How can I sound more confident?

Question

Basically, you learn to "manufacture" confidence. Just as you would build a car or product. The concept of "Fake it till you Make it!" also applies. By working diligently on opening your mouth, throat and breathing, your sound immediately becomes more resonant, free and natural. Many people distort their natural voice. Have you ever had to tell a child to use their "indoor voice" or even chastise them for making a scene in public by speaking too loud? Using a "fake" or "polite" voice over a lifetime, many people have restricted the free, open and natural (LOUD) voice they were born with. There's a famous book called "Freeing the Natural Voice" - Linklater. I highly recommend it! 

Think a moment about just how loud a baby's cry is... Nature enables even the smallest creatures the ability to call out to its mother. Have you ever heard a baby hummingbird's call? I like to make my lesson FUN and a true exploration of each student's natural voice. Often, great inspirations are achieved by imitating other people's voices, both speakers and singers, and animal calls. Our voices truly are amazing gifts to explore, expand and share with others!

Answer 1

Public Speaking is daunting. If you are not naturally born with the talent of public speaking, then it's not the end of the world. You just need to train extra hard, so then when the real thing takes place, it'll feel like a breeze. When preparing for a speech, yes it's good to stand in front of a mirror and record yourself and such, but you also got to somehow train your nerves. Part of the reason why public speaking is so hard is because people cannot conrol their nerves, fear, and anxiety on stage or in front of a crowd of people. Therefore, you got to practice using some method that will make you nervous and be really scared. For example, try to memorize your whole speech. Sure you'll mess up a whole lot, and while you practice you'll constantly be worried about what line comes next but that just trains your nerves and exercises your brain to not blank out on stage. You should practice your speech enough until you can even recite it in your sleep and in your dreams. Keep in mind you should practice in whatever you are going to where on your speech day so you can be comfortable speaking with that outfit on, and your outfit won't be so distracting. On the day of your speech, drink some tea or anything you usually drink to calm you down beforehand.

Answer 2

Confidence is 100% a mental game and the keys to winning this particular game are relaxation, training, and repetition. When you, as a speaker, are relaxed and happy your listeners will be equally at ease. Repetition and Theater/Improv training are two means by which to achieve this goal. Improv gives you a set of tools that help you overcome your self-consciousness. And, of course, the more Public Speaking or performing you do, the easier it becomes. Additionally, when you forgive yourself for any perceived "errors" (i.e., roll with the punches) rather than jumping on yourself for what you think is a mistake, the end result is more fluid and fun. Once you apply a few easy-to-learn tools and techniques to your presentations you will find that you are more comfortable speaking in front of others. Your audience, in turn, will be more comfortable listening to you and find your words more memorable.

Answer 3

The best way to sound more confident is to know what you are talking about and practice speaking. This is much easier if you are speaking about something you are passionate about and know the topic well. This means you want to have it written out and, in my opinion, memorized. When speaking, I wouldn't recommend sounding as if you are reading. Use your own words, watch your facial expressions, and your body language.

What if you don't know the topic well, or what if you don't agree with it?

Obviously, this would be much more difficult to sound confident about, right? In this case, I would suggest doing the homework in order to understand the topic and the reasons that others are "pro" the topic you disagree with.

Practice in front of a mirror. Record yourself and watch it with an open mind. Speak in front of family and friends. Get feedback. Look at the person or people you are talking to. Make eye contact.

OH, it is also important to be able to "step up" if something goes wrong. This can be done more easily if you know your material. An example of this that happened to me: I was doing a TEDtalk and part of my presentation included a PowerPoint that had 2 very short, but VERY important videos to make my point. The WiFi went out, and I had neglected to save it properly on the PP. When I realized it wasn't going to work, I walked over to the screen and described the 2 videos in detail, saying, "Imagine what this might be like.... etc." After that, I went right back to the talk as I had written, as if I had played those videos. Also, with this talk, I had a couple of interruptions, which are unusual in these circumstances; however, it is important to know your material and your OWN thoughts in order to answer a question or two that might come from the audience.

I love public speaking, and it has taught me a great deal about speaking with confidence!

Good Luck! :-)