287. The N1 Mistake in Public Speaking

When people speak in public, they often focus too much on themselves:

• Am I speaking correctly?

• Is my accent good enough?

• Will people judge me?

• Do I sound clever?”

• Am I impressive?

This self-focus creates tension. The speaker tries hard, looks stiff, the voice tightens, and the message becomes less clear.

Ironically, the audience is usually not judging the speaker as harshly as the speaker imagines.

In my experience as a public speaker and a member of a public speaking club, the number one mistake in public speaking is something much simpler:

Trying to sound perfect instead of trying to communicate.

Connection and communication are not about sounding perfect. It’s about being understood and understanding others.

Try these simple tricks:

1. Instead of speaking to a crowd, imagine you are talking to one person and trying to explain your ideas.

Look at one listener for a moment, then another. Speak as if you are having a conversation.

 This makes your delivery more natural and helps the audience feel included.

2. Use Simple Language 

Many speakers think complex language makes them sound intelligent. In reality, simple language makes your message clearer. Short sentences and familiar words help the audience understand you quickly. Communication is about clarity, not complexity.

 3. Show That You Care About the Audience 

A strong speaker always thinks about the listener. Ask yourself: 

•  What problem does my audience have?

•  What idea will help them?

•  What do I want them to remember?

 When the audience feels that the speaker is helping them, a connection naturally happens.

  4. Use Pauses

 Many speakers talk too fast because they are nervous.

 Pauses are powerful because they:

• Give the audience time to understand

•  Make your message sound more confident

•  Allow important ideas to stand out

Learn how to use pauses effectively with the app 4Ps, Power, Pitch, Pace, Pause .

5. Use Repetitions

• Memorise your key ideas by heart and repeat them throughout your speech.

• Make your voice louder when you say your key messages.

When you focus on helping your audience rather than impressing them, communication becomes much easier.

Warmly

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com

284. How to Gain Confidence When Presenting

I am an experienced public speaker and a long-standing member of Toastmasters International. I have delivered more than a hundred speeches and have observed many presenters over the years.

You may often hear advice about breathing deeply, standing tall, and using body language to project confidence. While these techniques are helpful, there are other factors that are even more important for building real confidence in presentations.

From my experience, most presenters lack confidence for two main reasons:

1. Fear of mistakes

Many presenters worry about mispronouncing words, forgetting their points, or making mistakes in front of the audience.

This fear often becomes so strong that they focus more on avoiding errors than on communicating their message clearly.

2. Lack of preparation and practice

Confidence rarely appears by chance. It comes from preparation and repetition.

Unfortunately, many people hope their presentation will go well without putting in enough work. They avoid presenting whenever possible, and when they finally have no choice but to speak, they panic because they do not feel prepared.

The most embarrassing moment I have experienced, both personally and when watching others, is when there is a long silence because the presenter forgets what to say next.

Quick Tips to Gain Confidence

1. Master Your Words

• Practice challenging words aloud

• Record yourself and listen carefully

• Focus on sounds that do not exist in your native language

2. Practise Your Presentation Until You Feel Confident

• Write a clear introduction, body, and conclusion

• Underline key words and stress them when speaking

• Practise your presentation several times and try to avoid relying heavily on notes

• Memorise key messages by heart

3. Project Confidence During Your Presentation

Even when you feel nervous, you can still project confidence through simple behaviours that connect you with your audience.

• Smile: A genuine smile helps you relax and makes you appear approachable and confident. It also helps the audience feel comfortable and engaged.

• Maintain eye contact. Look at different people in the audience rather than focusing on one spot or reading from your notes. Eye contact creates a connection and shows that you are confident and involved in the conversation.

• If you forget what to say next, involve the audience. If your mind suddenly goes blank, don’t panic. You can pause and ask the audience a simple question related to your topic. This gives you a moment to collect your thoughts while keeping the audience engaged.

For example, you might say: "Has anyone here faced a similar situation?"

This technique not only helps you recover smoothly but also makes your presentation more interactive.

If you want more exercises to speak clearly, reduce your accent, and deliver presentations confidently, explore my programs at:

www.batcsglobal.com

Warmly,

Olga Smith Founder, BATCS Global

279. Executive Presence (2/4): The Signs of Weakness

Often, what not to do is more important than what to do. In the second edition of the Executive Presence series, I focus on what gets in the way of projecting authority and leadership.

