feeling that everyone is watching you, judging what you look like, what you are saying, and every little thing that you do. This is not the case.
Think to a time when you were an audience member. You were probably thinking about what you were having for dinner, the traffic on the way home, or planning your next holiday. You were thinking about something other than the presenter, or what is being said. The same is the case for your audience.
The point of this story is not to suggest that nobody is listening, but it is to ease some of the pressure you put on yourself thinking that people are hyper focused on you. They aren’t. You are the centre of your universe and they are the centre of theirs. You can take some pressure off yourself.
How to Calm Your Mind Before a Presentation: Box Breathing Technique
Box breathing is a simple technique to slow your thoughts and focus your mind before public speaking. Calming your mind before a presentation can be done by slowing your thoughts and your breathing. Use the box breathing technique to bring focus to your breath and away from your presentation. The box breathing technique is:
Breathing in for 4 seconds
Holding your breath for 4 seconds
Breathing out for 6 seconds
You can repeat this as many times as you like to slow down your mind racing. Going into your presentation with a calm mind will help you deliver at your best without panicking, rushing or forgetting what you have to say.
How to Calm Your Mind During a Presentation
Taking intentional pauses and controlled breaths during a presentation helps you regain composure and maintain confidence. If you start to panic during your presentation, take a breath and do a shorter version of the box breathing technique:
Breathe in for 2 seconds
Hold for 2 seconds
Breath out for 2 seconds
This 6 seconds will be an intentional pause that you can use to regain your composure. This might also be done through having a drink of water. Essentially, you need a small pause to stop and focus on your breathing before continuing on. Without this your mind will race, your delivery will speed up, and you will increase your chances of making mistakes.
Public Speaking Preparation: Checklist, Tips and Frameworks
Proper preparation is essential to reduce stress and deliver a confident public speaking performance. You can prepare well using my public speaking preparation checklist, which is this simple set of 7 questions:
Are you comfortable with the content?
Are you familiar with the environment?
Do you know your audience or not?
How many times have you spoken on the topic previously?
Do you know the venue? Have you spoken there before?
Are you familiar with the technology you need to use?
How comfortable are you speaking in public?
Speech Preparation Tips: Start with Your Biggest Gaps
Identify your biggest areas of anxiety first, using the public speaking preparation checklist questions above, and rank the questions based on what gives you most public speaking anxiety. Usually people prepare by preparing what is comfortable first and leaving the bits that they actually need to spend time on.
Once you have ranked the checklist questions, work your way down the list starting with what you are most uncomfortable with. This will help you to prepare first using the factors that are your biggest gaps. Closing the biggest gaps first will make the most difference in your preparation for public speaking. This will get you as ready as you possibly can be to deliver your presentation at your best.
PowerPoint is Not Your Prompt: Prepare Your Message Before Slides
For a lot of people, they just prepare slides, and that’s all they do for preparation. But PowerPoint is not your prompt. You should not have notes on screen that will help you. Your slides should be built for the audience, not for you.
Preparing a PowerPoint deck is one thing, preparing an engaging presentation that gets your desired outcome from the audience is another. Start thinking about what your audience want from you and ensuring that your presentation covers that straight away. You need to give your audience a reason to pay attention rather than wait until the end.
Setting Boundaries: How Much Preparation is Enough?
What will you do to prepare, what won’t you do? Not many people will ask themselves this question, but you need to do just enough to be prepared but not too much to overthink which will harm your presentation delivery. What works for one person won’t work for another. At the very least you need to go over everything once. You will probably want to go over the less familiar things more than the pieces you know well.
When it comes to public speaking, boundaries help you because doing more than you need to creates overthinking, overplanning and overdoing. Not doing enough means you aren’t prepared. Boundaries will protect you from overwhelm at the thought of delivering a presentation. Consider what boundaries you need in place, and remember that what others do might not be what works for you.
Public Speaking Preparation Framework (Nano Speech Method)
The nano speech provides a structured framework to organize your presentation narrative and reduce anxiety. The nano speech is a simple structure: open, body, close, that you can use in any public speaking scenario. For each main point you are trying to make, create a 4 bullet point list outlining:
How you will open this point
The main point you will deliver in one sentence
Story/data/example you will use to back up the point
How you will close/transition to the next point
This bullet point structure will help you create a simple guardrail for your presentation that you can run through. Plus, it saves you having PowerPoint decks that have bullet point prompts on.
