Sometimes, the simplest moments hold the deepest wisdom. Let your thoughts settle, and clarity will find you.

You can have something good to say, but how to say it fails you. Several factors put into consideration then you stand out effectively.

Make your 2026 count by developing strong presentation skills. This can open for you new avenues.

Here are ten helpful tips to help you stand out as a more effective and engaging speaker.

1. Master Your Fears

Many people have anxiety about public speaking. If you’re one of them, take the new year as a chance to confront and overcome your fears. This is acknowledging there is fear then finding good strategy out of it.

Embrace the “Fear-Setting” Technique:  By Tim Ferriss. The fear-setting exercise shifts focus from anxiety to action. Begin by identifying your major fears about public speaking. Write them down, and then assess the worst-case scenarios: What’s the likelihood of these happening? How might you mitigate these fears? Next, visualise the best-case scenario and identify the steps you can take to achieve it. This process can help you gain perspective, reduce anxiety, and approach your speech with clarity and confidence.

Grounding Techniques; engage your senses to bring you back to the present moment. For instance, take a few moments to notice five things you can see in your environment, four sounds you can hear, three textures you can touch, two scents you can identify, and one taste in your mouth. By focusing on your senses, you can anchor yourself in the moment, reducing anxiety and helping you feel more grounded and prepared to speak.

2. Learn The Art Of Storytelling

Instead of just stating facts, share a personal story that relates to your message. For instance, if you’re discussing resilience, recount a challenging situation you faced and how you overcame it, and conclude with the lesson learned.

Build the emotional journey of your story. Start with a low moment (fear, doubt, frustration), progress through tension (building excitement), and conclude with resolution (success, achievement). This could be as simple as your experience overcoming stage fright before delivering a successful speech.

Introduce unexpected elements to your story. For instance, while explaining a business failure, you could reveal how that led to an unanticipated opportunity or partnership that changed your career trajectory.

Frame your story around themes that resonate widely, like challenge, loss, or resilience. Share a story about a mentor’s influence that highlights the universal value of guidance and support and illustrates how it shaped your journey.

Compare your journey to a well-known concept, like climbing a mountain. You might say, “Starting my career felt like scaling Everest, hard work, preparation, and every step taken required determination.”

3. Identify Your Signature Voice

Record yourself practising your presentation and listen to how you sound. Notice your pitch, pace, volume, intonation and emphasis on key words; listen for monotony. If you notice a lack of variety, practice emphasising key phrases by changing your pitch. For example, raise your voice slightly when stating a key takeaway or lower it for dramatic effect.

Practice diaphragmatic breathing by inhaling deeply through your nose, allowing your abdomen to expand. Exhale slowly through your mouth. This will help improve your breath control and sustain longer sentences without becoming breathless.

Do some vocal exercises, such as holding a pen across your mouth with your teeth and try to speak out alphabetical letters A-Z.

Practice varying your pitch while reading a passage aloud, raising specific phrases and lowering others. For instance, elevate your pitch when expressing excitement and drop it for serious points.

Record yourself speaking at different speeds. Practice speaking slowly at key points to highlight their importance and speed up when sharing less critical information to maintain energy.

Use volume strategically in your delivery. For instance, whisper a key point to grab attention or raise your voice for emphasis when sharing testimonials or impactful statistics.

Choose a few paragraphs from your favourite book and practice delivering them with different emotional undertones (anger, passion, sadness).

4. Pause ⏯️ Pause

Your audience knows you are human, not a robot speaker.

Practice strategic pauses after delivering an important point, fact, statement or before asking a thought-provoking question. This allows your audience to reflect on what you’ve said. For example, pause immediately after stating a shocking statistic to allow it to sink in.

When moving from one idea to another, pause briefly to signal the shift. For example, “Now that we’ve discussed the problem… (pause) let’s explore potential solutions.” This gives your audience time to process the topic change.

Before you pause, take a small step or shift your weight slightly. This physical movement can cue you to pause and signify a transition to your audience. For example: “We need to come together as a team… (step forward) to create lasting change.”

