How to Speak in Front of an Audience

Identify the reason why you need or want to speak. Perhaps you are required to give a speech or presentation at school or work, or you have been invited to speak on a topic related to your expertise or passion. Keep the reason for speaking in mind while preparing to help you focus on what you need to communicate to the audience or what you hope to achieve with your speech.

• If you're giving a presentation to earn class credit, be sure to review the topics and guidelines carefully to ensure your presentation meets all the necessary requirements.

Understand your audience to tailor the content to their interests. To capture the attention of your listeners, it is crucial to offer information that resonates with them. Whenever possible, try to learn about the age, background, and education level of your audience. You should also be aware of their beliefs, values, and attitudes toward the subject matter to adjust your content in a way that makes your speech more convincing.

• Engage with different audience groups before speaking to understand what matters to them and why they are attending your presentation.
• For instance, when addressing a group of high school students, use simpler, more humorous language; when presenting to soldiers, be more formal.

Keep your objective in mind while preparing your speech. Depending on the situation, you might need to research the topic before you begin writing your speech. Next, create an outline that includes all the key points you want to convey. Provide factual information along with statistics, personal experiences, and possibly a couple of short anecdotes if you think they will be well received. Write out your entire speech in notes to practice.

• Always remember the reason you're discussing this topic, and ensure the entire content focuses on your goal or a call to action.
• The introduction or opening line is vital. Share a story, statistic, or real-world information to engage the audience and encourage further curiosity.
• Present your key points in a logical order so that the audience can follow your argument. Use transitions to guide them to the next point.
• Conclude your speech with a thought-provoking story, fact, or call to action so that the audience continues to reflect after your presentation ends.

Remember the time limit, if any. If you're speaking at an event with a time constraint, make sure you stay within the allotted time. Practice speaking at different speeds and track how long it takes to complete your presentation to consider cutting unnecessary content. In most cases, the shorter, the better!

• Generally, a 5-minute speech will contain about 750 words, while a 20-minute speech typically includes 2,500–3,000 words.

Practice speaking until you no longer need to rely on your notes. It's crucial to be well-prepared when speaking in front of an audience. Although you might begin by reading what you’ve written, the goal is to memorize your speech, or at least the key points, so you don't depend on your notes while presenting.

• Don’t just practice from the opening part of your speech. Try starting from different sections so that you’re familiar with each part. This way, if you lose your place or forget where you are, you’ll know how to start over from another section.
• You can practice speaking in front of a mirror, in your car, while gardening, exercising, cleaning, shopping, or doing any other activity. This will help you memorize your content better and provide more opportunities for practice.

Prepare supporting visuals if you prefer or deem them necessary. Visual aids can help reduce anxiety. Additionally, both you and the audience will find it easier to focus on the visuals. If they are relevant to the topic or event, consider creating a presentation, bringing along props, posters, or sharing images that clarify your main points.

• Remember to have a backup plan in case your equipment fails! Be ready to present without visuals if necessary.

Visit the venue before the event. If you’ve never been to the place where you’ll be speaking, trying to imagine what it looks like can make you anxious. So, get familiar with the venue in advance to ease your nerves, and locate important areas like restrooms and emergency exits.

• This also helps you plan your route and figure out how much time you’ll need to get to the venue on the event day.

Take care of your appearance. A striking appearance can significantly boost your confidence, so spend time perfecting your look before your presentation. Choose an outfit that flatters your figure while remaining appropriate for the event. Consider a haircut or nail care if that helps solidify your self-assurance.

• In most cases, well-fitting trousers and a shirt are a safe choice for presentations. Alternatively, you could wear a suit with a tie or a pencil skirt and blazer. Make sure your clothes are clean and wrinkle-free.

Acknowledge your fear so you can overcome it. Don't feel embarrassed if you are nervous about speaking in front of an audience. Acknowledge that you feel afraid and accept the emotion. You might think to yourself, "My heart is racing, my mind is blank, and I'm feeling anxious." Then, remind yourself that this is a normal response, and the adrenaline hormones causing these symptoms are signs that you care about what you're doing.

