How to Talk With Confidence

A good speaker responds to her audience with warmth.

Learning how to talk with confidence gives you a boost, whether you speak for business purposes or in your social life. Spend some time practicing strong speaking techniques and you will feel more confident about yourself in general.

Instructions

1. Pace your words appropriately. Speak at a moderate rate most of the time, but slow your words down for dramatic effect and speed up occasionally to show energy and excitement. To add emphasis to a point, pause slightly before continuing.

2. Pay attention to your voice's pitch. Low tones convey authority. A high-pitched voice may sound stressed or nervous. Breathe deeply to relax your vocal cords and lower your voice to a deeper pitch.

3. Breathe from your diaphragm, the large muscle that sits just below your lungs. This gives your voice resonance and projection and allows you to control your voice better.

4. Articulate your words clearly. Don't drop the endings of words or blend words together as you may in casual speech. To your audience, good enunciation can equal education and expertise.

5. Pay attention to your body language, which can convey as much information as your words do. Gesture with an open hand, palm facing up, to convey openness. Lean toward your audience to signal your interest. Avoid closed stances, such as crossed arms and clenched fists, if you aim to engage your listeners.

6. Make eye contact with audience members to signal honesty and shared enthusiasm.

7. Banish tentative verbal tics like "uh...", "you know" and "right?" Using these will make you seem unprofessional and convey a lack of confidence.

8. Stand straight, with good posture. Keep your hands out of your pockets and speak with a smile in your voice.

Tips & Warnings

• Be attentive and responsive to your audience.

• Spend time enhancing your vocabulary. Repeating words can make your presentation dull. A large repertoire of words at your command will help you sound like an authority.

• Do not cut others off.

• Do not look at your feet.

• Chew gum in the car or at home; not while trying to make a point.

References

• "Speak with Confidence"; Dianna Booher; 2002