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One of the best ways to build confidence in your ability to deliver a successful speech is to get to work soon after you receive an assignment and follow an organized plan to craft and practice your speech. Resist the temptation to procrastinate: speech apprehension is associated with inadequate preparation.11 Conversely, high anxiety can be reduced by good preparation.12 When a speaker gets down to business and makes progress on a speech, he or she will feel less anxious.13 The point is clear: select a topic as soon as possible, and draft an outline well in advance.

After you have an outline, you can take other steps to improve your speech and build confidence. One helpful suggestion is to get your instructor’s feedback on your outline. This feedback—perhaps in the form of comments on your outline or a list of the standards she or he uses for grading—will help you improve your speech and reduce the stress of not knowing how it will be evaluated.14

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You also can gain confidence by practicing your speech. One study found that when students delivered their speech three times before a small group of classmates, they experienced a reduction in speech anxiety.15 If it is not practical to practice with a group of classmates, you can present your speech to friends and family. If you follow this plan—beginning right away, asking for feedback, and practicing—you will be on the right track to building confidence.

Imagined interactions are another form of practice. During this process, a speaker mentally practices delivering a speech to the audience, presenting the content of the message and picturing a positive interaction with the audience (such as applause).16 Research has found that practice using imagined interactions before speaking reduces the number and length of silent pauses during a presentation and strengthens the speaker’s assessment of his or her performance.17