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What is the best way to practice a speech? How can I stop being nervous when speaking in public? Should I memorize my speech?
Those are probably some of the questions running through your mind if you’re taking a public speaking course, have to give a presentation soon, or want to start your own public speaking journey.
That’s normal. In fact, I searched online to see what people are asking about public speaking and so many people have those same questions and concerns.
Because I have ten years of public speaking experience, I can help answer your questions so you can be prepared for your upcoming speech and learn about tools and techniques that can help you throughout your public speaking journey.
Q1: How can I overcome nervousness when speaking in public?
First I want to say, it’s normal to feel nervous when speaking in public. Nervousness can be a sign that you care and want to do a good job. It can be a sign that you’re excited but your mind is interpreting that feeling as something negative. It can also be a sign that you haven’t had enough practice with talking about a certain topic or speaking extemporaneously in general.
The best way to overcome nervousness when doing public speaking is to practice.
Practice your speech several times before you have to deliver it in front of an audience.
Practice speaking off the cuff by starting conversations with strangers at work, school, and public places.
Practice by signing up for opportunities that allow you to work on your public speaking skills.
That could look like joining a speech club, participating in a speech contest, volunteering to be a host of an event, etc.
The more you practice and apply constructive feedback, the less nervous you will feel when speaking in public.
When I started my public speaking journey in 2016, I used to have a lot of anxiety when I had to deliver speeches in classes and at Toastmasters meetings as well as when I had to do job interviews.
Because I practiced for ten years by giving prepared speeches, participating in Table Topics and speech competitions, making videos for social media, starting my own podcast, and completing multiple job interviews, I was able to transform from being an anxious speaker to a confident speaker.
Even as an experienced speaker, I still get nervous sometimes when I get asked an impromptu question, but because I have worked on my public speaking skills for ten years, I don’t allow that nervousness to turn into an obstacle.
As a recent example, I went to a library in a different county to sign up for a library card. As I was talking to the librarian, I told her I’m a packer for a moving company. Because of that, she asked me what’s the most interesting thing I’ve seen as a packer. While the question was simple, I was caught off guard and felt a little nervous because I didn’t have an immediate answer. I laughed, repeated the question to myself, and then gave her an answer.
I was nervous and a little stumped because I don’t have enough practice talking about moving experiences yet. Once I have more practice talking about my moving experiences, questions like that won’t catch me off guard as easily.
So if you want to overcome nervousness when speaking in public, then practice speaking in public more.
And if you’re wondering what my answer was, it’s the number of boxes people end up with after packing up all of their belongings because people have more stuff than they realize.
Q2: Should I memorize my speech word-for-word?
If you were to ask that question to a public speaking coach, professional speaker, or self-proclaimed public speaking expert, they might tell you no and that’s a terrible idea.
Because you asked me (indirectly), I say yes you can and ignore people who say otherwise.
Here’s why.
When I started my public speaking journey, I would write scripts for my speeches and memorize them. Meaning, I would write out EVERY WORD I wanted to say, memorize ALL of those words, and deliver my speech exactly as I wrote it.
Why? Because doing that gave me the courage I needed to get up in front of a live audience and speak for more than one minute without freezing and saying “uhhh, ummm” twenty times while I tried to gather my thoughts.
Over time, I went from writing scripts to writing outlines and using visual aids to help me stay organized and speak extemporaneously. To this day, though, I still use scripts and memorize my speech when I feel it’s necessary or simply want to do that.
If you have anxiety or a fear of public speaking, then memorizing your speech word-for-word can give you the courage you need to deliver it in front of an audience. In addition to memorizing it, I recommend you practice saying your speech aloud several times so you can sound more natural when delivering it and so you can remember your main points and structure even if you don’t remember the exact wording of your speech.
Q3: What should I do if my mind goes blank during a speech?
Is this a setup? Because I’ve definitely had this happen to me. 👀
Let me tell you what you should NOT do if your mind goes blank while you’re speaking.
You should NOT beat yourself up internally because brain farts are normal.
You should NOT run off the stage or close your tab if you’re speaking online.
You should NOT start apologizing because your audience doesn’t know how your speech is supposed to go.
