10 Tips for Public Speaking in English

Public speaking can be a daunting task, especially for those learning English. However, mastering this skill is crucial for building confidence and effectively communicating in various situations.

Keep reading for some practical tips and strategies to help you improve your public speaking abilities. 

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Components of Public Speaking

A great speech has a clear purpose, connecting deeply with the audience through relatable content and emotional appeal. It starts with a strong opening that grabs attention, followed by a well-structured flow of ideas that are easy to follow.

Engaging delivery, with confident body language and vocal variety, keeps the audience interested. Authenticity and sincerity build trust, while a memorable conclusion reinforces the main message.

By relating to the audience’s needs or interests, you can ensure your speech is impactful and resonates long after it’s delivered. You can see these components in action in this video:

Now that we know the main components of public speaking, let’s see how to use these to deliver a successful speech.

Tips for Public Speaking in English

1. Thank Your Audience

You should start and end your speech by thanking your audience for their time and attention. Here are some phrases you can begin with:

Thank you all for being here today.

I’m happy to see you all today.

I’m honored that you’re joining me for this presentation.

At the end of your talk, you can use one of these expressions to thank them again before finishing your speech:

Thank you all for your time and attention.

With that, I’ll wrap up my presentation. Thank you for listening.

I’ll end my presentation here. Thank you so much for coming.

2. Engage with the Audience

To keep your audience interested and gauge their understanding, you can ask questions and interact with them in other ways. Here are some phrases to encourage audience interaction during your speech:

Before I move on, does anyone have any questions?

Please feel free to raise your hand if you have a question at any point during my talk.

Raise your hand if you’ve ever experienced something similar.

I’d like to pause now and give you an opportunity to respond.

To keep the audience engaged, you can invite them to ask questions, give feedback and provide comments.

3. Master the Art of Storytelling

If you want to engage your audience, you’ll also need to learn the art of storytelling. Here are the main steps for good storytelling:

• Introduce characters and the problem. Introduce the characters of your story and their problem as soon and as clearly as possible. Let the audience connect with your characters and understand their situation.
• Explain your plan to solve the problem. Telling people about a problem is just the beginning. You need to arm your audience with a plan and show them how such a problem could be solved. By guiding listeners through each step of resolving the issue, you build up momentum and keep them engaged.
• End on a positive note. Most people love fairy tales because their happy endings bring us hope. You want to give the same feeling to your audience. So, you should explain how your plan or the information in your presentation will help achieve a happy ending for your story.

You can also learn a lot by analyzing some great speeches and their story components. You can start with Mahatma Gandhi’s  “Quit India” speech, Winston Churchill’s  “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat” speech or Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

4. Use Visual Aids

If appropriate, use visuals such as slides, charts, photographs or props to help illustrate your points. Visual aids can make your message clearer and reduce the pressure of relying solely on your speech.

Just make sure your visual aids add to your speech and improve your audience’s understanding. If they’re too complicated or your presentation slides have too much text on them, you could end up distracting your audience instead. 

It’s also important that you know what equipment will be available to you when you give your speech. For example, if you want to share a PowerPoint presentation from your laptop, make sure you can connect your laptop to a screen or projector. You might need to bring an adapter. 

5. Use the Right Body Language

You can use your body language to express confidence when you speak in public. Your belief in what you’re saying can be even more evident in the way you hold your body than in your words.

For example, facing the audience with a smile and a straight posture will help you seem confident and friendly, making the audience more likely to listen to and trust your speech. 

As you watch videos of native English speakers giving public speeches, pay particular attention to their posture, hand movements and eye contact. Try to imitate their body language to get a feel for it. You can even record yourself and compare it to the video. 

6. Speak Slowly and Clearly

It’s common to rush through a speech when you’re nervous. That’s why it’s important to practice speaking slowly—even more slowly than you think is necessary, since you’ll likely speed up a bit when it’s time for the real thing.

The rate of standard speech is about 140 to 160 words per minute. You can time yourself while you practice your speech and make sure you’re not going any faster than that, and ideally a bit slower. 

You should also focus on clearly enunciating each word so your audience can understand you. To practice this, it helps to have an English speaker who can listen to your speech and give you feedback on how well they understood you.

7. Incorporate Pauses and Stresses

Pausing at appropriate moments throughout your speech can have a big impression, too. The pauses give your audience time to process your ideas. Sometimes, they can help build up the suspense or release pressure. 

Public speakers, especially comedians, use this technique a lot. In particular, try to pause after key words and critical ideas, during transitions from one segment of your speech to another and after noting something on a chart, graph or other visual.

Word stress is another way to give your speech rhythm and help your audience understand. If you ignore stress or put it in the wrong places, it can distract your audience. Practice your use of pauses and word stress and pay attention to these components as you watch other speeches. 

8. Practice Pronunciation

As you practice for your speech, focus on pronouncing words clearly and correctly. If there’s a particularly tricky word that you keep getting stuck on, you can always replace it with an easier word or phrase that gets the same point across. 

For example, say that you keep getting tongue-tied when trying to say the word “inexplicably.” You can replace it with “oddly” or “strangely.” Giving a speech or presentation doesn’t necessarily mean you need to use big, fancy words.

Make it easier on yourself by using words you feel comfortable saying. If there’s a common sound you find yourself struggling with, you can easily find videos on YouTube or other websites demonstrating how to produce specific sounds correctly. 

9. Use Relaxation Techniques

Public speaking can be nerve-wracking, especially for non-native English speakers. To manage anxiety and stay calm, it’s important to practice relaxation techniques before and during your speech. Here are three techniques you can try:

• Deep breathing exercises: Try inhaling slowly through your nose, holding your breath for a few seconds and then exhaling slowly through your mouth. This helps lower your heart rate and reduces feelings of stress.
• Progressive muscle relaxation: Tense up and then release each muscle group in your body. This can help alleviate physical tension.
• Visualization techniques: Picture yourself delivering a successful speech or presentation in a calm and confident manner. Try to connect with the feeling of pride or relief you’ll feel when you finish a great speech.

By incorporating these relaxation strategies into your routine, you can enter your speech with a clear mind and steady nerves, making it easier to focus on your delivery and connect with your audience.

10. Prepare Thoroughly

By practicing your public speaking, you’ll discover what you struggle the most with, whether it’s maintaining dominant body language, crafting a compelling story or something else. Before going to the public, you should first practice at home. 

Give your presentation as many times as you can at home, in front of the mirror or a camera. Watch yourself in action, or rewatch your speech afterward. It’s best to give your speech from memory rather than reading it outloud, but you can write your main points on note cards if needed. 

If you record your speech, it might be helpful to get feedback from other people, especially native English speakers. They can point out any problems with your pronunciation or word stress and assess your use of body language.

Courses on English Public Speaking

To further hone your public speaking skills, you can take an online course from the comfort of your home. Here are a few good options:

• “Public Speaking for Non-Native English Speakers”
• “Business Presentation Skills for Nonnative English Speakers”
• “Training and Practicing in English Public Speaking”

If you want more public speaking practice, you can join groups like Toastmasters International or public speaking meetups in your area. You’ll meet other people who are enthusiastic about public speaking and willing to help you improve your skills.

You can also use an immersive language learning program like FluentU to get exposed to English used by native speakers in different contexts.

 

Public speaking in English is a great skill to have, but not an easy one to master. However, by learning the techniques in this article, you’ll acquire the tools and gain the confidence for the next time you need to speak before a group of people in English.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)