When practising your speech, highlight places in your script where you intend to pause. For example, highlight places where you want to add a dramatic effect or allow for reflection, and be intentional about practising those pauses.

5. Practice/Practice/Practice.

Record yourself giving a presentation or practising your speech. Afterwards, watch the playback to observe your posture, gestures, and facial expressions. Pay attention to distracting habits, such as crossing your arms, excessive pacing, or swaying.

Present yourself to a friend, colleague, or mentor and ask for specific feedback on your body language.

Note every point. Give strength where needed and improve where you notice some weaknesses.

Before and during your presentation, take a moment to become aware of your body. Check how you’re standing (legs, shoulders) and what your hands are doing and adjust where necessary.

Your body language speaks paragraphs about you; your fears and confidence included in those paragraphs and your audience read them line by line-word by word.

Once you get an idea put it into practice without hesitation. That’s Faith of actions and has good reward. Sophisticated knowledge not put into use is useless.

6. Engage your audience

Don’t just talk at them. Ask Questions: A rhetorical question, a direct one or a thought-provoking one. For instance, “How many of you have ever faced a setback in your career?” After a few hands go up, you can continue by sharing a related story or lesson.

Use tools like audience response systems (or even simple show-of-hands) to gather opinions. You might say, “Let’s take a quick poll. How many of you believe that our greatest lessons often come from our biggest failures? Please raise your hand if you agree. Consider a time when a setback ultimately led to important personal growth.” This encourages participation and gives you immediate feedback.

Integrate a fun quiz related to your presentation topic. Pose questions and encourage audience members to shout out answers or raise their hands. For example, “Which of the following trends will have the most significant impact on our industry in the next five years?” a) Artificial Intelligence b) Sustainable Practices c) Remote Work d) Blockchain Technology?”

Offer a small prize for correct answers to spur participation.

At the beginning of your presentation, ask participants to rate their current mood or feelings about the topic on a scale of 1 to 10, then invite a few people to explain why they chose that number briefly. This creates a personal connection to the subject matter.

Relate to the audience by telling a story that resonates with their experiences. After sharing your story, invite them to reflect, asking, “Have any of you faced a similar challenge?”

If time permits, break your audience into smaller groups to discuss a specific question or topic. Give them a few minutes to collaborate, then ask a representative from each group to share their insights with everyone.

Incorporate a quick audience participation activity. If you’re discussing teamwork, ask attendees to turn to a neighbour and share a brief experience of effective teamwork before you share your insights.

7. Use Simple impactful slides

Use minimal text and powerful images. For example, if you’re discussing climate change, instead of traditional slides filled with text, use a powerful video montage that juxtaposes scenes of natural beauty with alarming footage of environmental destruction. Use images that open with striking footage of thriving ecosystems, vibrant wildlife, and lush landscapes, followed by stark images and statistics showing the effects of climate change, such as extreme weather events, deforestation, and rising sea levels.

After sharing the video or slides, present a statement and question such as, “As we stand on the precipice of irreversible change, ask yourself: ‘What legacy do you want to leave for future generations? Will you be remembered as the one who remained silent, or as the one who acted when it mattered most?’ The choices we make today will define the world of tomorrow.”

Use minimalistic slides that display powerful quotes on a plain background. For instance, a slide that states, “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.” This keeps the focus on the message without distractions.

One idea per slide: The  rule is to have one claim or idea per slide. If you have more to say, put it on the next slide.

8. Learn From Powerful Speeches

Each month, choose a famous speech and break it down. Analyse what made it great: was it the storytelling, the structure, or the use of rhetorical devices? Use these insights to incorporate similar techniques into your presentations for more impactful messages.

Here are 10 famous and influential speeches throughout history that offer valuable lessons in rhetoric, structure, and emotional impact:

January 1963– Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream” , February 1940– Winston Churchill, “We Shall Fight on the Beaches” and March 1961– John F. Kennedy, “Inaugural Address” Kennedy’s famous line, “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” .

