How to Get Better at Public Speaking: What Actually Works

Last updated: December 28, 2025 · 5 minute read

I wasted three years trying to get better at public speaking using advice that doesn’t work.

I read every book. Watched every TED talk about TED talks. Practised in front of mirrors until I felt ridiculous. Visualised success until I could picture standing ovations in my sleep.

Still terrified. Still mediocre.

Then I discovered what actually moves the needle — and it’s not what most articles tell you. After 24 years of corporate presenting and 19 years of training others, I’ve learned that most popular advice on how to get better at public speaking is either wrong or incomplete.

Here’s what actually works.

What Doesn’t Work to Get Better at Public Speaking

Let me save you some time. These popular techniques either don’t work or work far less than people claim:

❌ “Just practice more”

This is the most common advice and the most misleading. Research on deliberate practice shows that repetition without feedback doesn’t improve performance — it just reinforces existing habits, including bad ones.

I practised my presentations obsessively for years. All I did was get really good at being mediocre in a consistent way.

❌ Picturing the audience in their underwear

I genuinely don’t know who invented this advice, but it’s absurd. Trying to visualise something ridiculous while also delivering complex information just splits your attention and makes everything worse.

❌ Memorising your entire presentation

This backfires spectacularly. Memorised presentations sound robotic, and the moment you lose your place, you’re in freefall with no recovery path.

I memorised a 20-minute presentation for a Commerzbank client pitch. Forgot one line. Couldn’t recover because I’d memorised a script, not understood a structure. Disaster.

❌ Generic “be confident” advice

Confidence is a result, not a technique. Telling someone to “be confident” is like telling someone to “be taller.” For actual confidence-building techniques, see my guide on how to build confidence in public speaking.

What Actually Works to Get Better at Public Speaking

✅ Record yourself and actually watch it

This is uncomfortable. Do it anyway.

You think you’re pausing for effect — the video shows you’re racing through without breathing. You think you’re making eye contact — the video shows you’re staring at your slides. You think your “ums” aren’t that bad — the video counts 47 in ten minutes.

I resisted recording myself for years. When I finally did, I discovered I had a habit of looking at the ceiling when thinking. No one had ever told me. I’d been doing it for a decade.

Record your next presentation. Watch it once. Pick ONE thing to fix.

✅ Get feedback from someone who presents well

Not your spouse. Not your friend who “thinks you did great.” Someone who actually presents at a high level and will tell you the truth.

At JPMorgan, I finally asked a senior MD who was known for brilliant client presentations to watch me and give honest feedback. His comment: “You start strong but lose energy in the middle. Your voice drops and you speed up like you want it to be over.”

That single piece of feedback improved my presentations more than three years of solo practice.

✅ Focus on one skill for 2-4 weeks

Don’t try to improve everything at once. Your working memory can’t handle it.

A focused improvement plan:

• Weeks 1-2: Pausing (count to 2 after key points)
• Weeks 3-4: Opening strong (see my guide on how to start a presentation)
• Weeks 5-6: Eliminating filler words
• Weeks 7-8: Eye contact (one thought per person)

This compounds. After two months, you’ve made four significant improvements. After six months, you’re unrecognisable.

✅ Present more often — with real stakes

There’s no substitute for actual presentations to actual audiences where something actually matters.

Rehearsing alone builds familiarity. Presenting to real humans builds skill. The nervous system activation, the need to read the room, the pressure to recover from mistakes — none of this happens in practice.

Volunteer for presentations. Take the meeting slot no one wants. Every real presentation is a rep that counts.

For more on managing the nerves that come with real stakes, see my complete guide on how to speak confidently in public.

The Fastest Path to Get Better at Public Speaking

If I had to start over, here’s exactly what I’d do:

1. Week 1: Record my next presentation and identify my biggest weakness
2. Weeks 2-3: Focus exclusively on fixing that one weakness
3. Week 4: Get feedback from a strong presenter on my progress
4. Repeat with the next weakness

This cycle — record, focus, feedback, repeat — is how professionals improve at any skill. Public speaking is no different.

For more specific techniques, see my complete public speaking tips guide.

Your Next Step

Record your next presentation. Watch it once. Identify ONE thing to fix. Work on that for two weeks.

That’s it. That’s how you actually get better at public speaking.

Frequently Asked Questions About Getting Better at Public Speaking

How long does it take to get better at public speaking?

With focused practice on one skill at a time plus regular real presentations, most people see noticeable improvement in 4-6 weeks. Significant transformation typically takes 3-6 months. The key is consistency and feedback — not just hours logged.

Can you get better at public speaking without a coach?

Yes, but it takes longer. A coach provides the feedback loop that accelerates improvement. Without one, you can substitute by recording yourself and finding a skilled presenter willing to give honest feedback. The improvement cycle still works — it’s just slower.

What’s the single most effective way to get better at public speaking?

Recording yourself and watching it back. It’s uncomfortable, but nothing else gives you accurate information about what you actually do (versus what you think you do). Most people are shocked by what they discover — and that shock is the starting point for real improvement.

Is public speaking a natural talent or a learned skill?

It’s overwhelmingly a learned skill. Some people start with advantages — comfortable with attention, naturally expressive — but the techniques that make someone genuinely excellent are all learnable. I was terrible for five years before becoming good enough to train others.

Mary Beth Hazeldine is the Owner & Managing Director of Winning Presentations and a Microsoft Copilot PowerPoint specialist. She draws on 24 years of corporate experience at JPMorgan Chase, PwC, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Commerzbank, plus qualifications as a clinical hypnotherapist. Her clients have collectively raised over £250 million using her presentation techniques.

Mary Beth Hazeldine

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