7 tips for becoming an excellent public speaker

Having to give a speech in front of an audience can cause some people to shake, sweat, get sick, or freeze in terror. The root of this fear is simple: It’s scary because it’s unfamiliar to anyone who doesn’t regularly perform to a crowd.

“I always tell members after they give their first speech, ‘That’s the hardest speech you’ll ever give,'” says Joshua Rinaldi, the former president of New York Toastmasters, Manhattan’s largest chapter in the Toastmasters International network of over 14,000 public speaking clubs around the world.

The best way to become a better public speaker is through repetition and feedback from a trusted source, but there are several habits you can establish early that will make your journey easier. Here are some of Rinaldi’s top tips for becoming a confident, effective speaker.

This article is published in collaboration with Business Insider. Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum.

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Author: Richard Feloni covers management strategy and entrepreneurship for Business Insider. Dylan Roach is a graphic designer for Business Insider.

Image: U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a visit to the Ford Assembly Plant in Detroit, Michigan. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque