5 Tips for Confident Public Speaking in English
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:
- 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.
- 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:
-
- Review your presentation or the idea you want to share. Write down a list of possible questions people will ask or opposing viewpoints.
- 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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I’ve been seeing your videos for about a year. You give so much to this community, and I’m incredibly grateful for your life. I do not doubt that this is your calling. All you said in your lessons resume how I feel since I moved to the U.S. It has been a journey full of challenges, but the best part was to find you and use your advice as much as I can in my daily life. I studied architecture in my country. I have days when I feel the courage to follow that path, and I seek job opportunities… Read more »
Unfortunately is not my issue anymore, but I share your points and enjoy the way you say it. Thank you.
My problem with public speaking is that my thoughts are running ahead of the words and sometimes it creates a mess in speach. I try to control the stream of the thinking by making logic and clear notes. But if it is unexpected discussion or question, i fail usually to cotrol it.
What usually makes me feel nervous in speaking is that I have poor english, both vocabulary and grammar. Aside from that, the negative mindset that has in me is what often prevent me from speaking out my ideas and thoughts. The fear that what people might think about me.
I hope this lesson helped you to think of an “I can” statement. That’s a great first step to take.
I have always thought that I can’t speak English naturally like an American but with your encouragement I start to believe that I can do it someday if I keep going on studying English..
You absolutely can, Van Ho! Don’t give up. Sometimes you may need to use new strategies or try something new. But don’t give up. 🙂
Thank you so much Annemarie for your motivation. Your lessons are always helpful to me 🙂
AnneMarie, you have a gift! Your ability to teach and share excellent ideas is outstanding.
I want to thank you for your sensational work!
I’d say that you are more than an English teacher. You are a coach (English life coach). You make us thinking and encourage us to become better every single lesson that you share with us.
Thank you very much for all the lessons (I always recommend your work for friends).
If one day you come to New Zealand, let’s go for a coffee 🙂
Cheers,
Renata Mondego
What a kind comment, Renata. Thank you so much. I’m so happy to know my lessons are helpful to you and I appreciate that you share them. And YES!!! I’d LOVE to get coffee if I visit New Zealand one day. 😍
I liked Annemary lessons.Thak you.
Just the lesson I need.will definitely start with I can .red face sweaty hands.sounds familiar.make me laugh. Its exactely what i experience.and it really keep me behind in my daily job experience.thank you so much
Hi Naomi, you’re not alone. Speaking in front of other people is definitely scary. I hope these strategies will help you to feel more calm! 🙂
Congratulations for your Class. It’s awesome! I understood everything that you said and I agree completely with your tips.
Thank’s so mutch.
See you!
Sorry, replace mutch to much.😊
Hi André,
Awesome! I’m so glad to know that it was helpful to you AND you understood it all. Fantastic progress!