How To Build Public Speaking Confidence
Learn how to build public speaking confidence when nerves hit, with one research backed trick and four habits you can start this week.
Most of us spend our study days in silence. Headphones in, notes open, a library that smells faintly of coffee. Then someone asks you to stand up and say a few words, and all that quiet suddenly feels like the wrong preparation. This issue is about how to build public speaking confidence when nerves hit, because speaking well is a skill you can practise like anything else.
When I first started my podcast, during the recording of the first podcast, I froze. Three camera's were rolling, the first capturing my guest and I. The second, and third a direct angle of my guest from both sides. I hit record and clapped to sync the video to Audio, then started the introduction, Three words in I forgot what I was about to say. After three takes, we were back on track
𝗬𝗼𝘂 A𝗿𝗲 I𝗻 V𝗲𝗿𝘆 G𝗼𝗼𝗱 C𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆
In 2012, Karen Kangas Dwyer and Marlina Davidson at the University of Nebraska Omaha surveyed 815 students. Around 60% ticked public speaking as one of their fears, making it the most commonly chosen fear on the list.
You have probably heard that people fear public speaking more than death. That line traces back to a 1973 survey that asked people which fears they had but never asked them to rank those fears. When Dwyer and Davidson did ask for a ranking, death came first. So the fear is extremely common. It is also far more manageable than the internet would have you believe.
𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 I𝘁 S𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀 U𝗽
Public speaking rarely looks like a stage and a microphone. More often it is a presentation at an assessment centre, introducing yourself at a networking event or explaining an idea in a team meeting. Later it becomes walking a client through their options or giving your supervisor a clear update when you are put on the spot.
None of these moments feel like a speech, yet each one shapes how people see you. The good news is that the same habits help in all of them.
𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 I𝘁 E𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
Alison Wood Brooks at Harvard Business School found that most people believe the best way to handle nerves before a performance is to calm down. Across several studies, including one on public speaking, she tested something different. People who reframed their anxiety as excitement felt more excited and performed better than those who tried to calm themselves.
The method was tiny. Saying "I am excited" out loud was enough. Anxiety and excitement feel almost identical in the body, so it is easier to relabel the feeling than to switch it off. A racing heart before you speak is energy looking for somewhere to go.
𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗿 H𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀 T𝗼 S𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 T𝗵𝗶𝘀 W𝗲𝗲𝗸
- Practise out loud. Reading your notes silently feels like rehearsal, but your mouth needs the reps too. Talk to an empty room first, then to a friend.
- Record yourself once. Two minutes on your phone is enough. Listen for filler words and notice whether you speed up when you get nervous.
- Learn your first sentence by heart. Nerves usually peak in the opening seconds. A memorised first line gets you moving before your brain catches up.
- Find small stages. Ask a question in a webinar, summarise a topic for your study group or volunteer to speak first in a seminar. Low stakes practice builds the habit for high stakes moments.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 L𝗮𝘀𝘁 T𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴
Nobody starts out as a natural. The people who sound calm have usually just said the words out loud more times than everyone else. So start small today. Pick something you learned this week, hit record and explain it for two minutes. Before you press the button, say it: I am excited. Remember confidence comes from doing.
