Public speaking tips that hold up

These 30 public speaking tips follow the order you will need them: prepare, open, deliver, manage nerves, handle questions, and improve. The idea behind all of them is that a talk is for the listener, so every choice should make it easier for them to follow you.

Skim to the stage you are at. If you are new to the skill, start with the first section and work forward. For the wider path, see our public speaking guide.

How should you prepare a talk?

Prepare by deciding what one thing the audience should remember, then cutting everything that does not serve it.

1. Write your one sentence first

State the main point in one sentence before you open any slides. If you cannot say it plainly, the talk will wander.

2. Know who is listening

Ask who they are, what they already know and what they want from you. A talk for managers and a talk for new hires can use the same facts and need different examples.

3. Cap your points at three

Listeners keep only a few ideas from a talk. Pick three, and make each one easy to say in a sentence.

4. Choose stories over statistics

Use one story per point. A short story about one person is easier to follow than a list of numbers, and you will remember it too.

5. Write for the ear

Use short sentences and everyday words. Read your draft aloud, and change anything that makes you run out of breath or sound like a report.

6. Reduce your notes to cue words

A full script tempts you to read. Keep the opening and closing word for word, and use a few cue words for the middle.

How do you open and close a talk?

Open with something that gives the audience a reason to listen, and close on the point you want them to carry out of the room.

7. Skip the apology

Do not start with “sorry, I am not a natural speaker”. Begin with the point, a question or a short story instead.

8. Memorise your first sentence

You will be most nervous in the first thirty seconds. Knowing the opening cold lets you get moving before your nerves catch up.

9. Tell them where you are going

Say “I will cover three things” and name them. A map helps the audience relax and follow.

10. Use signposts in the middle

Say “the second point” or “here is the problem”. These small phrases keep listeners with you when their attention drifts.

11. End on a decision or an image

Close with what you want people to do, or a picture they can remember. Do not end on “so, yes, that is it” or “any questions”.

12. Stop on time

Finishing a minute early is a gift. Going over is the fastest way to lose goodwill.

What makes delivery work?

Good delivery is mostly pace, pause and eye contact. None of it needs to be theatrical.

13. Slow down more than feels natural

Nervous speakers rush. Aim for a pace that feels slightly too slow, since it usually sounds right to the audience. Read aloud and check your words per minute against a normal conversation.

14. Use pauses instead of fillers

Replace “um” with silence. A pause after a key point gives it weight, and to the audience it sounds confident.

15. Look at one person at a time

Hold eye contact for a full thought, then move on. This turns a room into a series of conversations.

16. Plant your feet

Pacing and swaying distract the audience. Stand still, and move only with purpose, such as stepping toward a new section.

17. Let your hands be natural

Do not hold them rigidly at your sides or memorise gestures. Keep them free and let them move as they would when you explain something to a friend.

18. Vary your voice

Drop your volume or slow down for important lines. A monotone hides even good content.

19. Keep slides sparse

Use one idea per slide and few words. If the audience is reading, they are not listening to you.

How do you handle nerves?

You cannot remove nerves, but you can shrink their effect by preparing the body and the opening.

20. Treat the adrenaline as energy

Your heart is racing because your body is ready. Tell yourself you are excited, and channel it into your voice.

21. Breathe out before you begin

Take one slow breath, with a long exhale. It settles your voice, which is where nerves show first.

22. Arrive early and walk the room

Stand where you will speak and test the microphone and clicker. Familiar space feels less threatening.

23. Rehearse out loud, on your feet

Silent reading feels smoother than it is. Stand up, say it aloud and time it. Do it at least three times before the real thing.

24. Start small

Speak first in a team meeting, then at a small event, then to a larger room. Each success makes the next one easier.

How do you handle Q&A and keep improving?

Treat questions as a chance to clarify, and treat every talk as practice for the next one.

25. Repeat the question

Say it back in your own words. It gives you time to think, and it lets the whole room hear it.

26. Answer in two sentences

Give the answer first and the reason second. Do not wander through everything you know.

27. Say you will follow up

If you do not know, say so and offer to find out. Bluffing is worse than a gap.

28. Record every talk

Even a phone on a table works. Watch it with the sound on, and pick one thing to change next time.

29. Ask for one piece of feedback

Ask a trusted colleague “what is one thing I should do differently?” A single specific answer is more useful than a general “it was good”.

30. Keep a small, steady habit

Speak often and briefly rather than rarely and long. Five minutes of rehearsal a day builds more than one long panic session before a talk.

How can you practise this before it counts?

You can practise a talk without an audience, and you should. Record yourself giving your opening and closing, then watch it back for pace and fillers. Rehearse with a friend who will interrupt with questions. Join a speaking club if you want a live room.

Volo is a mobile app with a feature built for this. Teleprompter has 15 read-aloud scenes of 60 to 75 seconds, including The Office Presentation, The Wedding Toast and The TED Talk. It measures words per minute, filler-word count and longest pause, and adds a coach note.