Introduction

If the very thought of public speaking gets your heart racing, you’re in the right place. Unfortunately, public speaking may be inevitable and something that you’re going to have to face head on. Perhaps you’ve got a work presentation, pitching to investors, or you’re applying for a new and challenging role. Fortunately for you, this article doesn’t just tell you to image that your audience is naked, we’re going to explore how to improve public speaking at home.

Now if you’re going to do it, you may as well do it well. One amazing way to improve public speaking is to practice at home! This is beneficial as it will be within an environment that you’re already comfortable with, and it allows you to go at your own pace. Once you’ve got this nailed, public speaking is an amazing skill to gave in various aspects of life.

The Basics of Public Speaking

To make sure we’re all on the same page, let’s define what public speaking is.

It is interesting to note here that there is not a quantified definition of an ‘audience.’ So whether you’re speaking to one person or one thousand, you can consider all speaking as public speaking. Also, with the shift in working patterns, public speaking is now also delivered virtually.

This form of communication incorporates a variety of aspects besides just speaking, such as:

• Body language: This includes facial expressions to convey emotions, maintaining eye contact, posture, and the avoidance of nervous movements.
• Vocal variety: Examples here include changes in tone to reflect emotion, the power of pauses for emphasis and trying different pitch levels and general pacing to maintain interest.
• Pacing: The avoidance of speaking too quickly or slowly, and general pacing to maintain interest.

These aspects highlight the significance of non-verbal communication. So as we can see, a lot goes into the art of mastering public speaking. Non-verbal cues can often speak louder than words, playing a pivotal role in how a message is received and interpreted by an audience. They are the difference between delivering a good speech and a brilliant speech.

Setting the Stage

Now it’s time to find a dedicated space for practicing to improve public speaking at home. Whatever area you decide on, make sure you remove all possible distractions. These may include devices you aren’t using, clutter and harsh lighting. If possible, find a space where there will be minimal noise invasion from other people in the house or neighbours.

Once your new practice area is ready, you’ll want to set up a system for self assessment. A mirror and/or recording device would be beneficial, as they will provide you with insights into your performance both visually and audibly.

Overcoming Nervousness

Public speaking does not come easy to a lot of us, and it’s for good reason. There are so many common fears around this, including but not limited to:

• Fear of embarrassment
• Anxiety around forgetting key points
• Concerns about stuttering
• Worries about losing audience interest
• Anxiety around imposter syndrome

Understanding how to navigate and manage these emotions is a crucial step toward delivering confident and impactful speech. Whilst these concerns are very common, there are many techniques to overcome these fears:

1. Visualise a positive outcome
2. Rehearse regularly to build more familiarity
3. Shift the focus away from yourself, to the message and the benefit the audience will receive

There are also exercises you can complete to building self confidence. The following exercises encompass both the mental and physical aspects of confidence, such as:

1. Practice power poses (many studies highlight the advantages of these!)
2. Positive self talk to overcome any doubts
3. Develop a strong voice through vocal practices

Luckily, with time and effort, these strategies can be implemented, helping you to improve public speaking at home. Don’t forget to organise time into a new routine to make sure you’re spending enough time here.

Crafting an Engaging Speech

Generally speaking, there is often a basic structure for speeches that you will want to follow:

• Introduction: Craft a compelling hook, state the purpose of the speech, establish a connection with the audience
• Main body: Provide logical sections, ensure a nice flow between sections, support each point with evidence, examples or anecdotes
• Conclusion: Summarise key points, reinstate the main message, end with a powerful and memorable closing statement or call to action.

Create compelling content

To create compelling content within your speech, you need to understand who you are delivering it to. Tailoring your message to match their interests will be well received and knowing their level of experience and knowledge of the topic will be important, as it allows you to adjust the complexity accordingly.

Make sure you have stopped speaking before your audience has stopped listening.

Dorothy Sarnoff

This quote is a powerful one to keep in mind. Delivering a speech to an audience who have effectively closed their ears is what you need to avoid. Including stories or anecdotes into your speech will make your points much more engaging and possibly even relatable to your audience. Show your passion throughout to ensure the audience is actively keeping up.

Importance of a strong opening and closing

Within public speaking, the significance of a well-crafted and impactful opening and closing cannot be overstated enough. These are crucial moments that set the tone for what is to come, and it also has the ability to leave a strong and lasting impression on your audience.

We want to emphasis that taking your time here to get this right will 100% pay off and will be worth the additional effort.

Get Feedback

Whilst this may seem nerve wracking on the surface, constructive feedback on your speech can be invaluable and a really powerful tool for growth. Beyond any initial anxiety, seeking feedback from various sources such as family, friends or a work colleague can provide you will insights you may have missed. External observations may be able to pinpoint areas of strength and also highlight aspects that might benefit from additional refinement.

Similarly, you may also decide to seek out a mentor to really nail this new skill. This would offer you additional, tailored guidance and expertise, whilst also acting as a dedicated support system.

It is really important to be open to feedback and embrace it. Try not to take it personally or as a criticism. View it as a means for improvement, helping you be one step closer to mastering the intricacies of effective communication. Delivering your presentation ahead of time will certainly help you improve public speaking at home, before being centre stage!

Using Technology for Improvement

There are an abundance of online resources out there to help with how to improve public speaking at home.

Similarly, there are tools you may already use that can provide guidance. For example, did you know you can rehearse your speech in real time in PowerPoint? Within this Microsoft application, Speaker Coach helps you prepare your presentation from the comfort of your own home.

As you speak, you’ll get guidance in real time for things like:

• Just reading the slide word for word
• Filler words
• Potentially sensitive phrases

When you’re done, it also gives you a report with a summary that tells you your pace, total time, and other ways you can improve.

You may also consider the following:

• Voice recognition apps: These analyse your voice and provide feedback, similar to Speaker Coach if you do not have PowerPoint
• Online public speaking courses: There have been hundreds of courses designed specifically to enhance public speaking skills. Whilst this may seem daunting, you should find comfort in knowing you’re not the only one feeling uncomfortable!
• Video conferencing platforms: Download an application like Zoom and get familiar with the software, especially if you’re delivering your speech virtually. This is a great way to do as many practice runs as you want. These can be alone or you can even invite someone on for feedback.
• Apps for impromptu speaking: These apps have been created to provide you with random topics or scenarios, improving your ability to think on your feet and improve spontaneous speaking skills. This form of practice may come in handy if there is a Q&A section at the end of your presentation.
• Social media platforms: If receiving feedback from someone you know is just too daunting, you may find ease in gaining feedback from a complete stranger. There are many online forums where you can submit a recording of yourself where you can receive feedback from a wider audience. Whilst it is scary, it would be invaluable.

There are also many one-off virtual events set up specifically for people to practice. This is a brilliant opportunity to test yourself and to get feedback from others. Either way, technology can drastically help in how to improve public speaking at home. If one method doesn’t work, there are plenty of other routes for you to try out.

Conclusion

We’ve all heard of the phrase practice makes perfect, and this particular skill is no exception. Consistency and perseverance are key as this is by no means an easy skill to master. But once you’ve got it, it will be an invaluable skill throughout all aspects of your life. We’re not going to sugar coat it, it is very unlikely that you’ll improve instantly with 10 minutes of effort. Genuine improvement takes time but we promise you it will be worth it.

Hopefully through this article you can see there are may ways to tackle this and to improve your public speaking at home. So it doesn’t matter if the first method you try doesn’t work. Don’t give up.

Think about the end result. Think about how you’re going to feel once you’ve given your presentation. Think about the value your audience is going to gain from you.