• Transform your adrenaline into passion, allowing you to communicate to the audience why what you're saying matters.
• Visualizing your success during the presentation can help you perform better, so take a moment to imagine everything going smoothly.

Let go of the anxiety before you step onto the stage. The adrenaline rush can overwhelm you with nervous energy. Before your presentation, try doing a few jumping jacks, shaking your arms, or dancing to your favorite song. This will help you feel more relaxed and in control as you face your audience.

• Exercising in the morning before your presentation can also help dissipate anxiety and release energy.

Practice deep breathing to stay calm. You've probably heard this advice countless times, but it works: controlled deep breathing can really help you regain composure. Inhale for a count of 4, hold for 4, and then exhale for 4. Repeat this until your heart rate slows down, and you feel more in control.

• Avoid speaking too quickly or breathing erratically, as this can lead to hyperventilation.

Facing the audience directly. Even though you may feel the urge to avoid the gaze of those staring at you, facing the audience and speaking directly to them will make you appear more confident. Stand tall and straighten your posture. You can definitely do this!

Act like you're talking to friends. Thinking about the entire audience and how they will react can make you more anxious. Instead, pretend you're speaking to someone you know and trust. This will help you stay calm and feel more confident.

• Some people even suggest imagining the audience wearing pajamas, but this might make you feel more uncomfortable or nervous. However, if you think it helps ease your anxiety or fear, go ahead and try it.

Speak at a moderate pace. Many people tend to speak quickly when they're nervous or eager to finish the task. However, speaking too fast will make it difficult for the audience to follow. On the other hand, you shouldn’t speak too slowly either, as this may bore the audience or make them feel you’re looking down on them. Aim to speak at the speed you normally use in a conversation.

• Specifically, try to target 190 words per minute during your speech.

Speak loudly and clearly so everyone can hear your message. When presenting to a crowd, it’s important to ensure that the entire audience can understand what you're saying. Speak loudly and clearly with a strong voice. Use a microphone if available. If not, speak louder than you usually do when having a conversation, but avoid shouting.

• Warm up your voice by doing tongue twisters before your presentation. For example, you can repeat 'Lúa nếp là lúa nếp làng. Lúa lên lớp lớp lòng nàng lâng lâng' or 'Buổi trưa ăn bưởi chua'. If you're presenting in English, try saying "Sally sells seashells by the seashore" or "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers".

Engage with the audience through eye contact. If you have friends or family members in the audience, look at them. A nod of encouragement or a smile can reassure you and help you feel more confident. If you don't know anyone, choose a few people in the audience and look at them from time to time. This helps create a stronger connection between you and the audience while you present.

• If you're too scared to make eye contact, focus on a spot on the audience's head. However, avoid looking at the ceiling or down at the floor.

Express your thoughts clearly when speaking. Avoid speaking in a monotone and standing still like a statue. In regular conversations, people relax, use hand gestures, and express emotions through facial expressions. You should do the same when speaking in front of an audience! Show enthusiasm and let the audience know why the topic is important to you through body language and tone of voice.

• Express emotions so the audience can empathize with you. Just make sure you don’t overdo it to the point where you can’t continue speaking. Strike a balance between professionalism and passion.

Pause when necessary. Silence, especially with intent, is not a bad thing. Don’t feel like you have to talk non-stop. If you feel nervous or forget where you left off, take a few seconds to gather your thoughts. Also, if you’re making an important or thought-provoking point, pause to give the audience time to absorb what you just said.

Keep going even if you make a mistake. Using clumsy words or skipping an important point might make you panic. However, remember that everyone makes mistakes, and the audience won’t view your error as a big issue like you might. So, instead of freezing or running off stage, take a deep breath and continue. Don’t focus on your mistake – focus on delivering your message clearly so the audience understands your point.

• No one is perfect, and you shouldn’t expect your presentation to be flawless! Be yourself.

• Join a group like Toastmasters to improve your public speaking skills.
• Participate in speaking activities to learn what makes a great speech and what to avoid.
• Don’t think you have to pretend to be someone else when speaking in public. Let the audience know who you are and why your perspective matters.

• Avoid reading from notes or presentations when possible.
• Don't undermine yourself. Even when things aren't going as planned, it's not the end of the world.