Below are the most common patterns we observe during our elucution lessons that undermine confidence and are unconsciously perceived as signs of weakness:

1. Over-explaining.

2. Seeking approval

3. Avoiding discomfort

4. Rushing, multitasking, reacting to everything

5. Projecting low energy

What can you substitute it with?

1. Instead of over-explaining, focus on the key message, key goal, unless you want to lose the plot in the sea of unnecessary words

2. Instead of seeking approval, be open to the fact that what you say will not be liked

3. Instead of avoiding discomfort, thrive on it and use it as a growth tool

4. Instead of rushing, multitasking, and reacting to everything, develop calm and structure. Identify key priorities for the day, week, etc. and focus on priorities. Do not react to noise. This is particularly difficult in our era of information overload and constant notifications. They are true time and focus thieves.

5. Make energy management your strategy. Often, people say that our most important resource is time; I disagree. I believe energy matters more than time. Without energy, even unlimited time won’t take us far in achieving goals or leading others.

In the next edition, I focus on the speech and voice to assert a strong presence.

Warmly

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com

277. Executive Presence (1/4): The Components

In our elocution lessons, we don’t focus only on speech and accent. We also help students develop a stronger presence and greater confidence overall.

This is something many of our students actively want to work on — what is often called executive presence.

With this article, I’m starting an Executive Presence series based on more than 20 years of teaching and coaching top-level professionals and diplomats.

In this edition, I’ll walk you through five core components of executive presence, explain why they matter, and show how they work together.

You can think of executive presence much like a good golf swing. It isn’t built on one single movement, but on several elements working together — posture, balance, timing, and follow-through. If one part is off, the entire swing suffers. Executive presence works the same way.

The five core components are:

1. Authenticity: the ability to act as your true self without pretence

2. Physical presence: energy level, dress code, fitness level

3. Confidence: ability to act decisively

4. Body language: eye contact, gestures, posture

5. Speech and voice: pronunciation, articulation, voice modulation and use of pauses

The key point is this: to look and feel truly confident, a person must be authentic. Confidence is communicated through actions and body language — gestures, eye contact, and tone of voice. Clear speech and good articulation further strengthen executive presence and how others perceive you. In just a few seconds, your physical presence communicates a great deal about you, including energy level and overall status. All these components send signals about who you are and determine how people treat you.

In the next editions of this series, I’ll share practical techniques you can use to build executive presence and show you how to remove the obstacles that often get in the way.

Warmly

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com

276. Why Some Speeches Go Viral—and Most Don’t

I’ve spent years watching some speeches go viral—and just as many disappear.

At first, I thought it was about confidence. Or charisma. Or luck.

It isn’t. Over time, patterns became impossible to ignore. The speeches that travel aren’t just “good.” They’re built to resonate in a world that moves fast. Here’s what I’ve learned.

1️⃣ One Clear Idea

Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” , or Abram Lincoln's “By the people, for the people…” - these messages still travel decades later because it collapses into a single idea people can repeat. When a message can’t be summarized in one sentence, it rarely spreads.

2️⃣ Emotion Beats Information

Greta Thunberg’s “How dare you” speech went viral not because it introduced new data, but because it voiced collective anger and urgency. Emotion is what pushes people to share.

3️⃣ Authenticity Matters More Than Polish

When I watch Malala Yousafzai’s UN speech, what stands out isn’t technical perfection—it’s sincerity. The calm delivery, the real pauses, the sense that every word mattered. Audiences trust speakers who sound human, not rehearsed.

4️⃣ Stories Travel Further Than Explanations

For example, Steve Jobs’ Stanford commencement address is remembered because it was built around three personal stories. Stories create images, and images move faster than arguments.

5️⃣ Timing Is Everything

Jacinda Ardern’s speeches after the Christchurch attacks resonated globally because they met the emotional moment exactly. The right words at the wrong time don’t travel.

6️⃣ Memorable Language Creates Momentum

Barack Obama’s “Yes We Can” worked because it was short, rhythmic, and repeatable. Lines that can be quoted without explanation are made for sharing.

