Most of us will have the opportunity to speak publicly at least once in our lives.

Whether you are preparing to give a big speech at your best friend’s wedding, making an announcement at your next team meeting, or even just recording an Instagram reel to promote your business… having the skills and confidence to speak in public is useful. 

Many people find public speaking to be a nightmare, while others find it thrilling.

Wherever you are on that spectrum, in this week'd guide, we hope to inspire you to deliver your messages with more confidence. 

Be sticky with your start

We’ll kick off with our first tip: Be sticky with your start. 

According to some of the best public speakers out there, your audience decides whether to lean in or zone out within the first minute of you talking.

Knowing this, having something that hooks them in is critical! This is all the more important if you are making content for social media… 😅

It may be tempting to start with the formal “good morning, my name is…” but try instead to do something stickier like, asking a question to get people thinking, offering a personal story, or saying something provocative. 

Above all, our top suggestion is this: don’t be afraid to be a little weird, say something we’re all thinking (but rarely admit), or try being funny or self-deprecating.

Standing out and being memorable is NOT a bad thing.

Try to have fun with it if you can, and if the topic allows for that approach.

How to make your opening sticky

• Try opening with a story, question, surprising fact, or something vivid to grab attention.

• Avoid generic greetings (“Good morning, I’m…”), instead, jump into something that connects to your message

• You can either preview your main points early so people know where you’re headed… or you can leave them guessing a little bit with an intriguing intro. Don’t take too long to get to your point, but don’t be afraid to take a little journey either. As with all of these tips, think about your audience and context first.

Keep your message clear and simple

One of the biggest traps in speaking is thinking it’s more important to be thorough than to be clear. 

This can be avoided by cutting the fat and organizing your thoughts while you are preparing your speech, presentation, or announcement.

But just like any good dish when you’re cooking, fat has an important role to play! Don’t cut so much out of your talk that it becomes boring. Leave a little color to keep things interesting.

Remember, the audience's mental load is limited, so if you try to cover too much, or if your structure is fuzzy… the message gets lost. 

Try asking yourself: “what do I really want them to remember?”

Sometimes what you want them to remember is your energy or attitude too, and not just your content.

So think a little bit about what tone you want to strike, and use our tips from yesterday to kick off your public speaking with something memorable.

If you’re clear from the start, the audience will get what you mean right away so they can follow what comes next.

How to keep things simple and clear

• Boil your message down: What is the one thing you want people to remember?

• Use simple, familiar language. Avoid jargon unless you’re certain everyone understands it.

• Organize with structure (e.g., 2‑3 main points) so people can follow along. Don’t try to do too much!

Engage with authenticity

Have you ever listened to a powerpoint presentation where someone is just reading off of their powerpoint?

How did it feel? My guess is that you were already asleep or on the verge! 

Something a lot of people don’t realize: Public speaking isn’t about getting it perfect. It’s actually more about connection. 

Speeches work best when your personality shows through, and you are connecting with the audience in an authentic way.

When a speaker presents authentically, they come off more trustworthy, credible, and likable compared to someone who is speaking robotically. 

By being true to yourself and your message, you create a more comfortable and engaging environment for both yourself and your listeners.

And when you’re more comfortable, your audience will be too.

How to connect authentically

• Use stories or personal experiences where possible. It makes you human, and people connect more with humans. (This is why AI-written speeches typically don’t go over too well…)

• Pay attention to your pace: don't rush through, pause to let big ideas land. Remember: pauses tend to feel more uncomfortable to the speaker than the listeners — so embrace them!

• Change your “shape” as you speak. Sometimes quieter, sometimes more powerful, sometimes slower, sometimes animated. Range keeps people hooked!

Know your audience

Another element of public speaking that gets commonly overlooked is knowing your audience.

Clearly communicating your idea isn’t just about sending your message, but also making sure it’s received! 

This means considering what the audience already knows, what assumptions they have, and what they need to understand before you deliver your idea. 

The practice of knowing your audience also applies during your speech.

Perhaps you are presenting at a workshop and notice the audience is far smaller than you anticipated. 

Changing your language to be less formal and more intimate is a way to adapt to your audience.

In these cases, you can try to be more interactive with your audience, asking questions and getting them to talk a little bit more too, if appropriate.

How to learn more about your audience

• Before the speech, ask or find out who will be in the room: their background, their concerns, what they might want to get out of your talk.

• Tailor your examples, language, references to something they recognize.

• Be ready to shift: if people look confused, slow down, and clarify; if they look bored or disengaged, maybe add a story or an interactive moment.

End strong

We’ll close by discussing how to end strong.

How you end a speech matters almost as much as how you start, as audiences tend to remember beginnings and ends best. 

It’s always good practice to summarize your basic points at the end of your speech, but if you really want to drive it home — try helping people see what they can do with your main point. 

You can do this by providing an example of how they might apply your idea in their own lives, or even ending on an engaging activity where they ask people around them to discuss what they found most interesting or useful. 

How you end will depend on the context you are in. The main point is to not rush through the ending and close with a bang!

Don’t be afraid to try something unique and memorable!

Three strong ways to end a talk

• Summarize your key point(s) clearly — don’t introduce new ideas at the end.

• Connect back to your opening (if you opened with a story or question, bring closure).

• Offer a call to action, or pose a final thought that lingers.

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We hope the principles we’ve covered here have either reinforced what you’re already practicing, or gave you a place to start if a public speaking opportunity is headed your way!

Don’t forget, that doesn’t have to mean a big speech — it could be something less formal like presenting at a team meeting.

P.S. If you could use help accomplishing your goals, busting through procrastination, or getting motivated — join us at one of our live guided work sessions, or morning planning sessions!

Take care,

— Darya and the focused space team