We’ve shared lots of different tips with you in this email series, but without one important ingredient they’re all next to useless. What is it? Practice of course!

Whatever level your public speaking is at, you can always improve with more practice. Practice will help to eliminate any nerves and build confidence. Practice will help to embed all the skills mentioned in the earlier tips. And importantly, practice will create opportunities for feedback to allow you to fine tune your performance.

So take as many opportunities as you can to practice and hone your skills. Offer to do a presentation to share knowledge at work. Give a talk at a local community club. Or volunteer to say a few words about a colleague at a leaving do.

Of course, another great way to get lots of practice is to join a Toastmasters club like Bloomsbury Speakers!

In our regular meetings there is no formal teaching – just people learning by practicing and getting feedback on their performance. Within just a few weeks new members are often amazed at how far they’ve come and find it difficult to remember the nervous, sweaty-palmed individual who turned up as a guest to their meeting!