Three Easy Confidence Boosters for Speechmakers

Three Easy Confidence Boosters for Speechmakers

Big rooms, bright lights, senior stakeholders, and that familiar inner voice whispering: Don’t mess this up. 

If you’ve ever felt your confidence wobble before a speech, you’re not alone. The good news? Confidence isn’t something you either “have” or “don’t have” — it’s something you can create on demand.

“Confidence is not belief in self; confidence is willingness to try” Mel Robbins, speaker, author, podcaster

One of the fastest routes to confidence when speaking aloud comes from an unexpected place: gentle improvisation techniques.

Not comedy. Not being loud. Not showing off (and definitely not worrying about whether people will find you funny). Just simple improv principles that help you stay calm, present, and credible when the pressure’s on.

Here are three easy confidence boosts you can use when you have to give a talk...

I realised suddenly how far I’d come as a coach when I received this great piece of feedback: “Thanks for the session! I was nearly hoarse from all the talking!”

This is exactly how effortless coaching can sometimes be: being present, listening so deeply that you ask all the right questions and firmly putting your ego to one side so as to make space for the person who needs it.

It’s when you apply the same principles to a speech - of making space and being a guide rather than a performer - that you’ll find yourself less nervous and more grounded. Can you put yourself to one side to help them? Suddenly, confidence is less elusive. You stop making it about you. Next time you have to share something, no matter how small, try these three steps:

1. Exhale fully! It signals safety to your nervous system. Do this a few times until you feel calm, and confidence will follow naturally, as your parasympathetic nervous system kicks in.

2. Slow down your pace of thought and of speech by 10 percent. It immediately makes you appear more thoughtful and less stressed, as you feel your brain respond to the messaging: you are safe. You seem confidence, making everyone more relaxed... including you.

3. Say these words out loud: “I’m here to guide, not to perform”. What better way to let yourself know that the pressure isn't on you? You are there to support others, not to be judged by them. Your confidence is in them, and you are less important than they are. Enter: more confidence!

4. Confidence isn’t the absence of nerves: it’s your ability to stay alert, useful and guiding your audience while the nerves are present. If you want to build this habit, try it out a couple of times this week. Confidence is a muscle, and presentations are simply a route there.

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It's a Dog-Eat-Dog world: When you feel unconfident, try these three boosts and have faith in the process

TRY IT OUT! 💘 Our weekly tip, from applied improv to you.

Five to Arrive

Objective: To settle yourself before a talk or stressful encounter.

How It Works: Settle yourself wherever you are. Breathe steadily for a minute or two. Now you'll check in with all five of your senses in order (if you have impairments with any of these senses, feel free to make your own adjustments). Look at five things. Pick them deliberately! Enjoy the act of looking. Now do the same, as follows: Four things to hear. Three things to touch. Two things to smell. One thing to taste. Each sense can be given 25-40 seconds. Enjoy the discovery! This grounding technique will bring you calm and present awareness and with it, a quiet confidence.

Reflection: How did you feel at the start? How did you feel at the end?

Download: Five to Arrive

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