If you’ve ever stood in front of a room and felt your heart tap-dance in your chest, you’re not alone.
Public speaking isn’t something you’re magically born knowing how to do. It’s a muscle, and like any muscle, it grows when you work it with intention.
Whether you’re preparing for a team meeting, a keynote, or the everyday speaking moments that quietly shape your career, building absolute confidence starts with practice.
Not forced, stiff practice — but engaging, creative exercises that help you sound like the most grounded, authentic version of you.
Here are ten public speaking activities adults can use to improve quickly, feel more natural, and actually enjoy the process.
1. The 60-Second Story
Pick a simple moment from your day and tell the story in sixty seconds. This trains clarity, pacing, and presence without putting pressure on.
2. Eye-Contact Triangles
Whether you’re in a room or on Zoom, practice shifting your gaze between three visual anchor points. It keeps your energy open and helps you connect without staring a hole through one person.
3. The Power Pause Drill
Say a sentence. Pause intentionally. Let it land. Most speakers rush because of nerves. Pauses make you sound confident and give your audience space to absorb your message.
4. Rephrase Without Repeating
Explain something, then repeat it in different words. This boosts mental flexibility and helps you adapt on the fly if an audience looks confused.
5. Script-to-Conversational
Take a formal paragraph and rewrite it as if you were texting a friend. Practice reading the conversational version aloud. It trains you to sound real rather than rehearsed.
6. Volume Waves
Start a sentence softly and gradually increase your volume, then gradually decrease it. This builds vocal control and teaches you how to avoid monotone delivery.
7. The One-Breath Challenge
Say as much as you can in one comfortable breath, then stop. This helps eliminate rambling and builds awareness around breath support.
8. Gesture Mapping
Record yourself speaking for thirty seconds and note your gestures. Then redo it intentionally. The goal isn’t to choreograph your hands but to make your movement purposeful rather than distracting.
9. Impromptu Topic Pull
Write ten random topics on slips of paper. Draw one and speak for one minute. It’s awkward at first and wildly effective for building spontaneous confidence.
10. Feedback With a Frame
Ask a friend, colleague, or partner to give feedback in this format: one thing that worked, one thing that confused them, and one suggestion. Clear, structured feedback helps you grow without spiraling into self-critique.
Most adults don’t practice speaking until they have to — which is exactly why it feels stressful. If you weave in just a few of these exercises each week, you’ll feel more grounded, more prepared, and more like the leader you already are.
If you’d like ready-to-use training materials that help people develop these skills even faster, take a look at our presentation skills and public speaking course materials. It’s a complete, customizable kit designed to make teaching these exercises engaging and straightforward.
Catherine Fitzgerald is the founder of Oak Innovation. With over 30 years of experience in the training and development industry, Catherine and her team are ideally positioned to help corporate trainers, people managers, and consultants access editable training course material.
