No more jitters: Public Speaking with confidence

No more jitters: Public Speaking with confidence
Do you feel nervous about speaking in public? Or worse, avoid it altogether? A pro speaker and trainer shares the secret to embracing public speaking with confidence.

All the great speakers were bad speakers first.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let’s the discover the secret on how to speak in public!

In my last blog post Prep for Successful Public Speaking with 3 Simple Steps, I shared my three step formula for writing and delivering a speech successfully. This is the first stage of learning to be a competent, even great public speaker. You’ve stepped out there in front of a small group, and spoken without losing your confidence. Now, you’re wondering “I know I can get up and speak, but am I good at capturing people’s attention? How can I be better?”  

Let’s start with  “You are already a good speaker!”

How do you know this? If you’ve ever participated in a class or in a learning environment and shared your views, or discussed how you feel about a particular issue, you are a good speaker. All you need to do then, is formalize the skill and develop the ability to speak.

You make the biggest impact when you are confident.

The only thing that stops you from being confident is your own self and your nervousness. How can you overcome this hollow feeling in the pit of your stomach?

The first part of the answer lies in understanding why you would feel this way. The Illusion of Transparency is a well-established phenomenon in psychology which explains this. It’s a tendency for people to think that their mental state is apparent to others or that they are ‘transparent’ to others.

This is nothing but an overestimation and is common for public speakers.

And when combined with the Imposter Syndrome, a persistent feeling that one is really a ‘fraud’ and not capable of presenting in public, it packs a punch.

But don’t worry about it. Instead, follow this mantra below.

Start with – I may not be perfect, but parts of me are pretty awesome!

Being aware of the illusion can improve the quality of your speaking performance, from both the your own perspective and in the eyes of observers.

Overcoming this fear begins with giving yourself a good talking-to. You start by understanding why you feel this way – why the nervousness and where it is stemming from.

Focus with your body first

But knowing this and being able to deal with your physiological responses are two different things. The pounding heart, the stiff muscles, the breathlessness – how to overcome that? Again, focus on understanding that these responses are commonplace and nothing more than your body’s natural reactions, caused by a burst of adrenaline.

Smile, Relax, Speak!

Next, move onto your muscles.

Think of each muscle in your upper body and slowly imagine yourself relaxing that muscle. Spend a minute on each arm, your shoulders, and your neck. Rotate your neck if you can, and also your arms within your shoulder socket. If you’re amongst a group of people and find you cannot do that, then discreetly exercise each finger. Place your hands under the table if you are seated, or in your pocket one by one. Straighten and flex each finger by turn.

The act of focusing on parts of your body will move your mind’s attention away from the cause of nervousness and this will help calm you down.

To manage your pounding heart and breathlessness, inhale deeply. Try and breathe from your diaphragm. Take five deep breaths, and release slowly. Again, if you can’t do that, then take a glass of water and take small sips – no more than 10, before you are due to present. This will help control the anxiety, and also remedy a potential parched throat.

Managing speaking and yourself

Let’s move on now to the delivery aspect of speech. You have a written speech, you’ve set aside the nerves. So how can you deliver it better?

Check out my top five tips to embrace public speaking with confidence.

Begin impact-fully

My previous blog post on public speaking talks about this, but I’m repeating it for a reason. Think of how you can begin your speech so that you create immediate interest with  your audience. You can start with a story or an anecdote, or you can refer to a conversation related to the event you are attending. Maybe ask a question – in an episode of Blue Bloods, Tom Selleck starts a eulogy to a police officer by asking “Where were you on 9/11?” Powerful.

You could start with a joke, but be careful with humor and ensure it is not potentially offensive to anyone. And of course, don’t forget to include your elevator pitch in your opening remarks. You can, If possible, include the elevator pitch in your introduction. As a speaker, this gives you room to expand upon it in your introductory remark.

Also read: Want to perfect your business pitch?

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Manage filler words

It is natural to fall back on words such as ‘and’, ‘therefore’, etc. When there is a gap in what you say, you automatically seek to fill that gap. Well, don’t.

Train yourself to resist the temptation so say these words, or worse, say ‘ah’, or ‘um’. You can do this by asking a friend in the audience to give you feedback on how often you use these words. Give yourself a target to reduce the number next time you speak. With each round, you will get better.

Strategic Pauses

Sometimes, pausing can make a point more effectively than speech. E.g.You ask the question “Do you know how many people turned up at the community soup kitchen this Saturday, after the snowstorm?” Then pause before you give the answer –  you will have created an interest and possibly awareness of the need for funding or volunteering at that soup kitchen. People will be thinking about your answer before you give the answer, and you might have the engagement you are seeking.

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Maintain eye contact

Would you like it if someone were talking to you but would not look at you? An audience is no different. This  article in Forbes stresses the value of looking at your listeners –  “the impact of eye contact is so powerful because it is instinctive and connected with humans’ early survival patterns.”

Studies on student engagement in classrooms have shown how teachers who maintained eye contact had higher student engagement and better scholastic outcomes. Start by looking at a few friendly faces. You can even cheat and place your friends in the audience so you can feel comfortable looking at them when you speak. Once that works, move to looking at faces in different directions. As with everything, the more you do it, the easier it gets.

Body language

Avoid fidgeting, however great the urge may be! Everyone has nervous ‘tells’ – gestures which give away our anxiety. Some touch their hair behind their ears, some sway from one foot to another, yet others might pinch their nose or massage their temple area. The best thing to do is to keep your hands by your side in a natural way or use them occasionally, but don’t overdo the gestures or it will distract the listeners. Practice in front of a mirror and identify what gives you away – once you are conscious of it, it’s easier to control, even if you can’t completely stop doing it.

