My seventeen year old son has been asked to prepare a speech to give at his school's open evening. However he is very nervous about public speaking, and is worried that it will go wrong. Despite being a reasonably confident boy around people usually, he said that when he had to give a speech in an English class, he had problems controlling his voice because of nervousness. How can I help him prepare and become confident with public speaking?

Hi Eva,

Most of us have some difficulties when it comes to standing up in front of a crowd and talking. It is important that you tell him his feelings are completely natural. It will help him if he learns some relaxation exercises to practice when he is anxious.

Here are a few guidelines (you can find more information on the Public Speaking Section of our website).

Know your subject – do a bit of research so you really feel confident about what you are saying and if to have to answer questions.

Make some notes - often a few cue cards with your key points will be enough to get you through. Try not to just read word for word straight from a piece of paper because you won’t be looking the audience and it won’t appear natural.

Rehearse - this will help you feel more confident and look more natural.

Prepare some visuals – people like visuals and displays that highlight your key points and make it easier for listeners to follow your presentation.


When you are presenting


Project your voice - this is all about breathing from your diaphragm and relaxing. Let your diaphragm and lungs do all the work.

Speak clearly – don’t mumble, talk up, not down!!

Drink water – keep some water close by, don’t get dehydrated.

Short sentences – speak in short sentences with breathes in between.


I hope this helps and he does well Eva. If any other people out there have some good advice relating to public speaking, please post it on the Forum.

Regards icommunicate webteam

My son also has to perform his speech tomorrow,and has been practising infront of the mirror and an audience at home. These tips are definitely helpful, and he's feeling a little bit more confident but of course, still nervous.

Another idea I had was to get the video camera out and film him practising the speech - I tried this with my son, this made him more nervous when presenting it, but when we played it back he was surprised at how confident he actually looked.

Thank you for the advice! And Eva, hope your sons speech goes well!