Delivering What You Promised: Align with Audience Expectations
Meeting audience expectations is the cornerstone of a successful presentation, everything else is a bonus. The audience are there to listen to you for a reason. What is that reason? If you are unclear, you should be able to find this out from a manager or event organiser. This is the most important piece of information you need to prepare for your presentation effectively. If you deliver on what the audience want, you have done well and everything you do in addition is a bonus. If you deliver the bonus material but not what the audience want, they will come away feeling short changed.
The first and last thing you should do in preparation is ensure your material meets what the audience have been promised. This will help keep things on track, as it can be very easy to go off track.
When to Finish Your Presentation Preparation
Finish preparation at least one day before speaking to avoid last minute stress and overthinking. A lot of people try to do one final run through just before delivering the presentation, but this is extremely unhelpful. If it goes well, you gain nothing. If it goes badly, you ruin your confidence and the real thing is likely to be poorly executed.
You should build in practice runs during your preparation schedule, but this should finish at the latest, the day before delivering your presentation. That is the last moment when you can have positive practice impact. It will help you avoid any last minute preparation disasters.
Storytelling in Public Speaking: How to Engage and Inspire Your Audience
Everyone says that telling stories is how you optimise your presentation and speeches. They are right, but what is usually missing is how you do it. Here are some actionable tips on how to tell some great stories, even if you have never told a story in your life.
How to Tell Relatable Stories in Your Presentations
Stories in the movies are often extraordinary. Superheroes, magical moments, grand entrances. But life isn’t like that. Most people love to watch that on screen, but they don’t resonate with it. They don’t see themselves in that story. Instead, stories from everyday moments are often the best. It’s why the lost luggage at the airport story is so powerful, because everyone knows how terrifying that would be and they can see themselves in it.
If you feel like you have no stories to tell, look in everyday moments. If it happens to you, it might just happen to someone else, and that is how you tell the audience their story. And if you talk about their story, you have their attention from start to finish.
‘First and Last’ Storytelling Technique for Memorable Speeches
If you are struggling to come up with stories, think about the first and last time that you did something. Often they are memorable because it was the first, or because it is recent. Everyone remembers the first time they drove a car, how scary it was – it could be a story you add into your presentation if it fits. Use this technique as your story generator.
James Bond Storytelling Technique: Start Big to Grab Attention
Every James Bond movie opens with a bang. It goes big at the start and captures your attention. This is the power of going big right at the start of your presentation with a compelling story that shocks, excites, or intrigues that audience. You do everything possible to get their attention, and you set the scene for the whole presentation. They have to listen, because they might miss a vital piece of information that is central to them understanding the story. Because the open was so compelling, you have their attention.
‘The Senses’ Storytelling Technique: Make Your Stories Come Alive
If you find telling stories hard use the senses:
What did it feel like?
What did it smell like?
What did it taste like?
What did it sound like?
Using the senses you can transform a statement into the audience member imagining themselves in the story. Rather than someone just baking cookies, you could be walking along by a window and smell the warm freshly cooked cinnamon. The senses and descriptions used change the power of the story. This is an easy win if ever you are struggling but want to bring your story to life.
How to Make Your Speech Memorable Using Emotion
There is a famous quote from Carl Buehner that says ‘people don’t remember what you say, but they remember how you made them feel.’ Storytelling is how you make people feel. It is an emotional thing, and it is what makes your presentation or speech memorable.
Think about what emotions you are trying to trigger from your audience because this is what their takeaway will be. Do you want them to feel happy, inspired, feeling the need to change etc. There are so many emotions that you can trigger with storytelling and you can be intentional with it to ensure you leave a long lasting impact.
Talk About the Change: Show Transformation and Results
People love following a journey. From destination A to B. It is why exercise transition posts can sometimes go viral on social media. By telling the story you are showing the audience that they can do it too. If you went from being scared of heights to overcoming that fear and it is relevant in your presentation, tell the story.
If you are asking for budget at work, find a transformational story that shows where organisations were at before and after investing in the thing you need budget for. Showing this change, followed by, ‘and we could have this outcome too’ is one of the most powerful things. It’s showing them rather than just telling them, and with the examples you showcase that there is a roadmap you can follow to get there too.
How to Craft an Engaging Speech That Captivates Any Audience
An engaging speech isn’t about performing, it’s about designing a clear, intentional experience that keeps your audience with you from the first word to the last.
