How can you build confidence in public speaking when changing careers?

Prepare by knowing your subject, stay authentic, connect with your audience beforehand, maintain eye contact during your talk, focus on your breathing, stand confidently, and strive to be your best self when presenting.

I have drastically changed my career three times. The first two years I was always very nervous as a speaker. My strengths were in my profession, my projects, not in speaking - presenting my work. I studied architecture, than I transitioned to a sustainable business management. Years ago I took some lessons at my friend - a coach. She helped me with the basical methods of public speaking. Through the years, I became more confident in the topic I was presenting. A pivotal moment in improving my public speaking was when a professional coach advised me that my audience would be more engaged not with what I wanted to say, but with a story they could personally connect to.

New territory or career - no problem! Figure out your subject matter, become the expert you were in your previous field. Figure out your own strengths and weaknesses and address them internally so that the nerves and challenges can get taken off of your plate quickly.

The main thing I borrowed from other speakers I enjoyed was to engage with the group if possible. Too many times, speakers are obviously knowledgeable of the subject matter but fail to engage with those in attendance. Be careful of jokes in today's climate. Be sincere in your topic. Always be honest, even if that means you admit a lack of knowledge with some specifics.

Confidence in public speaking is invaluable. It adds credibility to what you say, makes a positive impression on the listener, and brings vital awareness to your topic. It is important to be knowledgeable about the topic. Having a base of knowledge brings a stronger presence and a comfortable demeanor. Taking acting lessons or having experience on the stage can help build confidence. Performing in front of others is difficult and can help you overcome fear. Don't be afraid to practice your speech in front of colleagues, family, or friends who may be able to encourage you and give feedback. Speak to your audience. Speak about what they are interested in. It can be magic if you are interested in the same topic as your audience.

Always take notes when watching presentations and people speak publicly. When I go to tech conferences and talks I not only take notes on the topic but how speakers made me feel. If I was confused or underwhelmed I note this and the possible reasons. On the other hand when I see a captivating and effective speaker I note down the name of the speaker and their tools and tactics. If you make a habit of this you have a wealth of resources to tap into when preparing to speak in any setting.

Not sure I concur… most politicians spend a lifetime mimicking each other, copying each others’ demeanors, dress codes, body language and rhetorical styles… yet few of them, if any, inspire any confidence at all, lest they sound genuine… and different. Whether you agree with a speaker ultimately matters little.. Same applies to most CEOs who typically stick to anesthetized and lawyerly crafted and wooden corporate jargon… Regardless of their convictions and idiosyncrasies, ask yourself why a Bobby Kennedy Jr or an Elon Musk draw crowds their blander competitors would struggle to muster… they don’t need notes or coaching as they speak from the heart, and out of conviction against a spent and corrupt establishment…

I learned from a very effective speaker to “listen” to the whole situation. Take a few moments to absorb what was said and what response is expected or needed. Articulate a response that will satisfy and empower the audience. This is an art that improves with practice.

At work, I chose a mentor admired for their discussion skills and received a guiding template. However, relying solely on it limited my adaptability to unforeseen scenarios. To evolve, I started studying mentors without mimicking them precisely, understanding that blindly using someone else's template can lead to disastrous outcomes when circumstances differ. Real growth lies in adapting lessons from mentors rather than rigidly following predefined templates.

I've found shadowing a supervisor and/or colleagues during meetings, presentations, phone calls, etc. helps build confidence in the rhetoric or elevator pitch part of the job. Once I have a grip on the basics, I can more confidentially speak off the cuff or in situations I'm less prepared for.

You can't deliver the same message to everybody. Sometimes you have to use different langauge when speaking to healthcare workers vs administrators vs researchers vs the public. Knowing your audience will enable you to gain credibility and trust.

I was invited to make a key note presentation about sustainable business to the PR association. I prepared the presentation and showed it to my coach. Her comment was: "great topic, but you will miss the audience, try to understand what is their pain, what would they like to hear, what will inspire them to make a change?" I was confused, but I went out of my comfort zone, I went into their "zone". And the result was amazing. After the presentation they came to me with proposals, comments, questions even congratulations??. Now I always try to understand the public "zone".

Your speech and perspective should be communicated in a way that can encourage the audiences to give their feedback . The real motive of the communication should be to make the message clear to the audience, so audience feedback should be given immense importance in public speaking.

Whilst this principle may make cognitive sense and would drive an easy consensus amongst most speech coaches, it can also lead over time to the greatest impediment to developing a genuine reputation as a sincere and influential public speaker: politicians tend to follow that route by design or necessity, i.e. telling different crowds what they want to hear, until the inevitable reckoning and backlash ensues from pivoting, flip-flopping, or whatever else it may be called.. There is an innate desire to follow, be led, or even worship in the human heart.. Nothing beats the enthusiasm of the convert: public speaking is the ability to lead your listeners to where they didn’t know yet they wanted to go…

In my opinion, “knowing your audience” is a subset of “prepare and practice” and is of equally vital importance. If you become a successful speaker, inevitably you will be presenting on the same general topic to many different audiences; your specific content, however, must be focused on the audience of the moment: their concerns, questions, interests and passions. Learn the vocabulary of the organization you are working with and be intentional in integrating the knowledge you are sharing with their institutional context and needs. If you don’t do this, and instead take a one size fits all approach, you quickly will lose your audience.