Let me repeat that: your audience doesn’t know how your speech is supposed to go.
For all they know, you paused intentionally. You’re giving them time to think about what you just said.
So here’s what you CAN do if your mind goes blank while you’re speaking.
You CAN act like you’re silent on purpose by looking at different people in the room with an expression of intrigue.
You CAN look at your notes or visual aid to remember what point you’re on.
You CAN make a joke about it, let your audience laugh WITH you, and move on to your next thought.
Every public speaker has had this happen to them at least once in their lifetime.
For me, it was back in 2016 when I was delivering a prepared speech in my college public speaking class.
I was talking and all of a sudden, my mind went blank. In the moment, it felt like I was frozen for ten seconds. However, when I looked at the video recording of my speech, I had only paused for one second.
That moment wasn’t as bad as I thought and I was able to finish my speech despite that unexpected brain fart.
So if your mind goes blank during a speech, embrace the moment and keep going.
Q4: What is the best way to practice a speech?
The best way to practice a speech is to deliver it, get feedback, and apply that feedback.
That could mean practicing it in your home, video recording that speech with your phone, completing a self-evaluation afterward, and applying your feedback the next time you practice that speech.
On the other hand, that could mean delivering your speech in front of a trusted person (e.g. relative, friend, member of a club), asking them for feedback, and applying their feedback the next time you practice that speech.
If you do a self-evaluation, I recommend using the Triple Replay Method. I learned this self-evaluation method from my college professor Dr. Penny Waddell. With the Triple Replay Method, you will play the video recording three times.
For the first playback, you will watch the video all the way through and write down what stood out to you whether it’s good or bad in your opinion.
For the second playback, you will only listen to the recording and not watch the screen. That way, you can pay attention to your voice and speech content.
For the third playback, you will watch the video without any sound. That way, you can pay attention to your body language and stage presence.
Every time you play the recording, write down what stood out to you, what you liked, and what you didn’t like. After you’re done, go through your notes to see what your strengths are so you can keep doing those things and what areas you can work on the next time you practice your speech.
If you practice in front of someone else, make sure it’s someone who can be honest yet compassionate when giving feedback.
You don’t want that person to be someone who will say “everything about your speech was perfect” because they don’t want to hurt your feelings and you don’t want someone who will act like “everything about your speech was wrong” because they’re nitpicking and being a jerk.
Neither of those types will be helpful. Instead, look for someone who knows your strengths and goals and practice in front of them.
If you don’t have that type of person in your life, then consider joining a public speaking group such as Toastmasters to get feedback from people who have experience with giving speeches and effective evaluations.
Regardless of what you choose, the best way to practice a speech is to practice it multiple times and to apply feedback every time you practice it so you can get better and be confident when it’s time to deliver it in front of your target audience.
Q5: How do I give a speech without relying on notes?
Have you been listening? Because I already gave the answer four questions ago. 🧐
I’m kidding (kinda). This will come down to what we have talked about already. 👀
Practice. Practice. Practice.
If you want to give a prepared speech without notes, then you have to practice your speech as many times as it takes for you to remember your main points, supporting details, and overall structure.
You can memorize your speech so you won’t have to use notes at all, or you can practice your speech several times so that even if you do have notes, you won’t rely on them.
Another option is to use visual aids instead of traditional notes (e.g. notecards, scripts, outlines).
That visual aid could be a PowerPoint presentation that only has pictures, GIFS, or short video clips on it.
That visual aid could be a poster board or flip chart that only has the main ideas on it.
That visual aid could be objects or props that are related to your speech such as hats, food, and sports equipment.
By using a visual aid, you can remember what you want to talk about next and help your audience understand your point better.
And if you’re going to use a visual aid, make sure you practice your speech with it so it can feel like an aid instead of a hindrance when it’s time to deliver your speech.
Q6: How do I keep an audience engaged during a speech?
You can keep your audience engaged during a speech by being present in the moment.
What does that mean?
Make eye contact with different people in the room to show that you’re speaking directly to them.
Use pauses and silence to give your audience time to absorb the information and react to what you’re saying.
