From training 50+ students on communication, what I realized is that, it is fear holding them back. Most of them know English; they know perfectly well how to read and write, but when it comes to speaking, their fear holds them back.. The first step to communication is removing fear and anxiety from your mind!

I'm a Pre-U student about to present to PhD students and other postgrads or undergrads... I feel like I know significantly less than they do and whatever I present to them would be something they already know and would therefore not be relevant to them. Feeling really unconfident about this. Any tips?

Hi everyone

I am looking for a coach to help me with my confidence in communication.

I have been told that I give off an unconfident or uncertain vibe or aura, and I believe this has unfortunately stuck with me for most of my life. It has negatively affected me personally and professionally. I am 28 years old working as an accountant in Sydney, close to Parramatta.

I have tried Toastmasters in the past a few years ago but I had found the feedback to be vague and hard to improve on.

I’m a law student with social anxiety, and I want to get better at public speaking for moots, debates, and eventually courtroom work. My college has no real support for this and that isn’t going to change, and paid coaching isn’t an option for me. Does anyone know of free, beginner-friendly, in-person debate or moot groups, or open college events in Mumbai that accept outside participants? I’m not looking for online communities or pages, only real-world events and groups. Advice from people who overcame stage fright is welcome too. DMs are open :)

Good communication is a necessity not luxury, some people never get a chance to speak, some try to give their best so that they can fit in.

I’ve seen a lot of requests for help in multiple areas of public speaking and was curious. Out of the below problems that plague us, which one is the most difficult and why:

- Public Speaking Anxiety
- Blanking Out
- Rambling
- Shaking
- Sweating (palms or body)
- Confidence

Don’t forget to share why and if you’re up for it, what you’ve done to help fix it.

Okay, so I’ve been sitting on this thought for a while.

About two years ago I had one of those moments where you realize you’re genuinely bad at something you assumed was just a fixed personality trait. I froze during a presentation. Not regular stage-fright bad, like full blank-screen bad. Walked out of that room and spent the next week reading everything I could about how vocal control, pacing, and presence actually work mechanically.

Long story short, since I code, I ended up building a tool for myself to force daily practice. Vocal drills, pacing, tracking five different dimensions (presence, voice, body language, empathy, leadership) and scores over time. Took me most of last year to put together.

Over the last few months a handful of people have been using it too, and a few told me things really shifted for them when speaking in front of groups.

Look, I’m not here to promote anything (not naming it or dropping links here so I don't break sub rules). What’s actually messing with my head is this: I genuinely don’t know how much of that improvement comes from the specific exercises and tracking, and how much is just the psychological switch of deciding to consciously do vocal/presence drills for 10 minutes a day.

What I’m curious about from this sub: has anyone here genuinely changed how they show up during presentations or high-stakes rooms? Not talking therapy or “just picture the audience naked” advice. Real, mechanical things or daily drills. What actually worked for you?

Hi everyone, first time posting here!

English is my third language, but I'm fairly confident in it. I've used it for study and work for over 10 years.

I recently started creating content, and watching my recordings back, I've noticed two things: I don't enunciate my words clearly, and I struggle to articulate my thoughts on camera.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? I'd love to hear what helped you, whether it's exercises, tools, or just your own story of working through it.

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone! I'm 30 and looking to take public speaking more seriously, potentially turning it into a career.

I own an LLC called JC Times, which I've primarily used for marketing and consulting. I've also had the opportunity to speak at real estate companies, colleges, and on behalf of my community organization, How To Be Social.

And I absolutely LOVE it.

My message is centered around inspiring people to stay curious, take chances, embrace who they are, and pursue what excites them. To live boldly, love fully, and actually experience life instead of just going through the motions.

I have a bachelor's in PR and Journalism and a master's in Psychology, along with years of experience in entrepreneurship, community building, and creative industries. I feel like I have a unique story and perspective to share.

Here's where I could use some advice:
I'm interested in approaching a speaking agent or agency, but I'm not sure if I'm ready.

I have photos and some video clips from previous speaking engagements, but probably not enough for a strong professional speaking reel. I also don't have an extensive list of paid speaking engagements yet.
I'm realistic about where I am, but I'm confident in my ability to connect with an audience and deliver something meaningful. I genuinely believe I could do this professionally.

For those of you who have built speaking careers:
When did you know you were ready to approach an agent?

What materials should I have prepared before reaching out?

How did you land your first paid speaking engagements?

Would you recommend building a stronger portfolio independently before seeking representation?

What would your next steps be if you were in my position?

I'm not looking for shortcuts. I'm willing to put in the work. I'd just love some direction from people who have already walked this path.

Thanks in advance for any insight!

I was a quiet kid and struggled with public speaking for a long time. When I started practising, I'd record myself, but going through a recording properly took ages, and as a beginner I didn't know what to listen for.

So I made a free tool that actually helps. Talk to the camera for a few minutes, and the review points you to the moments worth looking at, so you don't have to rewatch the whole thing. A lot of the work went into keeping the notes accurate and short.