Know what you want to say, but importantly how you want to say it. Some presentations need to be on-the-letter perfect so that’s when you write a script and practice it. In other forums, speaking freely and personably is better, so know your outline but don’t over rehearse. Always remember: most of the time the audience does not know your script! If you miss something or need to repeat something, that’s OK! Don’t get flustered and start over or go back. Just take it naturally and move on.

Try to approach public speaking not so much as a monologue or presentation but as a dialogue. Rather than reading a talk, speak from notes, so that you can judge the audience's response by their looks and gestures. If the format is a one way presentation from the speaker to the audience, you can get feedback from the audience's affect. Certainly preparation as to the goals, objectives, content and expectations is essential. At the same time, it's important to be in the present moment with the audience. You can include stories and anecdotes, posing questions that you then answer, and references to specific issues or situations you know the audience is familiar with and concerned about. Allow yourself to be authentic and spontaneous.

To paraphrase a famouse Okie, Reba McEntire, from the award-winning show, "The Voice"- she told a contestant when they were suffering from stage fight to remember 3 things: 1) Be Over-Prepared 2) Have FUN 3) Laugh at yourself (everything won't always go perfect.) *I know it sounds simple and that is what makes it so genius!

Preparation is the essential ingredient - but I differentiate that from “practice”. Let me explain. For me, preparation begins with knowing your subject. Become a true expert: know the specific lexicon of your topic, and be able to speak with facility to an informed audience. Anticipate the issues of greatest interest and importance, and address them early on to grab your audience. At the same time, I caution against practicing to a point of memorization. Rather, practice to achieve what I refer to as the 3 C’s of public speaking: Confidence, Comfort, and Connection. “Confidence” in your subject matter expertise, “comfort” with the presentation format, and “connection” with your audience (even if in the 1000s).

One of the most important things you can do to improve public speaking is to practice it! Not only will you be able to adjust your script to natural, “real conversation” talk, you’ll get a better sense of timing and word emphasis. Better yet - present to a friend and get direct feedback before you address a larger audience.

Give your audience practical and tactical things they can start/stop doing immediate they see your talk. Changing the way they think is important, but changing the way they do things is far more impactful and memorable.

It is extremely important to remember your past. You have a wide range of experiences and expertise from your previous roles that bring a unique perspective. That unique background sets you apart and makes you far more likely to impact someone in your audience in ways that no one else can. Don’t try to hide your past - celebrate it! It’s what makes you special and uniquely you.

I have always found it helpful to reduce this into two: Purpose and Outcome. With the purpose in mind, the speech will flow and proceed to achieve the intended outcome

In order to have the greatest impact on your audience you should be able to speak from a place of passion. You will know when you are speaking from passion because the work, anxiety and fears disappear and all of a sudden you are just so excited to have an audience to share your knowledge and experiences with. Sometimes we may not get to choose our topic, so some time may be needed to explore ways in which the requested speaking topic is connected to a passion you already have...but search and you will find a connection.

.Must have knowledge of subject .Build confidence .Speak from your heart . Keep eye contact on audience . Don’t go back always look forward

I’ve had the honor of changing careers several times thus far in my life. From academia to government, to entrepreneurship, and corporate America—each role and setting has both taught me new skills and reinforced essential skills that apply wherever you are. In my experience, sharing my takeaways and contextual learnings from each experience I’ve had in my career, are often the most enlightening feature of my public speaking opportunities. Authenticity is what connects with audiences the most. So instead of thinking of your career changes as perhaps abrupt and random, consider the consistent or new skills you’ve learned in each and tailor your remarks and strategy for pursuing public speaking opportunities around this.

Enjoy the entire process from start to end. The idea, the invite, the talk, the questions (or lack thereof), the feedback, the reflection on how to improve. Focus on enjoying the entire conversation from the beginning and realizing every chance to speak is an opportunity to learn and be positively impactful on others. Focus on enjoying the journey and less on judgment of your journey.

Be yourself. Be genuine. Let your personality shine through. Introduce the real you to your audience. No one can express what you know in your unique way other than you!

???Public Speaking, Coffee, and Global Options?? Transitioning from academia to social impact, public speaking has proven transformative. Beyond enhancing communication and empathy, it facilitated an impromptu partnership over brunch in Washington DC—spontaneously sparked at a coffee counter at a local brunch joint. Strengthening public speaking skills not only aids addressing strangers but also accelerates building diverse professional networks. Connecting across industries, cultures, and languages fosters flexibility, options, and empowerment, shaping a dynamic and successful career transition.

One thing I would consider an ace in a sleeve or a game changer is, taking improv comedy classes. I have seen people go from shyest in the room to deliver the best, heartfelt and hardest monologues by the end of the class. It definitely boosts the confidence and gives you an opportunity to be more comfortable in front of others