How to Be Confident When Public Speaking

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Public speaking is an artform. It takes time and practice to master, and it is not easy. But with these three simple practices, you can become a more confident public speaker.

You can become a more confident public speaker are by:

  • Drawing a roadmap
  • Getting off-book
  • Blocking your talk

Draw a Roadmap

First, start by stating why you are the credible expert. Tell us what you’re going to cover, cover it, solve the problem with actionable takeaways, summarize and then move to your call to action. When you start your talk with why you are the credible expert talking today, it can be in story form so you’re not just reciting your biography.

For example, let’s say the keynote is about limiting beliefs – money mindset – you want to say something along the lines of, “I’m super excited to be here today. I’ve spent most of my life being in lack, and it feels so awesome to be up here sharing these stories with you so that you don’t have to waste another day living like I do.

Remember, you’re building a roadmap for your audience, so you want to move into what you’re going to talk about. You can say something like: “Today I’m going to cover money mindset: why we have limiting beliefs, how we can have anything we want, and how to move from scarcity to abundance.” Then, you cover it. This would be when you go into stories, statistics, citing case studies, diving deep into the what-of-money mindset. Next, you’ll want to move into why we are stuck and how we can change it. Your call to action is so important here, and you need to ask the conference organizer if you are able to sell from the stage – or inspire from the stage – or make an ask. If you can, then sell your book, ask for a donation, or inspire people to give to a cause of your choice. And if your call to action is for the audience to implement what they’ve learned so they can live a fuller, richer life of joy, abundance and ease, that’s a pretty amazing call to action, too!

Get Off-Book

The second practice to becoming a more confident public speaker is to get off-books three weeks before the event. That means you are memorized; you no longer have to look at the lines of your script. It takes time to memorize – give yourself at least three solid weeks to do this. It’s no different than bicep curls – it’s all about repetition. You have to keep doing it over and over, and some tricks are to record an audio an audio file of you practicing your talk. We can memorize songs we hear on the radio in a blink – so play this audio file over and over, when you’re working out, driving or even doing the laundry.

When you think you have it memorized, test yourself in front of someone. You will see that you are not memorized and you’ll find areas where you need improvement or further practice. To become a really confident public speaker, you have to push beyond a certain threshold, and once you do, that talk becomes part of your DNA. You are going to free yourself once you finally memorize this talk and get off-book. You’ll open yourself to the freedom of being able to play and improvise, trusting that you own your content.

Block Your Talk

The third and final practice to becoming a more confident speaker is to block your talk. You might be wondering why, but actually, body language and choreography is very important, even if it’s one small step to the side. Being conscious of why you are moving and when you are moving – a beat change, dramatic intention – all of this will elevate your talk to the next level. Once you know why and when you are moving during your speech, you will have more confidence.

We’ve all seen the wanderer, the pacer, the backer-upper, the shifter – unconscious movement is the best way to distract everyone from your big idea. They will be watching you wander around the stage, rather than listening to you inspire them.

Become a more confident public speaker today by being clear on the framework of the content delivery, getting off-book and blocking your talk. These three practices will ensure that you are always confident from a big stage.

Become a More Confident Public Speaker

Tricia Brouk is an award-winning director, writer, producer and public speaking coach. As an expert in the art of public speaking, she knows how to get speakers on big stages. She also hosts The Big Talk, an award-winning motivational speaker podcast on iTunes.

Tricia can give help you become the confident speaker you are meant to be. If you’re looking for a speaker coach who can get you to the next level, reach out to Tricia Brouk today! In the meantime, check out her YouTube page for more public speaking tips and tricks.


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