I felt chills running down my spine as I approached the stage. I heard the crowd cheering with excitement. But, deep down, I was overwhelmed with anxiety.

I thought of heading back to my seat—It was too late… Happiness, the stage is all yours, my coordinator said as he handed me the pic.

Guess what?

I delivered one of my best project presentation speeches that very day, because I’ve been honing my public speaking skills before that day. 

And the nervousness— I had to deal with it over time (maybe just a little, it’s ok to be nervous even on your 50th speech)

So, get comfortable as I walk you through my expert public speaking skills that give you the confidence you need for your next speech.

What are Public Speaking Skills?

Public speaking skills are soft skills and tactics used in communicating ideas, thoughts and messages to a group of people in a clear and engaging manner. 

It’s beyond words, but Includes your tone, body language, organization, and ability to carry your audience along.

Learning the art of public speaking skills comes with both personal and professional benefits:

• Builds your self confidence and self-esteem
• Makes you an active team player
• Improves your effective communication skills
• Develops your critical thinking and organizational skills
• Enhances your leadership qualities
• Boost your networking abilities
• Enhances your career goals

15 Proven Ways to Develop Public Speaking Skills

Here are ways to kickstart your public speaking journey:

1. Know Your Audience 

It all begins from knowing who your target audience is.

Are you planning to speak to students, entrepreneurs, women, or business partners?

This serves as a guide, in tailoring your speech to fit their needs. 

In fact, your choice of words, and approach are greatly influenced by your audience. So, get to know your audience ahead of time. 

Remember, no public speaking is complete without an audience to speak to!

2. Research About Your Topic

In the words of Oprah Winfrey, “The key to successful public speaking is authenticity.” 

I’ll add that authenticity is built on solid research. 

No great speech was delivered out of the blues—It took thorough research to get a message that adds value to the audience. 

You gain confidence to speak, when your facts and content are accurates. 

For instance, when planning a public lecture for your team on the topic, “how to achieve their long term goals,” you would need a clear understanding of what that topic entails. 

This prior knowledge equips you for answering possible questions that could arise during or after your presentation. 

3. Structure Your Speech

Next, structuring your speech is one of the key steps to enhancing your public speaking skills—use a clear beginning, middle and ending in your speech outline.

These pre-steps guide you in staying on track when delivering your speech. 

In other words, a well structured outline tells what points are to be covered and reminds you which you haven’t discussed.

4. Master Non-Verbal Communication

Effective public speaking skills result from the interplay of verbal and non-verbal communication. 

Words are powerful in communication, but not all messages are best communicated via words. 

Non-verbal expressions such as the audience nodding while you speak indicates they are following your discussion. Whereas, a frown gesture on their faces signals that they are in disagreement with your topic. 

This further guides you in understanding how to progress further or take a break by opening the floor for questions and discussion. 

Also, your non-verbal communication as a speaker also matters— uncoordinated body movement can distract your listeners. 

5. Control Your Voice

Public speaking skills involve controlling your voice—tone, pitch and pace. 

When you use a welcoming and calm tone, your audience would feel more respected to listen.Whereas, a harsh tone might leave you with an empty hall before you finish your speech.

Similarly, don’t speak too low that your audience can’t hear you clearly and don’t sound too high to blow off their ear drums—just be audible!

I advise you to pace your speech appropriately. Speaking too quickly indicates anxiety and your audience might not get your message. 

Also, don’t speak too slowly that your audience thinks you’re telling a bedtime story and doze off—strike a balance and pace accordingly. 

6. Engage With Your  Audience

The goal of public speaking skills is to pass across value to the listener. 

This is best achieved when you carry your listeners along by engaging them—don’t be the only one speaking in the room, create space for others to participate. 

Get the conversation interactive by asking open-ended questions that invite your listeners into the conversation. 

In fact, the more a listener has to say about a topic shows that you weren’t just making noises—but he was attentively following and what you said was well understood. 

7.  Adopt Relaxation Techniques

At the start, I mentioned that I do get nervous even with some of my recent public speaking events. 

But, it doesn’t stop there, I have been able to gain control over this by adopting relaxation techniques. 

According to National Institute of Mental Health, 75% of people experience glossophobia (fear of public speaking)

In contrast, relaxation techniques like breathing exercise calms the nerves and gets you in the right frame of mind for your speech. 

Before your next big speech, take a deep breath in and exhale, repeat until you feel calm on the inside—this works pretty well.

8. Use Visual Aids

You might be wondering, are visual illustrations helpful for public speaking skills?

I’ll tell you, yes!

Humans relate more with visual messages and remember them easily. 

Visual aids like slideshows, imagery, and short video clips make your speech more interactive and engaging. 

This approach enables your listeners to get a practical view of what has been explained. 

9. Practice Regularly

The saying “practice makes perfect” holds true even in learning public speaking skills. 

Devote your time to regularly practicing before you mount on the stage. 

Spending time in rehearsal improves your public speaking skills. This gives you the opportunity to correct and perfect areas you might be lagging behind.

10. Record Yourself

This might not apply to you, if you’re okay with your practice.

Even at that, I recommend you record yourself while at practice. 

Imagine yourself on the stage and all eyes on you while you record. 

Recording does two things for you:

• Shows you how you compose yourself while on stage

• And gives you the confidence to stand before the camera

While you playback your records, take note of your body language, voice and non-verbal expressions. 

11. Leverage Apps

Technology has made it easier to learn public speaking skills.

There are tools that help in tracking your speech pace, tone and volume and give you feedback. 

Others help in reducing filler words and offering you practical exercise.

These public speaking tools include SpeakPipe, Orai, Speechify and LikeSo.

12. Join a Public Speaking Class

Public speaking classes are steps to hone your skills by learning from professional tutors.

These classes connect you to practical and guidelines to begin your public speaking journey. 

In fact, you get to interact with other students like you and learn from different perspectives. 

Not to worry, I have put together top public speaking classes in a single guide all for you. 

13. Learn From The Best

You want to be the best at public speaking? 

If yes, devote time to learn from the best public speakers.

Study speeches from successful speakers like John C. Maxwell, Oprah Winfrey, Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy and others. 

Take notes of the needful—their introduction, stage composure and outfit are all important.

14. Welcome Constructive Criticism

Every speech is an opportunity for you to grow, learn, and improve.

That said, be open to constructive criticism about your public speaking approach. 

Don’t get offended nor should you feel discouraged. Instead, learn from those criticisms and grow your public speaking skills to become a pro. 

Always remember that feedback helps you improve!

15. Start Small and Grow

Are you looking to become a pro public speaker?

If yes, I advise you to start small and grow. 

It takes years of practice for those experts you admire to grow into famous public speakers.

Feel free to start small with a few groups of persons—stay at it and don’t be in a haste, someday, you too will climb that height of expertise. 

Final Thoughts on Public Speaking Skills

Nobody was born with inherent public speaking skills as we have discussed in this guide. 

In contrast, it was learned and improved upon through the process of time. 

Remember, public speaking is a skill that can be developed with practice and persistence.

Hence, you can become a pro public speaker by practicing and staying consistent with my recommended ways to develop public speaking skills.

What are your challenges with public speaking and how did you handle it? Do let me know in the comment section.

Frequently Asked Questions