April – Malala Yousafzai, “United Nations Youth Assembly Speech” (2013) After surviving an assassination attempt, Malala advocated for education and women’s rights inspiring great change.

May – Nelson Mandela, “I Am Prepared to Die” (1964). Spoken during his trial for sabotage, he articulated his commitment to fighting apartheid and emphasised the struggle for freedom, making a compelling case for justice.

June – Susan B. Anthony, “On Women’s Right to Vote” (1873) Given after Anthony was arrested for voting, passionately argued for women’s suffrage, highlighting the moral grounds of equality and justice in the fight for women’s rights.

July – Barack Obama, “Yes We Can” (2008) This speech became a rallying cry for his campaign, emphasising hope and change and showcasing personal storytelling to connect with his audience.

 August 1851 – Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I a Woman?” Delivered at the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron Ohio, Truth highlighted the intersection of race and gender, using poignant rhetoric to advocate for women’s rights.

September – Steve Jobs, “Stanford Commencement Speech” (2005)He shared his personal stories of failure and success, emphasising the importance of following one’s passion and the value of life experiences, making it a profound career and life lesson.

October – Franklin D. Roosevelt, “The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself” (1933) Ih This speech, he addressed the Great Depression and called for courage among Americans, using reassurance and firm resolve to instil hope amid adversity.

November 2014 – Emma Watson, “HeForShe Speech At The UN” She advocated for gender equality and invited men to join the feminist movement, effectively using personal anecdotes and statistics to create empathy and mobilise support.

December 1863 – Abraham Lincoln, “Gettysburg Address”In commemorating fallen soldiers, Lincoln emphasised unity and the principles of freedom and equality, demonstrating how brevity and clarity can have a profound impact.

9. Nurture Growth Mindset

Adopt a growth mindset towards public speaking. Recognise that improvement takes time and that mistakes are part of the learning process. Celebrate your progress, no matter how small, and remain open to learning from every experience.

View public speaking opportunities as challenges to enhance your skills, not obstacles to avoid. Each speaking engagement is a chance to learn and grow.

Seek constructive feedback from peers, mentors, or audiences. Use their insights to identify areas for improvement and view criticism as a valuable tool for your development.

After each presentation, take time to reflect on what went well and what could be better. Consider keeping a public speaking journal to track your progress and lessons learned.

Establish clear, attainable goals for your public speaking journey. For instance, aim to practice a certain number of speeches each month or to enhance specific skills, such as eye contact or vocal variety.

The more you practice, the more confident you will become. Rehearse speeches in front of friends, family, or even in front of a mirror to refine your delivery and develop comfort with the material.

Spend time visualising a successful presentation. Imagine yourself speaking confidently and engaging the audience. Visualisation can reduce anxiety and enhance performance.

Stay curious about the art of public speaking. Read books, watch TED Talks, or attend workshops to learn new techniques and perspectives. The more you learn, the more you’ll develop your skills.

Replace negative self-talk with positive affirmations about your speaking abilities. Remind yourself that experience leads to improvement and embrace the journey as part of your growth.

Shift your mindset from self-consciousness to audience connection. Focus on how you can help your audience rather than on your performance.

10. Go For Professional Help

The best way to develop strong public speaking skills in 2026 is to:

– Book yourself onto a powerful public speaking course.

– Invest in some excellent one-on-one public speaking coaching.

– Get yourself some excellent presentation training

As we approach the New Year, abandon traditional resolutions and adopt these powerful techniques to become a better public speaker. By changing how you prepare and present, you’ll not only enhance your skills but also enjoy the process of becoming a captivating communicator. Here’s to a year filled with bold speeches, memorable connections, and the bravery to step into the spotlight! I hope these tips help you not just speak, but also inspire.

You can join us for a full day of high-impact training. If you’d like to make a real difference to your presentations, build confidence and be remembered for all the right reasons, Log into noahomweri.com/zest to book for your classes today.