10 Tips for Improving Public Speaking Skills: Become a Confident Speaker

Public speaking is an essential skill that can significantly impact your personal and professional life. Whether you are delivering a speech, making a presentation, or speaking in front of a group, honing your public speaking skills will help you convey your message effectively. This article presents ten invaluable tips to help you become a confident speaker.

Understanding Public Speaking

Public speaking involves delivering a message to an audience, and it encompasses various elements including content, delivery, and engagement. Mastering public speaking skills can enhance your communication abilities and boost your confidence. As a speaker, you must be able to connect with your audience, adapt your message accordingly, and deliver it with clarity. Understanding the nuances of public speaking is the first step in improving your overall performance.

The Importance of Public Speaking Skills

Public speaking...

Yes, yes and maybe.

We’ve all experienced it. That cozy safe podium that separates us from the audience. Nice little microphone and what feels like a wall to protect our bodies from THEM (the audience).

We’ve also all experienced the dreary drudgery of trying to pay attention to a speaker who stands behind a podium for an hour and doesn’t move. For us visual learners who can’t learn just by hearing – we lose interest almost immediately.

 On the opposite end, we’ve seen the speaker who acts like they’re on crack rushing to all edges of the stage frantically pacing, moving and causing us in the audience – anxiety.

YES, YOU SHOULD MOVE…but only with a purpose.

 First, get out from behind the podium. I know it’s safe back there. Especially if your pants don’t fit, but it’s a barrier between you and the audience. It’s a physical barrier, visual barrier and emotional barrier. Time to get naked and step out so everyone can see you.

 DON’T MOVE for movement sake. We all “leak” energy....

Update 2024. I have my EXACT sales process I use on, "The Bash" (formerly Gigmasters) available on my on-line course section.

You can find it here: https://app.kajabi.com/admin/offers/2149585513/checkout

**(Update-See Bottom of Post for Update Regarding My Experience With Each Through Covid.)**

I often see questions or threads regarding the validity of two online booking website, “GigMasters” and “GigSalad”. I’ve belonged to both for several years as a speaker and clean comedian and here is my honest experience and advice on investing in either.

The Difference I Found Between the 2 Sites:

GigSalad:

-Easy platform to use

-Most often much lower paying gigs compared to GigMasters

-Most gigs are direct inquiries so you are not competing against other people to be booked

-Easy to target certain areas of the country

-I met REALLY nice people who booked me through this platform that have become dear friends. Not sure why this site draws really personable people, but it does.

If you’ve been keeping an eye out for ways to make you appear better on your videos or virtual presentations, you’ll find this blog eye opening.

 (Two cheesy puns in the first sentence. No eye rolling allowed…)

 If you’ve been eyeing fancy equipment, elaborate editing or plastic surgery - start smaller. Much smaller. Focus on the eyes first.

 Why? Because the eyes don’t lie. On camera everything is amplified significantly. Which means the tiniest eye movement says a lot. Your audience on the other side of the lens can tell if you are uncomfortable, unprepared, or ready to divorce your significant other who just walked into the room.

Here's a Bird's Eye View of 7 Ways to Communicate Better Through Your Eyes On Camera

 1. Keep the Camera at Eye Level

 The camera lens should be equal or slightly higher than your eyes. Why? A few simple reasons, but the gist is it makes you look better.

 When you’re zooming on your laptop placed on your desk, we get to see up your nose, wrinkles o...