Use vocal variety to complement what you’re saying. For example, if you’re sharing something exciting, then you can raise the pitch and volume of your voice. If you’re sharing something sad, you can slow down your pace and speak in a serious tone.
There’s something else you can use that different types of people will enjoy when listening to a speech.
What’s that? Stories.
Share stories that support your main points to illustrate how your audience can apply your ideas. Those stories can come from your personal experiences or other people’s experiences.
Most importantly, though, practice your speech several times so that when it’s time to deliver it, you can be present with your audience in the moment instead of in your head trying to make sure you say and do everything perfectly. Your audience isn’t looking for perfection. They’re looking to connect with you.
Q7: How can I get better at Table Topics or impromptu speaking?
The best way to get better at Table Topics and impromptu speaking is to practice answering random questions.
You can practice at home by googling questions or using AI to give you a random list of Table Topics questions to answer. Then, use the timer or stopwatch on your phone to practice answering each question in one to two minutes.
For the questions you have trouble answering, take some time later to think and write down what you would like to say if you were asked those questions on the spot. This will help you remember main ideas, stories, research, etc. that you can use to answer other random questions in the future.
Once you feel comfortable answering those questions, take your practice to the next level by participating in Table Topics at Toastmasters meetings.
You don’t have to be a member to attend a Toastmasters meeting so find a club near you, go there early so you can talk to a member there to let them know you want to participate in Table Topics, and volunteer to answer a question when the Table Topics session starts.
Another way you can get better at impromptu speaking is by talking to strangers more often. When you go to work, school, retail stores, mechanic shops, etc., start a conversation with someone. You will naturally ask them questions and they will naturally ask you questions.
The more you practice answering questions in different environments, the better you will get at impromptu speaking.
Now, that won’t guarantee that you won’t ever feel nervous or make a mistake when doing Table Topics or impromptu speaking. But it will help you be more open to speaking opportunities that require little to no preparation.
I have a confession to share: Table Topics still makes me nervous even though I have ten years of public speaking experience.
Why? Because I have no idea what I’m going to be asked to speak about for one to two minutes.
One time, I was asked, “Do fish have necks?”
I don’t think I’ve ever pondered that question before that moment.
I mean, why would I? I’m not a zoologist, biologist, or five-year old.
While I can’t remember my exact wording, I said something along the lines of “just because we can’t see their necks doesn’t mean they don’t have one just like people can’t see my neck (because it’s covered by my scarf) doesn’t mean I don’t have a neck.”
Even though I didn’t know the correct answer to that question, I took what I did know and used that to form an analogy to answer that question.
You can do the same. If you’re asked a weird question, pause before answering so you can think about what you want to say. Repeat the question aloud to buy some time and give your brain a chance to connect some dots for you. Then, answer the question to the best of your ability.
If you’re still stuck, then you can use that question as a starting point for something you do feel comfortable talking about.
For example, if you were asked “do fish have necks?” and you weren’t sure, then you could say “Do fish have necks? That’s a great question. One of my favorite movies is Finding Nemo and my favorite character in that movie is Dory. She’s famous for her line, “just keep swimming.” I love that line because it’s a reminder that even if we don’t know how things will turn out, we can choose to keep going. I remember Dory was a blue fish with a yellow tail. I also remember Nemo was an orange fish. However, I don’t remember seeing a visible neck on either of them. I remember the chill, surfer-dude turtle named Crush and he had a visible neck but he was a turtle not a fish.”
That’s one example of how you could answer that question. If you wanted, you could use the line “just keep swimming” as the main idea for your answer and at the end of your impromptu speech, you could bring up the original question again with a yes, no, or I’m not sure answer.
And if you’re now wondering do fish have necks, check out an article titled “Do fish have necks? New research changes the answer” on Earth.com to see what scientists say and to prepare for this Table Topics question if you ever get it. 😜
Q8: Is joining Toastmasters beneficial for becoming a better public speaker?
Before I answer this question, I want to make it clear that this Q&A is NOT sponsored by Toastmasters International and there might be some bias because I was heavily involved in Toastmasters for six years and I earned the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award.
Now, to answer your question, yes, being an active member of Toastmasters can help you become a better public speaker.
