Part of Education
Public Speaking: Speak with Clarity, Confidence and Influence
Public Speaking is a practical, human-led course for students, entrepreneurs, professionals, trainers and community leaders. It develops the complete speaking process: audience analysis, message design, structure, storytelling, evidence, vocal delivery essentials, stage presence, visual support, Q&A and persuasive performance. Learners repeatedly speak, receive feedback, revise and speak again. The course includes essential voice-delivery skills so every learner can improve clarity and vocal presence, while advanced articulation and voice development remain in the separate Speech Articulation & Voice Modulation course.
Objectives
- Analyse an audience and define one clear communication outcome before preparing content.
- Structure speeches so listeners can follow, remember and act.
- Use stories, examples and evidence accurately and purposefully.
- Use essential vocal-delivery tools—breath, articulation, pace, pause, stress, pitch and projection—to support meaning.
- Develop stage presence through posture, eye contact, gesture and purposeful movement.
- Use slides and visual aids as support rather than as a script.
- Handle Q&A, objections and difficult moments with calm and structure.
- Deliver and improve an informative, persuasive or entrepreneurial speech through feedback and reflection.
Recommended tools
What professionals use for this course, with a free or open-source option wherever there is one.
Designing professional presentations.
- Google SlidesFree
Online presentations, easy to share.
- LibreOffice ImpressOpen source
Free presentations, compatible with PowerPoint.
Alternative to Microsoft PowerPoint
- OBS StudioOpen source
Recording yourself on video to review your delivery.
- AudacityOpen source
Recording and replaying your voice.
Lessons
- Course OverviewReading
- Audience, purpose and the one-sentence messageReading
- Audience, purpose and the one-sentence message — Listen, Repeat & RecordSpeaking
- Speech architecture: opening, body, transitions and closingReading
- Speech architecture: opening, body, transitions and closing — Listen, Repeat & RecordSpeaking
- Storytelling, evidence and explanationReading
- Storytelling, evidence and explanation — Listen, Repeat & RecordSpeaking
- Vocal delivery essentials for public speakersReading
- Vocal delivery essentials for public speakers — Listen, Repeat & RecordSpeaking
- Stage presence: body language, eye contact and managing nervesReading
- Stage presence: body language, eye contact and managing nerves — Listen, Repeat & RecordSpeaking
- Slides, objects and visual supportReading
- Slides, objects and visual support — Listen, Repeat & RecordSpeaking
- Persuasion, Q&A and the capstone speechReading
- Persuasion, Q&A and the capstone speech — Listen, Repeat & RecordSpeaking
- Validation quizQuiz