What’s a trick to speaking more confidently?

17 comments

1. Preparation. Know the subject you’re speaking about. Rehearse what you are going to say. Practice your timing and diction.

2. Speak slowly and methodically.

   If eye contact makes you nervous, look at the person’s forehead if you’re speaking to an individual, or in between people if speaking to a group.

   Also just speak the truth and stick to it. Don’t let someone’s emotional outbursts change your opinion.

3. I ask myself this all the time and although i couldnt really tell you a trick or a tip, I find that when one has some/ a lot of knowledge about something, they tend to talk more confidently about it. I know this is pretty self-evident but it is true. Try it yourself, speak about something you’re knowledgeable in and notice how easy it is to talk about it, thats confidence for you mate :p

4. Talk like you have a hard on and ready to use it.

5. Taking classes and trainings

   I took classes in assertiveness training and public speaking. 20+ years later after taking the classes, they have helped me to speak more confidently with others in all kinds of situations.

6. Find your local Toastmasters group. That’s their entire purpose.

7. finish your sentence in your head before you start speaking

8. Play a character. Don’t necessarily change your verbiage or cadence, but act as if you were somebody else and let “them” talk.

9. take a deep breath when talking from the chest and pronounce your words clearly.

   Note: While it may feel like yelling it’s a bit more controlled than that.

10. Look up an author named Dale Carnegie. He was one of the leading minds on the subject of Social Engineering. He wrote the book How to make Friends and influence people, which is a great place to start and can be found online as free pdf. This book is really old, the stories are going to be as such, but the know how he’s teaching is the best I’ve seen. Personally I’d get it in paper back, with a highlighter pen. It’s cheap and can be found in any library. I found this book in my final year in college and wouldn’t of made it through with out it. The information is so solid I can tell when people have read it talking to them.

    I’m not paid to spread the word of this book, but communication is the key to life. With out it, you’re unarmed.

11. Speak slowly and clearly. If you need time to think, take a pause instead of filler words (like, uh, uhm, etc). Be honest about what you know & don’t know. It’s okay to say “I don’t know enough about that to speak on it, I’m going to look into it” instead of getting nervous and bumbling around your words.

12. Slow your speech down, take pauses and use some light hand gestures.

13. Listen and think before responding. Don’t rush, set your own pace. Remember that no matter what you say not everyone will appreciate it so don’t worry about them.

14. It depends on what the context is, but a good rule of thumb is practice. If you are giving a speech or a presentation you just practice the speech until you’re confident in giving it, if it’s making conversation with people or approaching women you have to practice that too with small candid interactions.

15. Only one thing works. Listen. Remove yourself from the equation and listen to THEM!

16. Rehearse for it. My best presentations have been after saying them to myself for a day or two straight

17. Be stronger. More muscle is more confidence.