As the world becomes more connected and yet disparate, the ability to reach out and communicate effectively has a direct impact on individual growth. There is a plethora of advice and training on public speaking but the reality is that time is more and more at a premium. The simple tips above will go a long way in helping you become a more proficient speaker before any kind of audience.

Here’s a last tip – a great piece of advice from Morgan Freeman.

In an interview with Showbiz, he suggests “To improve the sound of your voice, yawn a lot. It relaxes your throat muscles.”

See: Morgan Freeman reveals the secret of his amazing voice

Now, who wouldn’t want to follow an advice from the voice of god.

Never a yawn wasted.

Supreet Bains-Sharma is an award winning public speaker and trainer. With over 20 years’ experience in coaching, mentoring, learning and development, she has delivered training and coaching sessions on Leadership Development, Business coaching, Presentation styles and Public Speaking, Train the Trainer, among many others. 

She is an Advanced Leader Bronze with Toastmasters, and also a Senior Certified Professional with the Society for Human Resource Management. She also serves as VP, Mentorship at her local Toastmasters Club, and believes mentoring to be a key instrument in growth and development.

Supreet has a creative approach to delivering strategies to help individuals and organizations grow their communication skills and is passionate about inspiring others to grow and achieve results. She provides a variety of services through her company, Ark Consulting Services.

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26 Comments
  1. Tanvi Rastogi 7 years ago

    These are some great tips. I was never confident about public speaking but over the years I have gotten better. I will definitely keep this in mind for future.

    ❥ tanvii.com

  2. NAti 7 years ago

    Amazing tips to overcome public speaking fear! I am naturally confident and I have always felt comfortable speaking in public, EXCEPT when I don’t know what to say. Having to speak of a particularly difficult subjet you don’t know practically nothing about in front of hundreds of people is quite stressful! So I suppose a minimum preparation for those occasions is a must.

    • Supreet Bains-Sharma Author

      Yes, NAti, preparation is key and makes all the difference! Thanks for your comment!

  3. Nina 7 years ago

    I’ve never been someone who stressed about public speaking. I just write out a list of notes and go with it. I find it comes easier if I don’t have to read something word for word. I also typically just try to be relatable and smile a lot. At the end of the day, it’s easier if I think of the audience as friends.

    • Supreet Bains-Sharma Author

      You are comfortable presenting in front of people, because you think of them as friends. This is a good tip for other, thanks! #womentogether

  4. nawdeeya 7 years ago

    These are some great tips. While in college, that was the one thing I avoided. At the beginning of my career, I avoided it. Now I more confident, I still have a ways to go. I will definitely say that I am more confident than in the past and I still get jitters from time to time. I find myself keeping my hands busy while talking helps to calm them.

    • Supreet Bains-Sharma Author

      This is a great tip – you are doing what works for you, to manage your nervousness. And this is important …. it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution to nervousness. Each person develops their own techniques to manage them. Thanks!

  5. Esme Sy 7 years ago

    This is great and I think it covers all important points for all beginners and experts alike. I started out with transparency, and little did I know that i was actually looking at people’s eyes unintentionally. It soon developed into the real, conscious thing.

    • Supreet Bains-Sharma Author

      Well said … when one starts improving, it’s not often consciously noticed. Thanks for sharing!

  6. Tiffany Yong 7 years ago

    These tips are really helpful for those who get public speaking jitters. Even though I’m pretty ok speaking in public, I still do get jitters at times…

    • Supreet Bains-Sharma Author

      We all get jitters, Tiffany! It’s about learning to manage them. Thanks for the feedback!

  7. Shubhada Bhide 7 years ago

    These are some great tips to jitters public speaking with confidence. Very timely for me. I needed this so much. Thanks for sharing!!

  8. Alaina Monster 7 years ago

    I think it’s safe to say that public speaking isn’t my strength. But I didn’t notice that these techniques are pretty much the same as the ones I was shown to help control my anxiety. So maybe I could get over my fear of public speaking.

    • Supreet Bains-Sharma Author

      There are some similarities, and yes, you can absolutely get over your fear of public speaking. The first step is a building confidence by speaking as a speaker within a group of friends, and thus building confidence. Baby steps!

  9. Elizabeth O 7 years ago

    These were great tips for people who struggle with public speaking. I think it is something that nobody likes to be honest so its great to have this advice.

  10. empowerandhelp 7 years ago

    Public speaking or stage fear is such a real thing for so many people. And finding that comfort level to get over this fear is just awesomeee

  11. Ching 7 years ago

    I once read somewhere that according to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two; isn’t that amazing? It’s not my favorite thing, but with practice it does get better!

  12. jill 7 years ago

    I always hated public speaking, even in front of a small group of friends in a casual conversation! Thanks for these tips. I did take a public speaking class in college (which I hated of course), but that was so long ago I have forgotten most of it.

    • Supreet Bains-Sharma Author

      Just start, Jill, and before you know it, you won’t hate it. Public speaking as was taught many years ago has changed, it’s more conversational and lively, so don’t worry about having forgotten your college classes. Start with 2-3 friends you are comfortable with, and slowly work your way from there. You’ll do great!

  13. Joanna 7 years ago

    These are great points and advice! I am not a good speaker. I remember how in uni I would avoid as much as I could presenting projects. And if I had no choice, then I would design the presentation so that people pay attention to the visuals rather then me.

    • Supreet Bains-Sharma Author

      Thanks Joanna! It’s natural to deviate towards what comes easier to us. You use that to advantage when presenting, that’s actually a good way to boost your confidence!

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