You’d be surprised how many outwardly self-assured, vivacious or poised people you know who find it really hard to speak with confidence. Not only the standing on a stage in front of hundreds of people thing, but even speaking up in important meetings.
So, here are our top 10 tips for speaking with confidence:
1. Know your material
It seems an obvious one, but if you do your research, know your topic inside and out, and prepare well – then you are far more likely to come across as confident and authoritative.
If you’ve ever listened to a presenter who just reads from their slides (or, even worse, from an actual script…), you can’t help but question their credibility.
Knowing your topic well means you don’t need to be scripted, your words will flow much more naturally, and you’re more likely to be able to take questions from the room – a sure-fire way of engaging your audience.
2. Know the context
It may sound like a silly question – but, do you know WHY you’re speaking on a particular topic? Do you know the angle? Do you know who else is speaking – before and/or after you – and what their topic is?
How can you ensure that your presentation complements others, and really hits the mark?
It’s really important when you’re aiming for authority/credibility, that you get the context right. E.g. if you’re asked to introduce yourself – knowing whether you’ve got 30 seconds or 5 minutes is crucial.
Listening hard to others is key – if you can add in a ‘as Doris mentioned earlier…’ you’re helping your audience by pulling things together. And, demonstrating you can think on your feet.
3. Know your audience
Really think hard about who your audience is, and what they want from you:
- Do they want to be entertained? (maybe a group of friends)
- Do they want to learn something? (colleagues, or others in your industry)
- Do they want to be convinced? (a judge or jury… ;-))
To give them what they want, you need to know who they are, and what they’re after. And don’t just tailor your content, think about your delivery too. Could you make it interactive? Simpler? Add humour?
Have you ever heard the same speech or talk twice? Or even the same anecdote? There’s nothing wrong with re-using or recycling content you’ve already written – but to ensure you come across as credible and authoritative, do make sure you’ve tailored it to your audience.
4. You need a beginning, a middle and an end
When you’re reviewing your content – and working out what you want to say – you’ll need to put things into a logical order. Make it a story. And part of your review needs to include checking whether you’ve got:
- A beginning – setting the scene (giving some context) and introducing the characters (you?)
- A middle – the filling, the detail and the evidence
- An end – a summary and conclusion – link back to your beginning if you can, and highlight a key point to remember, or two…
You’re signposting the structure of your presentation as you go, and your audience will want to keep listening to see what happens in the end.
5. Practise out loud
Practising out loud makes it much more real – you can hear how it actually sounds, how the material flows and how well you know your stuff.
I rehearse the beginning and the end more than the rest. My theory is that starting and finishing in a professional polished way ensures impact, but the middle will sound more authentic if it’s less rehearsed.
Find your place to practise out loud – my two favourites are in the shower, and while driving. Both of these mean that I won’t be heard, but also that I can’t use my notes!
If you can – try practising in front of a mirror, or even recording yourself and watching it back.
6. Choose the right outfit
How you look, and what you choose to wear, can be a large factor in how confident you feel. And it can impact your authenticity.
Find out what you can about the event. Is there a dress code? If it’s a bit vague – decide whether you’d rather be over-dressed or under-dressed. Can you check out photos from previous similar events to see what others have worn?
Consider the practicalities – will you be walking, going up/down steps, or standing for a long time? If you’ll be ‘in view’ for a long time, you will need to be relatively comfortable (no one can hold their tummy in for very long!)
But, most importantly, your outfit needs to help you give the right impression. Whether it’s jeans and trainers, or killer heels – if that’s what you feel comfortable in – go for it!
What do you think? What does what you wear say about you? How much time do you dedicate to choosing the right outfit?
7. Timing is everything
This one isn’t about getting there early (but that’s important – see Tip 8 for logistics…).
It is about keeping exactly to time. Not too quick – people will feel short-changed. And, definitely not over-running – people will get irritated and switch-off.
If you’re giving a presentation/speech – time yourself when you practise. Once going slowly, and once going quickly – so you know the time-band you’re working within.
Have two or three extra anecdotes or examples ready in case you’re running ahead of schedule. And know which ones you’ll drop if you need to make up some time.
Your aim should be to finish, calmly, with confidence, at exactly the right time.
8. Remember the logistics
- Check in advance how the room will be set up – and if you can change it if it doesn’t suit your purpose.
- Get there early and set up as early as you can.
- Make sure you have the time in sight while you’re speaking (a clock or your phone) – it will help you to pace yourself
- Do you need post-its or marker pens?
- Take any adapters and extension leads you might need (and your own laptop cable!)
- Take your own HDMI/VGA leads and remote clicker.
- Take a copy of your slides on a USB stick (and a hard copy too).
9. Address your nerves
Be prepared! Preparation = Confidence. Follow tips 1 to 8 to help you prepare.
Can you put the nerves into words? You might trip and fall? Technology might let you down? You might get lost? You’ll go red? Your voice might go wobbly? You’ll get a question you can’t answer?
And, if you can do that, can you try to mitigate the worries? Can you plan for what would happen in those scenarios?
Use your breathing to help you: breathing out slowly will help you to calm down. And, one big fast breath in gives you a boost of energy.
A big smile makes you look, and feel, more confident. Always.
10. Get great feedback
Feedback is essential to help us improve.
Reflection is the feedback we give ourselves – and it’s really useful. Give yourself time to think it through. How did you feel? Did it go to plan? What would you do differently next time?
But feedback from others can be the game-changer. But, it needs to be proper feedback: ‘you were brilliant and no one could tell you were nervous’ might make you feel good, but is unlikely to help you improve. Particularly if you know they’re not being totally truthful.
Find someone who will give you the detail. What bits worked really well – AND WHY? What bits could’ve been better – AND WHY? Someone you trust, who wants to help you to improve.
Ideally, get feedback from a variety of people – and then pick and choose the bits you want to act on. Who do you know who will give you great feedback?
At Tandem, we help support leaders and managers with a safe place to practise and detailed, honest and unbiased feedback.