Feb 5, 2026
What You Need to Know to Be a Public Speaker
Public speaking is one of the most valuable professional skills.
The ability to speak confidently and persuasively can transform your career and open doors across industries. Whether you want to inspire a small team or address a stadium of thousands, here is how you can find your voice.
While most people think of public speaking as standing on a stage, public speaking also includes webinars, virtual keynotes, podcasts, and digital town halls. Whatever the media format, the goal remains the same: you want to inform, persuade, or entertain your audience.
Public Speaking Skills
If you want to become an effective orator, you don’t need the “gift of gab.” Public speaking is about developing specific communication skills. For example, you’ll want to work on your
- Storytelling: The ability to weave facts and anecdotes into a narrative that resonates emotionally.
- Body Language: Using gestures and posture to convey confidence and authority.
- Vocal Variety: Mastering pitch, pace, and volume to keep the audience engaged.
- Adaptability: Reading the room and adjusting your message on the fly.
For example, cybersecurity speaker Eric O’Neill, author of Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime, doesn’t even use a PowerPoint and instead focuses on storytelling to capture the audience’s attention and deliver his information.
How to Level Up Your Skills
If you’re ready to move beyond basic PowerPoint presentations and connect with an audience, there are several pathways to refine your craft.
1) Public Speaker Training & Classes
For beginners, public speaker classes (like those offered by Toastmasters or local community colleges) provide a safe environment to practice. General public speaker training focuses on overcoming “stage fright” and organizing your thoughts logically.
2) Public Speaker Courses
If you have a specific niche—such as corporate leadership or motivational speaking—a structured public speaker course can provide a deeper dive. These are often intensive, multi-week programs that cover the business side of speaking, such as branding and stagecraft.
3) Public Speaker Coaching
For those looking for more personalized improvement, a public speaker coach is the way to go. A coach provides one-on-one feedback, helps you polish your “signature talk,” and identifies the subtle habits that might be holding you back. Many people get coaching by developing a TED or TEDx talk in their local community.
For example, top resilience speaker Jia Jiang got his start by delivering a TEDx talk about his 100 Days of Rejection experiment that earned him millions of views.
Career Training
Many people wonder if they can turn good communication skills into a full-time speaking career. The answer is yes, but it requires more than just delivering a good keynote. You have to also work on your business skills and market yourself, which you can learn at places like the NSA (National Speakers Association).
A few ways you can develop your career are the following:
1) Offer Workshops: Teaching smaller groups specific skills.
2) Consult: Using their expertise to advise companies.
3) Make a Podcast: Offer your own podcast or be a guest on other podcasts.
4) Speak at Events: Offer your skills at events and conferences.
For example, inspirational speaker Molly Bloom, the bestselling author of Molly’s Game, frequently markets herself and her speaking brand as a guest on podcasts. And, Tiffani Bova, bestselling author of The Growth Mindset, has her own podcast, What’s Next! with Tiffani Bova.
Public Speaker Certification
While not required for a speaking career, obtaining a public speaker certification (such as the Certified Speaking Professional or CSP designation) can add to your speaker credibility. The American Institute of Business and Management (AIBM) offers certification.
For more on public speaking, read