Free Resources to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills

It's common for you to have to present or speak in front of others at some point in your career. It might be suitable for small events, such as a team meeting, or larger events, like company-wide employee gatherings. Or, maybe you’re asked to speak for larger-scale and public events, like a conference.

If you’re like most, it doesn’t matter if you’re presenting in front of five people or 500; you probably still get butterflies, which can sometimes push you to the point of nausea.

Fortunately, with time and practice, you can improve your public speaking skills to help minimize the fear you might currently experience.

What are public speaking skills?

Public speaking skills enable you to present and speak effectively in front of others. They allow you to convey ideas and inform, influence, persuade, and inspire audiences, regardless of size. When you enhance your public speaking skills, you also improve your overall communication. 

Why are public speaking skills important for work?

Even if you don't speak or present in front of others regularly, honing your presentation and speaking skills can help you advance in your career when the moment arises to give an acceptance speech, you have to attend an interview, or when teaching a class. When you possess good public speaking skills, you also tend to be able to effectively communicate in a variety of settings, which is vital to career success.

Public speaking skills are also required when you’re in positions where you need to engage, influence, motivate, or relay insights to others. Communication, public relations, sales, and leadership roles are examples where solid public speaking skills are generally necessary. 

Public speaking skills examples

Several skills are required to be a good public speaker. Here are just a few of them:

• Articulation. Being able to clearly communicate your ideas so they are clear and easily understood is an essential skill when speaking in front of others.

• Voice tone awareness and usage. When you’re speaking in front of others, your tone matters. Knowing when to raise and lower your voice and use inflection is a vital skill to invoke emotion and the response you desire. 

• Strategic non-verbal communication. Understanding non-verbal communication and how you use it is another essential skill for succeeding in public speaking. For example, your posture, how you hold your arms, and how quickly you move are all ways you communicate non-verbally. 

• Using pauses. Though many people are uncomfortable with silence and pauses during conversation, using pauses appropriately is a powerful speaking skill. Well-timed pauses give the audience a moment to do things like digest what you shared, express emotion, or anticipate your next move. 

• Showing confidence. Confidence on stage in your ability to speak and knowing what you’re talking about is a skill that helps you reach people more easily. 

• Reading the room. A good public speaker knows how to read the room. Are people bored, energized, or confused? Reading the room appropriately allows you to shift your presentation when needed.

• Strategic planning. There’s a lot of strategic planning that goes into a speaking gig, from knowing your audience and determining the optimal word count for your content to meeting time requirements and selecting the proper attire.

• Incorporating storytelling. You know those speakers that command a room? They tend to understand the importance of storytelling during their presentations. Good stories draw people in and hold their attention. 

• Presentation skills. Many times, you’ll need to have slides to accompany your speaking event. These come in handy when you have to convey essential stats or images to an audience. You can also use them to offer high-level points to help your audience stay on track during your presentation. 

How to improve public speaking skills

It takes consistent and focused effort to improve your public speaking skills. The good news is that, with the right strategy and level of determination, it is possible to improve your skills and become comfortable – and even enjoy – speaking in front of others. 

Here are some steps you can take to meet your public speaking goals:

• Do a self-evaluation. A great, low-cost way to improve your speaking and presentation skills is to have a friend record you on camera in front of a practice audience, or even doing it solo will work. This will help you to see what your body language says about you, how your voice sounds, the types of expressions you make, and more. 

• Practice. Seek out ways to practice your speaking skills. At many networking events, you're asked to give a quick elevator pitch of what you do, for example, which can be a great way to practice and overcome nerves and fear when speaking in front of people. You also want to practice sufficiently for any upcoming talk or presentation you have scheduled. The more you practice your speaking skills, the better you’ll become. 

• Watch and learn from others. Watching and listening to others is a great way to study and hone your presentation and public speaking skills. Watching TEDTalk videos and attending a TED event is one option. American Rhetoric also offers a lot of free speeches and information. Their online speech bank features more than 5,000 speeches you can listen to for free.

• Learn storytelling. The human brain is accustomed to a particular type of story structure, which includes a beginning, a middle, and an end. To become an excellent speaker, seek out training that teaches you how to share impactful stories with the correct structure. Using the search term “public speaking storytelling” will provide you with a list of options to hone this skill. 

• Use grounding techniques. Even the best speakers have nerves before they get in front of an audience. To help you calm your nerves and focus, identify calming grounding techniques that work for you. Square breathing and taking a brief walk are options. Identify at least two to three strategies that work for you. 

• Ask for feedback. After a presentation or talk, ask for feedback. It can be nerve-racking to hear what others have to say about you, though it’s one of the best ways to identify your strengths and areas for improvement. 

• Take training courses. There are several free and low-cost training courses to help you improve your public speaking and presentation skills. 

• Work with a coach. If you really want to amp up your skills quickly, hiring a speaking coach could be an excellent fit. A coach works with you one-on-one to help you work on your craft while also being a positive support. You can also seek out training through group options or meet-ups. 

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Resources to improve your public speaking skills

There are several free and low-cost resources available to help you improve your speaking skills, like:

• Toastmasters International. Toastmasters has been helping people become better presenters and speakers for years. They also offer a lot of other professional development resources, like free tips – from accepting awards to creating sales pitches – on their Public Speaking Tips page.

• Garr Reynolds. Garr Reynolds is a speaker and best-selling, award-winning author of several publications, including Presentation Zen book, The Naked Presenter, and Presentation Zen Design. His website offers a lot of free presentation tips and information. 

• MindTools. MindTools' career development organization's blog, "Better Public Speaking," offers valuable insights into the importance of presenting and how to improve at it. Their communication skills page also offers a lot of free information on how to be a better communicator, which ties into presenting and public speaking.

• Coursera's University of Washington intro to public speaking course. In Coursera’s Intro to Public Speaking Course, taught by the University of Washington Department of Communications Instructor, Dr. Matt McGarrity, you'll learn everything from speech preparation to mastering impromptu speeches. 

• Ginger Public Speaking. Ginger is a firm that supports individuals in becoming better public speakers. In addition to their low-cost programs and courses, Ginger Public Speaking also offers several free resources you can download.  

• The Accidental Communicator. Dr. Jim Anderson shares his wealth of knowledge on The Accidental Communicator blog to help individuals communicate and speak more effectively. You can also sign up for The Accessidental Communicator's free newsletter.

• Ignite Talks. With a mission of "everyone speaks," Ignite helps people build public speaking skills while having fun through timed speaking events. 

Learn public speaking for career advancement

Presenting and public speaking are highly sought-after skills, yet they are often unpleasant to many. If you're one of those people who struggle to speak in front of others, though you appreciate the need to be able to do so well, use the tips above to support your progress. With some effort and practice, you’ll be speaking like a pro in no time.  

Does your resume effectively highlight your public speaking skills? Submit it for a free resume review to find out!