5 Tips for Confident Public Speaking in English

Oct 16, 2019 | Business Professional English, Public Speaking & Presentations

Public speaking in English — or any language — makes everyone nervous. Even me! Sweaty palms. A racing heart. Stage fright. It’s all there.

And feeling nervous is okay. It’s normal.

But you can also learn to control your anxiety so you’re calm and confident when public speaking in English.

And that’s exactly what I want to help you do.

In today’s lesson, you’ll get my 5 tips for confident public speaking in English.

These are the same strategies I use for myself AND my students.

And the best part? There are some fun strategies like power poses and thinking of fresh bread. 🥖😁

Public speaking in English — how to be calm and confident.

Lesson by Annemarie

Public Speaking in English — 5 Strategies for Confidence

Strategy 1: 

Practice.

You know there is ZERO replacement for practice when preparing for a speech, a lecture, or even sharing your ideas in a business meeting.

But how you practice is also important.

My number one recommendation for confident communication is to record yourself.

Want to find out why? Download my free training on How to Say What You Want in English. I share my step-by-step strategy for how to effectively become confident in speaking.

But what about those clammy hands (or sweaty palms), racing heart, red face, the fear that you’ll forget everything? Public speaking in English makes me so nervous!

Strategy 2: 

Learn to control your anxiety. And here’s how:

 

  1. Breathe. What I really mean is deep breathing. Here’s a helpful way to do it: think of your favorite smell. One of mine is the smell of freshly baked bread. Or maybe it’s a pasta sauce your grandma makes. Or a perfume that reminds you of your mom. Your husband’s cologne. Anything. Think about how you breath when you smell that scent. You breathe deeply, don’t you!?! That’s exactly how you should breath when you want to calm down. It will slow down your heart and help your mind refocus.
  2. And then, let’s talk power poses. If you haven’t heard Amy Cuddy talk about power poses — like how Super Woman Stands — on TED, then you definitely should. Changing your body language can immediately help you feel more calm and in control.

Now, let’s talk about unexpected questions because those are always scary.

Strategy 3:

Anticipate questions.

Unexpected questions definitely increase our anxiety and make us feel nervous before speaking.

What if you don’t understand the question, what if you don’t know the answer?

I’ve got a lesson coming soon that goes more in-depth on this topic but here are my two quick answers:

    1. Review your presentation or the idea you want to share. Write down a list of possible questions people will ask or opposing viewpoints. 
    2. If you don’t understand the question or don’t have the answer available at that moment, don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know but…” In fact, I’ve got a full lesson on better ways to say I don’t know that are perfect for this situation. I recommend watching that video next.

“But I can’t do public speaking in English.”

Strategy 4:

Change ‘I can’t’ to ‘I can.’

Do you say things like:

  • I can’t do a presentation in English.
  • I can’t speak well in English.
  • I’m too nervous to do public speaking in English. I can’t do it.

If yes, then that’s exactly what will happen. What you believe is what will be true.

Instead, use “I can.”

When you say, “I can do a presentation in English” and you begin to believe it, you will automatically find ways to develop your confidence.

Don’t believe me? Try it for a week. You might be surprised.

And if you need to do public speaking in English to grow your career…

Strategy 5: 

Invest in yourself.

If public speaking in English will help you be better at your job, if it will help you achieve your goals, then invest in it!

Your career and your dreams are worth it.

Check out my lesson with my Top 5 Strategies for Speaking Practice in English for ideas.

My challenge for you is a little different this week.

I want you to think of one limiting belief you have. One ‘I can’t’ sentence that you tell yourself.

Change that to an “I can” and repeat it again and again and again and again. Do it every day for a week. 

And see what changes for you. You might be surprised by what becomes possible.

Tell me about your “I can” statement so I can cheer you on. You can share with me in the comment section below.

Have a fantastic Confident English Wednesday!

~ Annemarie

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