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All Public Speaking Guides

Nine step-by-step guides covering the parts of speaking that people actually get stuck on. Start with the pillar guide if you are new, or jump straight to the problem you are trying to fix.

By Daniel ReyesUpdated 2 min read

Start here

If you are not sure where to begin, read the main guide first. It covers preparation, nerves and delivery end to end, and every guide below expands one section of it.

11 public speaking tips to improve your public speaking skills

The pillar guide. Eleven tips in the order you will need them, from the week before a talk to the hour after it, plus a one-page checklist.

Read the main guide

Nerves and confidence

How to overcome the fear of public speaking

Nine steps in the order that works: calm the body, reframe the thoughts, then build exposure in doses. Includes what to do when it hits mid-talk.

Read the guide

Where to get real speaking practice

Toastmasters, meetups, internal talks and volunteer slots. What each costs, what each teaches, and a 90-day plan.

Read the guide

Delivery

How to stop saying um

Seven drills that replace filler words with a pause the audience reads as deliberate, plus what a normal filler rate actually looks like.

Read the guide

How to make eye contact with an audience

How long to hold, where to look in a big room, what to do under stage lights, and how it changes on a video call.

Read the guide

Body language for speakers

Hands, stance and movement, the three habits that leak nerves, and an honest look at the 7 percent statistic everyone quotes.

Read the guide

Preparation and structure

How to practice a speech

A five-session routine, about two hours total, with a different job for each session. Plus a compressed version for when the talk is tomorrow.

Read the guide

How to start a speech

Seven openings that earn the first 30 seconds, four that lose them, and a 15-minute method for building your own.

Read the guide

At work

Presentation skills

Structure first, slides second, delivery third. Slide headlines that carry the argument, charts people can read in four seconds, and remote presenting.

Read the guide

Impromptu speaking

Three frameworks you can recall under pressure, how long an answer should be, and how to handle the hard questions.

Read the guide

Suggested reading order

If you want to work through everything rather than dip in, this sequence builds in a sensible order:

  1. The 11 tips guide, for the overall shape.
  2. Overcoming the fear, because nerves block everything else.
  3. The practice routine, which is where most improvement actually happens.
  4. Openings and filler words, the two highest-return delivery fixes.
  5. Eye contact and body language, once the content is stable.
  6. Presentation skills and impromptu speaking, for work settings.
  7. Getting reps, which is what turns all of it into skill.

Daniel Reyes Daniel Reyes has coached engineers, founders and sales teams through more than 600 talks, from 8-person standups to 2,000-seat keynotes. He has been a Toastmasters club member since 2014 and writes every guide on this site.

Speaking coach and editor