Want to speak confidently and keep your audience engaged? It’s possible, but it takes practice. Here are fifteen habits to focus on to improve your speaking skills:
1 Limit Audience Interaction
Instead of constant audience participation, keep it minimal. Asking for a show of hands or group involvement can be distracting and disengaging. Your job is to deliver valuable content, not to entertain them with gimmicks.
2 Command the Stage Like an Actor
Performing is the most overlooked aspect of public speaking. There are so many parts and pieces to completing a speech that must be addressed before during and after speaking that make or break the presentation and your reputation. Why wouldn’t you go into it like it’s a performance? Every presentation you do, whether at a company staff meeting or to a large group of people you’ve only just met, should be treated like the playoffs, win today or go home and end your season early ever wondering what could have been.
Great actors captivate their audiences with energy and passion—so should you. Speak with enthusiasm and conviction. The more you care about your message, the more genuine and convincing you’ll be. success is yours if you’ll ‘perform’ instead of just ‘doing’ the presentation.
3 Be Brief and Clear
Keep your speech structured and to the point. Avoid rambling, losing focus, or going over time. Be concise and stay on track. Remember to perform, no more, no less.
4 Start Strong
Skip the thank-yous and intros. Start by grabbing your audience’s attention:
- Ask a thought-provoking question.
- Tell a quick story to build relevance for your topic.
- Share an engaging anecdote.
- Tell a relevant joke to lighten the mood.
- Use a memorable quote.
- Clearly state your goal: “By the end of this speech, you’ll know how to…”
5 Work on Your Weaknesses
Identify your speaking flaws—nervous pauses, mumbling, or lack of eye contact—and practice to fix them. For example:
- Reduce filler words like “um” or “uh.”
- Practice speaking clearly and breaking up long sentences.
- Make eye contact with the entire audience, not just the front row.
Continue to practice until you are comfortable with your own tendencies. Then you’ll be comfortable no matter what comes out of your mouth during your presentations. This builds confidence.
6 Focus on ‘You,’ Not ‘I’
Don’t make your speech all about you. Engage the audience by speaking directly to them. Instead of endless personal stories, ask questions that involve them, like, “How many of you have faced this challenge?” or say something involving them without asking for their input, “you might be asking yourself, what does that mean? Well, let’s take a closer look.”
7 Avoid Overloading with Statistics
Don’t drown your audience in data. Too many statistics, charts, or slides can overwhelm people. Keep it simple and focus on the key takeaways. Less is more.
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