Confidence in Public Speaking: 7 Ways to Become a Stronger Speaker
Updated: Aug 17
By Stephanie Bickel
Confidence in public speaking doesn't have to come first.
This surprises many of the leaders I coach. They assume confident speakers walk into the room feeling completely comfortable. Then they compare themselves to that standard and decide they simply aren't natural public speakers.
That's rarely the real issue.
Confidence grows when you know what to do.
You know how to prepare your message. You know how to use your voice. You know what to do with your hands. You know how to connect with the audience. And you've practiced enough that those behaviors start to feel familiar.
That's why I don't want you to work on “being more confident.”
I want you to work on the specific speaking skills that create confidence.
Here are seven places to start.
1. Practice Before the Stakes Are High
Speaking is a physical skill.
You cannot improve it entirely in your head.
Say the words out loud.
Practice your presentation standing up. Record yourself answering an important question. Volunteer to lead part of a meeting. Look for opportunities to speak when the stakes aren't enormous.
The more often you practice, the less unfamiliar speaking becomes.
Don't wait for the annual conference, board meeting, or executive presentation to work on your communication.
Practice every week.
2. Prepare the Message, Not Just the Slides
Preparation is one of the fastest ways to build confidence in public speaking.
But preparation doesn't mean spending six hours formatting PowerPoint slides.
Get clear about the message first.
Ask yourself:
What is my main point?
What does this audience need to know?
What do I want them to understand, decide, or do?
How am I going to begin?
How am I going to end?
Once you know those answers, build the supporting material.
A beautiful deck cannot rescue a message that isn't clear.
Clarity and brevity matter here. Know your message and determine the fewest words you need to communicate it well.
When you're clear about what you want to say, you have much more capacity to focus on the people in front of you.
3. Strengthen Your Vocal Presence
Listen to your voice.
Are you speaking loudly enough?
Are you rushing?
Does your pitch rise when you're nervous?
Do your sentences lose energy at the end?
Are you using pauses?
Your voice communicates confidence before your audience has evaluated every word you're saying.
Practice slowing down.
Take a full breath before an important statement.
Put more volume behind your ideas.
Emphasize the words you want people to remember.
And allow yourself to pause.
Silence often feels much longer to the speaker than it does to the audience.
If articulation and enunciation are getting in your way, work on those skills separately, too. Speaking clearly makes it easier for people to follow your ideas and gives you one less thing to worry about when you're in front of the room.
Related: 10 Ways to Improve Elocution
4. Use Your Body to Support the Message
Your body is communicating while you're speaking.
Start with your posture.
Stand tall. Keep the frame of your body relatively still. Then put purposeful movement into your gestures.
Use your hands to show size, direction, contrast, progress, or emphasis.
Make eye contact.
And pay attention to nervous movement.
Are you rocking?
Pacing?
Playing with a pen?
Looking constantly at your slides?
You don't need to eliminate movement. You need to make your movement intentional.
When your body looks grounded, it can help you feel more grounded, too.
5. Become a Better Listener
Good speakers are good listeners.
This becomes particularly important in meetings, interviews, Q&A sessions, and high-stakes conversations.
Don't spend the entire time someone else is speaking preparing your response.
Listen.
What are they actually asking?
What matters to them?
What aren't they saying?
Then respond to that.
Strong communication isn't simply the ability to deliver a prepared message. It's the ability to adjust based on what's happening in the room.
You don't have to control every moment to be a confident speaker.
You need to be present enough to respond to it.
6. Get Specific Feedback
Feedback like "You need more executive presence" or "Be more engaging" isn't particularly useful by itself.
Ask for specifics.
"What did you notice?"
"Where did I lose you?"
"What would you like to see me do differently?"
You can also coach yourself.
Record a few minutes of yourself speaking.
First, watch without sound. Look at your posture, gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact.
Then listen without watching. Pay attention to your pace, volume, articulation, pauses, and vocal energy.
Choose one thing to work on.
Not ten.
One.
Practice it until it starts becoming a habit. Then move to the next thing.
7. Study Great Speakers
You don't need to copy someone else's speaking style.
But you can learn a tremendous amount by studying what effective speakers do.
Watch a leader you admire.
Don't just listen to the content. Study the communication.
Where do they pause?
How do they use their hands?
What happens to their voice when they reach an important point?
How do they begin?
How do they end?
How do they recover when something unexpected happens?
How do they make the audience feel involved?
Choose one behavior and experiment with it yourself.
Over time, you'll discover what works naturally for you.
How to Build Confidence in Public Speaking Through Practice
If you're waiting to feel completely confident before you speak, you may be waiting a long time.
Confidence often follows preparation and practice.
Know your material.
Know your opening.
Know your closing.
Practice out loud.
Warm up your voice.
Get your body grounded.
Then stop thinking about yourself.
Focus on the audience.
What do they need from you?
What can you help them understand?
What problem are you there to solve?
This is one of the most useful mindset shifts you can make.
When all of your attention is on:
"How do I look?"
"Do I sound nervous?"
"What do they think of me?"
you have very little attention left for the audience.
Put your attention back where it belongs.
On them.
Why Public Speaking Confidence Matters for Leaders
As your career progresses, more of your work happens through communication.
You need to articulate a vision.
Present recommendations.
Lead meetings.
Handle questions.
Give feedback.
Influence people you don't manage.
Explain complicated ideas.
Navigate disagreement.
Inspire action.
And "public speaking" doesn't always mean standing on a stage in front of hundreds of people.
Your executive update is public speaking.
Your team meeting is public speaking.
Your client presentation is public speaking.
Your board presentation certainly is.
Every one of those moments gives you an opportunity to practice.
Start With One Speaking Skill
Don't try to become a completely different speaker tomorrow.
Choose one thing.
Maybe you need to slow down.
Maybe you need to speak louder.
Maybe your opening needs work.
Maybe you're putting too much information on your slides.
Maybe you need to make better eye contact.
Maybe you need to stop apologizing for being nervous and focus on the message instead.
Pick one behavior and practice it until you don't have to think so hard about doing it.
Then choose another.
That's how you build confidence in public speaking.
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Continue Improving Your Leadership Communication
Your voice is only one part of becoming a more impactful communicator. The strongest leaders know how to use their voice, structure their message, tell compelling stories, and communicate with confidence in high-stakes moments.
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