Because Toastmasters is an organization that focuses on communication skills and leadership skills, there are many opportunities within the organization to work on your public speaking skills.
For example, club meetings have multiple roles that require multiple people to fill them. These roles include Toastmaster of the Day (the host of the meeting), Prepared Speaker, Speech Evaluator, Table Topics Master, General Evaluator, Timer, Ah Counter, and Grammarian.
Each meeting role has a different amount of time for public speaking. For example, the Grammarian will speak for a few minutes toward the beginning of the meeting to introduce their role and the Word of the Day. Then, towards the end of the meeting, they will speak again for a couple more minutes to share their report.
On the other hand, a Prepared Speaker will speak for much longer depending on the time limit of their speech project. For the Icebreaker speech project, the time limit is usually four to six minutes whereas for other speech projects, the time limit might be five to seven minutes, eight to ten minutes, or even ten to fifteen minutes.
By filling a different role at each meeting, you will get a chance to practice your public speaking skills and learn other skills in the process.
One thing I like about Toastmasters is that it prides itself on providing a supportive and positive environment for everyone. This is done by everyone clapping for each person who goes on the stage, sharing constructive feedback, and giving out awards when appropriate.
Additionally, every member is there to work on their skills too so you don’t have to worry about being judged in a negative way if you’re a beginner, have anxiety, or have a fear of public speaking. Many members were once in your shoes so they can mentor you and guide you if you decide to join a Toastmasters club.
With a Toastmasters membership, you can participate in speech contests, serve in leadership roles at different levels, and be a featured speaker at the district conference. All of those opportunities will give you plenty of chances to practice your public speaking skills which I have mentioned is one of the keys to becoming a better public speaker.
Q9: What’s the difference between giving a regular speech and competing in a speech contest?
With a regular speech, you can talk about anything you want to whereas with a speech contest, there might be guidelines on what you can and cannot talk about.
With a regular speech, grace is usually given if you are under or over your time limit whereas with a speech contest, if you are under or over your time limit, you can be disqualified.
With a regular speech, the reward is usually applause and a feeling of accomplishment for doing something scary whereas with a speech contest, the reward can be a medal, trophy, money, or another prize.
For a regular speech, you want to prepare and practice enough times that you sound natural and know how your speech is going to flow.
For a speech contest, you typically want to practice more to ensure when it’s time to compete, you will stay within your time limit, follow the guidelines of the speech contest, and wow your audience and the judges so you can win first place.
When I attended a technical college, I was part of an organization called SkillsUSA. That organization has different types of competitions for different industries. A group of students and I participated in a competition called “Opening and Closing Ceremonies.”
For that competition, everyone was assigned a role and had to memorize certain lines and actions that were predetermined by the organization. We also had to dress a certain way for the competition. Because that competition had specific guidelines and scoring criteria, we had several rehearsals to practice and improve our performance. We worked on making sure everyone had their lines memorized, we were in sync with transitions and movements, and we followed the order of the competition guidelines.
As you can imagine, that was more intense and time consuming than preparing for a regular speech that will be delivered at a club meeting. But that’s part of the point.
A regular speech helps you practice your public speaking skills. A speech contest helps you refine your public speaking skills.
Q10: Are public speaking skills useful outside of giving speeches?
Yes! In fact, you do a lot more public speaking than you realize.
How so?
You use public speaking skills when you give a presentation at work, interview for a job, make video content for social media, talk to strangers when you’re out and about, and do an interview for a podcast.
Public speaking is not confined to giving speeches. Public speaking involves communicating with others in public spaces and on public platforms.
By having strong public speaking skills, you can think on your feet faster and communicate with others effectively in different types of environments and situations.
Furthermore, public speaking skills can help you become a better manager at work, better leader of an organization, and a better loved one to your loved ones.
Over to You – Common Public Speaking Questions and Answers
If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this Q&A, it’s that you have to practice to get better at public speaking. Whether that’s by talking to strangers more frequently, joining a Toastmasters club, making content for social media, or another way, you can get better over time if you practice enough, apply feedback, and believe that you’re capable of greatness.
If you would like to learn more public speaking tips, then check out my blog post titled 10 Lessons I’ve Learned from my Public Speaking Journey and join my email list.