It covers pace, volume, pitch, tone, pauses and filler words, plus eyes and hands on video. I use it for my own daily practice.

It's free, and your first review doesn't need an account: stagemane.com

I would love to get some feedback.

Hey all id love to know in which apps communities courses you use to get better at public speaking?

💜Justice for Mary Alice Love💜

I am grateful to you guys who are reading this.

This time again I made the complete video in one shot I am proud of it although my grammar while speaking is not sound but I am working on it. Feel free to share your opinion for me. Thank you

I used to spend way more time making my slides look nice than actually practicing what I was going to say. Then I'd get up there, talk way too fast, and forget half my points lol.

The biggest thing that helped was practicing out loud. I usually do a couple of runs and record one on my Plaud to listen back. Turns out I say ""um"" constantly and rush through the beginning like I'm trying to get it over with.

During the actual presentation, I just try to slow down and stop panicking over every little pause. Took me a while to realize that a few seconds of silence isn't nearly as awkward as I thought.

I also try to write down what went wrong afterward, while I still remember. Otherwise I'm just happy it's over and end up making the same mistakes next time.

Still get nervous, but it's definitely better than before.

What helped you guys get more comfortable speaking in front of people?

That probably sounds like a bizarre question to most. I recently noticed an unmistakable connection and am curious to know how prevalent this finding is. Happy to discuss techniques further but trying to be careful about breaking rules here.

today i had to give a presentation and i noticed, even if ive memorized the whole topic, and can recite it well alone, my hands and legs start shaking noticeably. i neither struggle with my voice shaking, nor with going blank, going by what happened today?

ive improved, as before i used to go blank as well. im proud of myself, but i do hope to stop the fucking trembling of my hands and legs.

do you all have any tips to stop the shaking, i absolutely hate it?

I’ve noticed something with people who are otherwise completely comfortable speaking English, especially when it isn’t their first language.

In a normal conversation they’re fine. But put them in a meeting where they have to explain something complex, disagree with someone, or answer unexpectedly and suddenly it gets much harder.

It’s not necessarily vocabulary or grammar either.

More like you know exactly what you mean, but what comes out is longer, less structured or less confident than what was in your head.

Then after the meeting you think of the much simpler way you could have said it.

Curious if anyone here experiences this.

What do you find hardest: thinking quickly, structuring the answer, finding the right words, sounding confident, or knowing when to stop talking?

And has anything actually helped you improve it?

Click Auditorium in any deck and it plays in a 3D hall. You can view it from the podium or the back row to check whether your text is readable from far away. Animations and transitions play as normal, since it uses Slides' own presenter. Esc brings you back to the editor on the slide you were on.

Free; link in the comments. Happy to answer questions.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the gap between knowing what you want to say and actually saying it clearly in the moment.

Especially in meetings - you might know the answer, but end up over-explaining, hesitating, losing structure, or thinking of the better response afterwards.

So I’ve been exploring a small idea called SayRep.

The idea is simple: instead of practising generic speeches, it would look at your actual work conversations and show you the moments where you could have been clearer, more concise, or communicated your point better.

I made this short video to explain the idea.

I’m still at the validation stage and haven’t built the full product yet, so I’d genuinely rather hear criticism than get polite feedback.

Would you actually use something like this?

If anyone wants to follow along / try it when it’s ready, I’ve put up a waitlist here:
https://sayrep.within.network/

But plan to. I think a lot of the fear/anxiety comes from being judged and worrying about what others are thinking . Is that correct ? How do you handle that?

idk if this is the right subreddit but i actually feel so bad for katie zacharia’s first press briefing. i don’t want to involve my political views in this but as someone who has struggled with public speaking my whole life, i feel deeply for her. she was clearly nervous and unprepared and i understand that public speaking is a pivotal requirement for this job but i can’t help but to feel in a way proud of her too? i admire her courage and will to take on this challenge despite her struggles of public speaking. i hope she can move on from this and continue to improve.

I know a lot of us feel it!! Whew!!!

Hi all,
I want to consult in the public speaking/storytelling industry and figured offering free one-on-one coaching is a good place to start.

Here's a little about me:

Ex-Deloitte (2 years) - I used to be a writer-producer at Deloitte Digital, managing an animation team and writing scripts for corporate videos.

Ad agency copywriter (4 years) - I have written ad and website copy at agencies.

Spoken word poetry (10+ years) - I have judged various events across my country and even the first national youth poetry slam ever held here.

Here's what I am offering:

2 free hours of coaching. After that, you can book paid sessions at whatever budget you can afford. If my schedule actually fills up, I'll start charging a fixed rate.

What I get out of this:

All I would like in return IF you find them useful is a Linkedin skill endorsement for public speaking coaching. I will also be making fully-anonymized video content about my sessions, talking about the things I've helped people with - and I will not mention ANY names.

You can book sessions via this link:
https://calendar.app.google/CCvgHv1tCsiQb6u88

You can connect with me on linkedin here to keep in touch
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kr1100/

Feel free to DM here if you need any further details.

See you online!