How to Speak Clearly & Confidently

Practice injecting natural pauses into your speech. People sometimes forget that they should pause or take a breath at points in a sentence where a comma would be located or before reading the second part of a compound sentence. Pick up your dictionary or a magazine and read a few lines of text. Pause for a moment whenever you see a comma and before "and" and "or." Record yourself performing this exercise and play back the recording to hear the difference.

The only true way to increase your speaking confidence is by practice and experience. Some people lack confidence when they speak merely because they are uncomfortable drawing attention to themselves. The more times that you are exposed to situations that make you feel awkward, the more adaptable you will become. Eventually, speaking clearly and confidently will come naturally.

Take deep breaths to help maintain calmness. When you are in a situation where you do not feel confident, it causes you to become stressed. This, in turn, causes the muscles in your body to tense up. Your breathing may become restricted and your adrenaline will kick in, causing you to feel shaky and light-headed. Take deep breaths and hold them in for two seconds before exhaling. Attempt to consciously relax the muscles in your body. Maintaining a sense of calm will help you feel more comfortable and confident, even in awkward situations.

Repeat positive affirmations on a daily basis. Telling yourself that you are confident and that you are able to overcome anything holds a tremendous amount of power when it comes to increasing your confidence. Stop thinking about yourself in negative terms. Instead, make a list of your positive attributes and repeat them to yourself every morning in the mirror.