According to recent statistics, more than 75% of the population experience some level of anxiety when it comes to public speaking. It’s so prevalent that employees miss around seven hours of work annually when tasked to give a presentation. Addressing public speaking anxiety is essential for effective workplace communication and collaboration. Leaders with excellent public speaking skills foster a culture of discussion, creativity, and innovation within their teams.

As with most anxieties, overcoming the fear of public speaking takes practice and persistence. This article lists some of the best confidence boosting activities you can incorporate into your routine to improve your public speaking skills.

How is public speaking a confidence boosting activity?

Public speaking can be terrifying, especially if you’re not used to standing in front of a crowd of people. However, it does have its advantages. It not only challenges you to overcome your doubts, fears, and insecurities, but also showcases your talents, strengths, and passions. It lets you be more comfortable with your voice, authority, and influence in your field.

As with most life skills, confidence comes with practice. The more you speak publicly, the better you’ll manage your nerves and anxiety. The ability to speak clearly under pressure is indispensable in professional situations. Leaders who can articulate a vision, explain complex ideas with ease, and inspire action through their words are those who truly move their teams forward.

Public speaking hones these very skills, transitioning you from someone who can deliver information through a script to become a powerful communicator who inspires and motivates others.

5 Best confidence boosting activities to hone your public speaking skills

Don’t underestimate the power of public speaking. Your ability to captivate and sway an audience sets you apart from a regular employee to a true leader. Here are a few confidence boosting activities to help you become a better public speaker:

Speech recording confidence boosting activities

1.    Speak without using fillers

When I say filler, I mean words such as “um,” “uh,” “like,” “so,” and “you know.” These filler words can detract from the clarity and effectiveness of your speech. For this activity, pick a topic you’re familiar with and record a spontaneous speech about it for at least 30 seconds.

Once you’ve finished your mini-speech, watch the video. Count the number of times you use each filler word to help you identify which one you rely on the most. Train your brain to substitute the filler words with brief pauses. If the pause goes on for too long, replace complicated sentence structures with simpler phrasing. With consistent practice, you should notice a significant reduction in these filler words.

2.    Record yourself speaking

Do it multiple times a day while doing various activities, whether it be washing the dishes, folding the clothes, or making a meal. As you go about your chosen activity, allow your thoughts to flow naturally and speak as you normally would. Don’t worry about formality or structure; the goal is to capture authentic speech patterns. If you can’t think of a topic, narrate what you’re doing, thinking, or feeling out loud. Describe each step of the process in detail, as if you were explaining it to someone else. After each recording session, listen back to your speech.

Pay attention to your tone, clarity, and articulation. Do you speak too quickly or too slowly? Do you enunciate each word properly, or do you mumble or slur your speech? Does your tone of voice convey enthusiasm, confidence, or sincerity? These questions help you identify specific areas for growth and development.

3.    Present at local meetups

Presenting at local meetups is a fantastic way to improve your public speaking skills in a supportive environment. Meetup groups often consist of people with similar interests. This can be less intimidating than presenting in environments where your every word is scrutinized, such as large conferences or corporate settings. Local meetups also have a smaller audience size, allowing you to experiment with different presentation styles and delivery methods without the pressure of a large, critical audience.

Try to attend meetups at least once a week. In-person meetups are more advantageous because they allow you to connect with people face-to-face, but online meetups via Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, etc., work as well if you can’t find any in your area.

4.    Learn from the pros

What better way to learn the ins and outs of public speaking than from the professionals in the industry? There’s a lot to learn from TED talk presenters, industry leaders, actors, educators, and communication experts, from the way they structure their presentations to the way they hold themselves in front of a large audience.

Pay attention to their delivery, body language, vocal variety, and stage presence. What makes their delivery so effective? How do they capture and maintain the audience’s attention? What delivery techniques do they use? Take note of their techniques and strategies, and think of ways to incorporate them into your public speaking arsenal.

Learning new information as a confidence boosting activities

5.    Pretend to be an expert

Choose a topic you don’t know much about and ask your friend to interview you about it as though you’re a well-informed expert. Your answers don’t need to be factual; they just need to sound convincing. This can help you develop the skills to think on your feet, improvise, and speak confidently in the face of an inquisitive audience.

Pay attention to your body language during the faux interview. Maintain good posture, make eye contact, and use gestures to emphasize your points. A confident body language can enhance the credibility of your responses. After the interview, reflect on your performance. Identify areas where you excelled and areas where you can improve. Use this feedback to refine your public speaking skills.

Confidence boosting activities: Wrapping up

Public speaking can be intimidating, but with the tips above, you can become more adept at speaking confidently, thinking quickly, and engaging with others effectively. As always, practice is key. Practice consistently and seek opportunities to speak in front of others whenever possible. Before you know it, you’ll become a master communicator in any setting.

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