This semester, I am in an intro to public speaking course. On the first day of class, my professor claimed that our first speech would be the next class, and to come prepared. I was terrified, already we are immediately jumping into speaking. The butterflies in my stomach began to form. However, each time I got up to speak, the more confident I felt.

Everyone was in the same situation as I was, and we were all nervous. As I gave my last speech for the semester last week, here are some tips for public speaking, no matter what the speech is for.

1. Breathe

This is without a doubt the most important rule. Just breathe. There is no need to be nervous, and focusing on your breathing will calm you down.

2. Maintain eye contact

In order to engage your audience, looking around the room is super beneficial. If your audience watches you read off a piece of paper, your credibility is lost. If you are nervous about eye contact, try looking over people’s heads, or at their foreheads.

3. Talk slowly

Often, people will speed through their speeches to get it over with. This is not the way to go. As long as you breathe and hold your composure, you will go through your speech smoothly. It’ll be over before you know it!

4. Don’t mess with your hair, cross your legs, etc

One of the things I had trouble with was being fidgety. I would comb through my hair, cross my legs, and mess with my hands as forms of nervous ticks. Try practicing in your mirror, and recognize when you do these things, and correct them.

5. Dress appropriately

Looking nice for a speech will automatically give you confidence when presenting. If you drag yourself out of bed, and throw on some clothes without brushing your hair, your speech might reflect your outfit.

6. Show emotion

When giving a speech that means something to you, show that emotion. Explain in detail why you love it, and why you’re passionate about it. If your audience sees that emotion, they will be intrigued by your speech, and listen more intently.

7. Practice ahead of time

Practice, practice, practice. Whether you are using an outline, writing a manuscript, or just winging it, practice! This helped me with my nerves, and made me feel better going into a speech, knowing I had practiced.

Even though this class caused a lot of nerves for me, I have learned a lot. Something huge I learned is how vital it is to have some public speaking practice in your life. In the future, you have no idea when you will need to on a whim speak in front of a crowd. I would highly recommend to anyone to take a form of a public speaking class.

It’s ok to be afraid to go out of your comfort zone. Sometimes, we all need that push. It has led to me becoming a better writer, speaker, and has prepared me for any career in the future.