career-work
Starter Pack: Public Speaking for People Who'd Rather Die
November 13, 2025
You don't need a TED Talk to get comfortable speaking up. Here's how to handle small stages without the existential dread.
Here’s the thing about public speaking: nobody expects you to be slick. They just want you to show up, share something useful, and not visibly panic. The pressure you’re putting on yourself? That’s 90% self-imposed.
I get it. The thought of standing in front of people and talking might trigger your flight response. But the good news is you don’t need to fix your anxiety—you just need to prepare differently. Small stages, local events, team meetings, community talks. These are where you actually build the skill, not on some massive conference stage where the stakes feel astronomical.
Let’s talk about what actually works.
Start stupidly small
You’re not going for your first speaking gig at a 500-person conference. Nobody does that (and if they do, they regret it). You could try:
- Speaking up in team meetings (yes, this counts)
- Doing a 10-minute talk at a local meetup
- Presenting at a small workshop or community event
- Reading at an open mic night
- Sharing at a professional lunch-and-learn
The venue size doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re used to the feeling of being the one talking while others listen. Small rooms strip away the theatrical nonsense. People are close enough that they’re already invested in what you’re saying.
Write it down, don’t memorize it
Here’s where most people go wrong: they try to remember everything, which cranks the anxiety to 11. Instead, write out what you’re actually going to say. Not word-for-word scripts (that sounds robotic), but actual sentences you’d use in conversation.
Mark the key points. Build in natural pauses. Know your opening line cold—that first 30 seconds is where panic lives, so anchor yourself there. After you say the opening, your body remembers what comes next. You don’t need to memorize; you need to know the shape of the talk.
Read it out loud a few times. Not like you’re rehearsing for a play, but like you’re explaining something to a friend. You’ll feel where the rhythm breaks.
Prepare your anxiety response
Your nervous system’s going to fire up. That’s not a flaw—that’s adrenaline. You could lean into it. Before you go on, give yourself permission to feel shaky. Notice your hands trembling without treating it like a disaster. Deep breath. Walk on stage. Start talking.
What you’ll discover is that the first minute is the hardest, and then your body settles. You’ll get into a groove. By minute three, you’ll forget you were terrified. By minute five, you might actually enjoy it.
Know your audience way better than you think you do
People want you to succeed. They’re not sitting there hoping you’ll fail. They came because they’re interested in something you know about. That’s it. They’re rooting for you by default.
This is exactly where the imposter syndrome playbook helps—because you’ll probably feel like a fraud up there. You won’t be. You know something they don’t; that’s why you’re talking.
Have something real to say
The worst speaking happens when people are trying to fill time or sound impressive. Don’t do that. Talk about something you’ve actually lived through or learned. A mistake you made. A tool you use. A lesson that cost you something. The specific stuff is what lands.
Generic motivational advice bounces off. Your actual experience sticks. You’re not trying to change the room’s life—you’re just trying to be useful or interesting for 10 minutes.
Recovery mode: nobody will remember
If you stumble over a word, forget your place for five seconds, or accidentally say something awkwardly, the audience barely registers it. Seriously. They’re focused on the content, not your imperfections. If you pause and get back on track, most people won’t even realize anything happened.
The stakes are lower than your brain’s telling you they are.
The real skill
Public speaking isn’t about charisma or perfect delivery. It’s about being clear and honest. If you can explain something to one person, you can explain it to fifty. The only difference is that fifty people are listening instead of one.
Start small. Prepare in a way that feels natural to you. Show up and be real. That’s the whole playbook.
You don’t need to be a natural. You just need to start.
Want to get better at the human side of work? Check out how having better conversations actually shifts these moments, or level up your presence with how to negotiate without being a jerk—both skills that make you better in front of a room, and everywhere else.