If you feel anxious about speaking in front of others, you’re not alone—most people do. But whether you’re a novice or an expert, there are practical steps you can take to become a more effective public speaker. The following pages offer tools and resources to help you build effective presentation materials—and your confidence in making presentations.

“microphone” by This_is_M is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Below are a few preliminaries.

1. Acknowledge the challenge:  Aside from extroverts, most people dislike the idea of public speaking. For many people, even those who have to speak as part of their job, the mere thought of speaking in front of a crowd can evoke feelings of doom and gloom: furrowed brows, shaking hands, trembling voice, palpitations.

If this sounds like you, you’re not alone. Figures from a range of sources show you’re in good company. Fear of public speaking isn’t a personal failing; it’s a common human response. But that fear can be overcome. One of the most famous voices in the cinema—the voice of Darth Vader—belongs to James Earl Jones, who struggled as a speaker and overcame tremendous personal and social anxieties to “find his voice”^[1]. You can too.

2. Recognize the costs and benefits: acknowledge the personal and professional costs of remaining stuck and not tackling the challenge that speaking before others can pose. A person who has strong technical skills and innovative ideas but struggles to speak confidently in public may find it difficult to contribute and advance in the workplace. Fear of public speaking can:

• Lead people to believe they’re less competent and worthy than they actually are
• Keep people’s ideas from being heard and acted upon
• Thwart advancement and become a glass ceiling in a person’s career

All these negatives stand in sharp contrast to what can be achieved with a strong, persuasive, confident voice. Once you commit to developing your voice as a presenter, you’ll find that speaking up is both liberating and empowering: it not only allows your ideas to be heard, it enables you to accomplish the goals you set. Putting effort into developing your professional speaking skills will pay off in the long run, maximizing your potential as a professional.

3. Commit to learning: Regardless of where you are on the public speaking spectrum, you can develop your skills by learning about and practicing the tips, techniques, and strategies that successful public speakers use to inform, persuade, and even inspire their audiences.