Every great speech has structure, and you should use the nano speech to create rhythm with moments of entertainment, education and reflection for your audience. Your job is to build the rhythm on purpose. Structure and clarity give your audience confidence in you, and your stories and examples will keep their attention for when you deliver your most important messages.
Think of an engaging speech as a design, not luck. You don’t stumble into delivering an engaging speech, you build it.
Start Your Speech with Impact, Without Forcing Laughs
The best way to open your speech is with genuine impact, not with a joke that might not land. Your goal is to earn attention, not laughs. Comedy is hard and by using it you are making your speech harder to execute.
Instead, open with something that instantly signals relevance to the audience. This could be a story, statistic, question, or statement that makes the audience feel, ‘I must pay attention’. Your opening sets the tone for everything else that follows. Show your audience that you respect their time by getting to the point quickly.
The best openings create curiosity and intrigue. They make the audience lean forward, desperate to hear everything else you have to say. Carefully planning your opening with purpose will help you earn audience attention.
Keep Your Speech Moving: The Secret to Maintaining Audience Attention
Momentum matters. When your speech keeps moving, your audience stays energised and engaged without even realizing it.
Momentum isn’t about speed, it’s about progress. Everything you say should either be something new, or building towards something new. You must keep it moving and avoid getting stuck explaining one idea for too long. Once you have made your point, backed it up with your examples, data, evidence, or story, transition to your next point.
Transitions are where your speech is won and lost. Linking between sections of your speech is something people don’t often think about, and it’s why they start rambling. Clearly plan your transitions to successfully keep your speech moving and engage your audience.
Mastering the Attention Game: How to Hold an Audience from Start to Finish
Great speakers know attention isn’t given, it’s earned. You earn it moment by moment, through clarity, storytelling, and making everything about the audience. There are three pillars of attention:
Emotion
Momentum
Action
The more your message connects with an audience, the more you capture attention. You can intentionally build this into your speech by knowing which emotion you will aim to trigger, by keeping the speech moving, and providing the audience with the actions they need to take. This will help take them on a journey in an engaging way.
Build Anticipation in Your Speech to Keep Listeners Hooked
Every great speech builds anticipation, leaving the audience sitting forward in their seat waiting to see what comes next. You do this through effective storytelling.
Anticipation is the bridge between sections of your speech. It give the audience a reason to keep paying attention. When planning your speech, ask yourself, ‘how can I get the audience excited for what’s coming?’ This question works even at the end of your speech when you are aiming to close with impact.
Ask for What You Want, But Do It in the Middle of Your Speech
If you need your audience to take action on something for you, ask in the middle, not the end. That is when attention and trust are at their peak.
Most people wait until the end to ask for what they need. At that point people are packing up, thinking about the traffic, getting ready to ask their question etc. If you need them to give you feedback, give you their information, or do anything for you, do it in the middle. You will have their peak level of attention and they have no excuse not to do what you are asking at that point. This will massively increase your conversions.
Create ‘Eyes Light Up’ Moments to Deepen Audience Connection
The most powerful speeches are built around moments that make your audience’s eyes light up. This is the point when they feel your message, not just hear it.
An ‘Eyes Light Up’ moment is where your audience visibly engages by nodding, smiling, or leaning in. Essentially, you could describe it as their eyes lit up because what you said resonated. These moments happen when your audience sees themselves in your words. They recognize themselves in the story you are telling. At that moment, you are super relatable and it becomes the thing that they want to go and tell their friends and family about. It’s a moment that creates impact long after you have delivered your speech.
Close Your Speech with Intent: Leave a Lasting Impression
A strong close isn’t about just finishing. It’s about finishing with intent, leaving your audience thinking, feeling, or ready to take action.
Most people throw away their closing by saying ‘that’s all I had’ or a variation of it. This undoes all of the hard work you have done with the rest of your speech. You don’t want your speech to fade out, you want it to land with purpose.
Your final words should answer one question: what do you want them to do, believe, or feel next?
The end of your speech is not about ending your talk, it’s about starting the audience carrying your message forward. It’s not really the end, it’s the start of your speeches impact.
Accelerate Your Public Speaking Skills
Learning about public speaking and doing it are two different things. To actually get better, you need to practice public speaking and build successful reps. If you have made it through this ultimate guide, you’re ready to take the next step and start speaking with ease, clarity and authority.
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