Whenever I need a confidence boost, there’s nothing like inspirational quotes about speaking to give me a total reset.
Whether I’m facing writer’s block, stage fright, or I’m just feeling unmotivated, I turn to these words from the legends.
From Mark Twain to Maya Angelou, here are inspirational quotes for public speaking with focus on:
Print them, tweet them, pin them, read at random, do what you need to do to get motivated and inspired.
And please share – you never know when someone else will need a confidence boost just like you!
Inspirational quotes for stage presence and confidence
“You don’t have to change who you are, you have to become more of who you are” – Sally Hogshead
Turn up the parts of yourself you love most! Why not!
Don’t be afraid of who you’re going to become – it’s still you, just turned up!
“There are only two types of speakers in the world. The nervous and the liars.” – Mark Twain
I still get stage fright and I LOVE IT. Now, I just treat it as a spark of energy bursting out of me.
Here’s a reframe for you – if you’re feeling nervous, it means that what you’re about to do is a BIG DEAL. Aren’t you happy that you get to do that?
“If I went back to college again, I’d concentrate on two areas: learning to write and to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively.” – Gerald R. Ford
You hit the nail on the head, Mr. Ford, but what’s even more important than communicating effectively is knowing that everything is learnable.
It doesn’t matter if you think you’ve failed in the past. It doesn’t matter if you think you’re past your prime. It doesn’t matter if you think you’re not confident enough, or that you’re just not a “natural”.
Everything is learnable. Anytime.
So why not just choose to start now?
“Only the prepared speaker deserves to be confident” – Dale Carnegie
The fastest way to feel confident is to achieve something. It’s to overcome something.
If everything came easily to you, then you’d have nothing to be proud of.
If you struggle with public speaking, with being heard, with getting people excited to hear you, think about how amazing it will feel to overcome that.
Isn’t that motivating?
Now ask yourself, what do you need to do to make that happen?
And trust me, once you do, your confidence and stage presence will be here to stay. Because you’ve earned it and you deserve it.
Read more on Stage Presence and Confidence:
Guide to overcome stage fright
How to be MORE of who you want to be
Add more energy when presenting virtually
Inspirational quotes for inspiring action in your speech
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” – Maya Angelou
You get to choose.
This is true for our day-to-day interactions as well as our presentations.
Before you start speaking, before you even start preparing, choose how you want your audience to feel.
Do you want them to feel inspired? Joyful? Motivated? Maybe you want them to walk away with a new belief – one that they’ve never thought possible.
You have to be intentional here, and you always get to choose.
“If you don’t know what you want to achieve in your presentation your audience never will” – Harvey Diamond
I totally agree.
Ever left a talk – without really knowing what it was about? That’s because the speaker was more focused on him or herself than on YOU.
Look back to your past presentations. Do you know what you were trying to achieve?
Get very clear on what you want to inspire, and begin with the and in mind.
“The success of your presentation will be judged not by the knowledge you send but by what the listener receives” – Lily Walters
Absolutely, focus on your audience, and then seal the deal with an ending that inspires action!
“Designing a presentation without an audience in mind is like writing a love letter and addressing it: To whom it may concern” – Ken Haemer
Who is your audience?
Always ask yourself, who are they? What do they already know? What do they want to know? What do they care about? What keeps them up at night? What can be left unsaid?
When it comes to connecting and inspiring, there’s no one-size-fits-all model!
“A wise man speaks because he has something to say, a fool speaks because he has to say something” – Plato
Are you speaking just to speak?
Your audience is honoring you with their attention. Give them something in return.
If you’re not inspired by what you’re saying, don’t expect to inspire anyone else.
Read more:
The art of the pause
Start your speech on an inspiring note
Inspirational quotes for preparing the best speech of your life
“It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech” – Mark Twain
If you’re feeling stuck, if you’re having writer’s block, if you’re wondering “How the heck am I going to pull this off?” and more importantly, “Maybe I’m just not cut out for this.” It’s okay.
Everyone great has felt that in some way.
Trust, me being a “natural”, is a liability when it comes to great speeches. All you need to do is get started – use this guide for a great beginning – and the rest will come.
“No one ever complains about a speech being too short!” – Ira Hayes
I love this one. Don’t overthink it, and just get to the point.
It’s better to leave them wanting more than seeing them check their watches.
“The worst speech you’ll ever give, will be far better than the one you never give” – Fred Miller
You have to start somewhere and build from there.
Instead of fighting that fear, work with it!
If you’re putting it off because you want it to be perfect, then you’ll be stuck forever.
“There are always three speeches.The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave” – Dale Carnegie
There’s nothing more important than self-feedback.
If you’ve ever harped on what you should have done, treat it as a learning opportunity and not a reason to beat yourself up.
You’ll get to make up for it next time!
“It’s what you practice in private that you will be rewarded in public” – Tony Robbins
If your presentation is a big deal to you, then treat it that way.
Rehearse, prepare, do the research, get in the zone, ask for feedback, ask for help.
It will all pay off when you’re standing there feeling ON FIRE in front of your audience seeing them excited for what you have next.
But if you just show up and hope for the best – you’ll get what you put in.
Read more on preparing and rehearsing:
How to prepare if you have speech anxiety
High-energy checklist for public speaking
There’s no way you’re not inspired to give the best speech of your life now!
Please share – you never know who might need to see this!
(And let me know if I missed your favorite one, it might just be the cherry on top next time I need a little inspiration.)
