Two Unconventional Ways to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills

Engineers tend to invest in technical skills rather than communication skills. However, developing the latter can help you deliver your message in a way that is understandable by a wider (and not necessarily technical) audience.

Do you think you need to improve your public speaking skills? Do you think you are ready to speak at a conference? Welcome to the club! I bet you and I are not the only members.

What kind of advice have you usually received on the topic? Probably that you should practice as much as possible with a smaller audience — like preparing some slides and run a presentation in front of your team.

This is a good approach, but I can imagine possible second thoughts you might have. Maybe it’s imposter syndrome whispering, “What if I look too nervous and they won’t believe I know the subject?” or “They will ask questions, I won’t know the answers, and they will think I’m stupid.” Or maybe you don’t want to practice in a work environment and would like to have a less official experience.

Let me share a couple of other methods you could try. This is not based on any scientific research, only personal opinion. I’ve tried these ideas to improve my own speaking skills, and I enjoyed both of them a lot.

Join a Debate Club

Debate clubs are an excellent place to develop essential public speaking skills.

First of all, only eight participants are required for a debate round, plus judges. This means you probably won’t feel overwhelmed by the audience size. Next, the discussion topic is shared 15 minutes before the start of the round, so you do not have time to stress out — you only have time to prepare your speech. Moreover, the side your team is playing on might be opposite to your personal beliefs, so you will have a chance to hear and understand other points of view.

Depending on the regularity of your attendance, you will speak in front of familiar people. Eventually, it will be almost the same as presenting in front of your team, as you will get to know the other people who join regularly.

Other participants can ask you questions during your speech, so you will practice answering them without prior preparation. By practicing this skill in a controlled environment, it will come easier when such need arises in a real-life public speaking situation.

Discussion topics can be unexpected and related to politics, economics, art, health — basically anything. You will be challenged to prepare a speech about something you may have never thought about previously. You will also need to anticipate possible arguments from your opponents and have questions ready for them. This exercise makes your brain work fast, and this skill can be useful if you are invited to a discussion panel in the future.

Attend an Acting Class

Inside the acting studio, you are in a safe place: people come here to practice their acting, not to criticize you. This understanding can help you be more open during the class without self-censoring your creative flow. In my case, it wasn’t like that from the very beginning, as I usually need some time to feel comfortable around new people.

Classes are different and focus on various techniques of stage play. For example, one day it’s pure improvisation, where your classmates suggest what is happening to your character and you need to adapt accordingly. This can prepare you if something unexpected happens during a conference talk.

When a class is devoted to a group performance, you need to notice your partners and keep several attention points simultaneously. This is helpful to practice maintaining eye contact with the audience.

You might also have exercises to improve pronunciation and better control your breath and voice. All of those will come handy when you start practicing your future talk.

I have personally tried both of these methods to improve my self-confidence in preparation to become a public speaker. This is working for me, as after four months of the acting course, I have gained enough courage to perform a dramatic etude in front of 80 people.