7️⃣ Delivery Is Precision, Not Performance

Viral speeches aren’t loud or theatrical—they’re controlled:

• Power - to command attention

• Pitch - to avoid monotony

• Pause - to let meaning lan

• Pace - to guide understanding

Watching talks like Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why”, it’s clear delivery amplifies the idea. That insight inspired me to build Power, Pitch, Pause, Pace app, helping speakers practise fundamentals so their delivery supports the message.

Equally important are intonation and sentence stress. Where the voice rises or falls, and which words carry emphasis, determine whether a message lands—especially in short clips. That’s why I also built Fluent English Speech app, to help speakers, especially non-native ones, sound clear, expressive, and globally understandable.

8️⃣ Designed for the Clip Era

Michelle Obama’s convention speeches work in 30 seconds because they have clear emotional peaks, intentional pauses, and precise vocal choices. Viral moments today often live in short clips—and delivery is what makes them survive.

My biggest takeaway:

Virality isn’t the goal. Resonance is.

256. Emotional Authenticity Is Your Competitive Edge

I have noticed that a vast majority of people I meet are afraid to be themselves. They say the thing they are supposed to say. They do not express their own opinions. I find it truly exhausting and very boring specially when listening to public speeches. I want to scream: give me real you, not a fake persona you are trying to build.

There is a widespread opinion that professionalism and power means neutrality. Keep emotions out of it. Stay polished. Be composed.

However, there is one skill that consistently rises above the noise - emotional authenticity.

This skill builds real trust.

It improves resilience.

It reduces second-guessing and opens the door to real conversations

This very skill can be your strategic advantage, particularly in public speaking.

What Emotional Authenticity Is

• Clear, grounded expression

• Honest self-awareness

• Communicating with sincerity rather than performance

It ISN’T:

• Oversharing

• Unfiltered emotion

Three Ways to Practice Emotional Authenticity In Public Speaking

1. Start your speech with a question to the audience: Should I tell the truth or...? I am sure the audience will shout "yes". Follow up and tell people the truth and not what may seem sound appropriate or perferct

2. Substitute verbs "think, believe," with verbs "feel, sense"

3. Look each person in the audience in the eyes for 5 seconds (it will feel long)

These small shifts create space for honesty - and honesty creates connection.

Emotional authenticity isn’t about dramatic confession or forced openness. It’s about:

• Alignment

• Integrity

• Congruence

Ignoring, hiding or suppressing your emotions doesn’t make them disappear. People can sense them. Recognising them is a powerful step to freedom of self-expression, strong presence and impactful speech. Your emotions and feeling are not obstacles - they’re the most valuable sourse of information.

I finish my newsletter with one of my favourite quotes:

“The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” - Carl Jung

Warmly

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com

253. Small Steps Matter

Big success does not happen overnight. It’s the result of consistent small steps practised over time. How does it work? I will explain in my examples below.

5 Second Rule

When you hear the alarm and continue staying in bed, telling yourself that another 10 minutes will not matter, you program and train your body and brain to procrastinate. But, if instead of staying in bed, you count ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE and get up, you train yourself to win the battle with yourself.

Cold Shower

Taking a cold shower lasts only 30 seconds, yet it feels incredibly difficult. But it's so difficult because we start thinking about how unpleasant and scary it will be.

Stop negotiating with yourself - just do it. When I started cold water swimming, the hardest part wasn’t the water itself, but overcoming the fear of it. Once I stopped thinking and simply acted, everything changed. Now it's my addiction. I love it so much because after swimming in cold water, I feel high energy.

Unpleasant Phone Call

We often delay making that one phone call we dread—maybe because we’re afraid of upsetting someone. We hope the problem will disappear if we avoid it long enough. But it never does.

In fact, the longer we wait, the worse it usually gets. Make the call as soon as possible, and you’ll feel lighter and relieved for the rest of the day.

5-minute speech exercises daily

Great speaking skills aren’t built in a single training session. They come from small, consistent daily practice.

Just 5 minutes a day of reading out loud and doing articulation exercises will make a remarkable difference over time. Start it today with the app Elocution Lessons!

Small actions create big change.

Do the little things daily, and the big results will follow.

Start now - your future self is waiting.

Warmly

Olga Smith

www.batcsglobal.com