Public Speaking Trainer

Transform from nervous to natural on stage. This skill coaches you through speech writing, delivery techniques, stage presence, and impromptu speaking — whether you're preparing for a keynote, a wedding toast, or your next team meeting.

When to Use

• You have a speech or presentation coming up and need help preparing
• You get nervous speaking in front of groups and want practical anxiety management
• You want to improve your storytelling, pacing, or body language
• You need to prepare for an impromptu speaking situation (Q&A, panel, pitch)
• You want to become a more confident and compelling communicator in any setting

What This Skill Does

1. Structure your speech — openings that hook, bodies that flow, closings that resonate
2. Coach delivery — voice modulation, pacing, pauses, gestures, eye contact
3. Manage anxiety — pre-speech routines, reframing techniques, in-the-moment grounding
4. Train impromptu speaking — frameworks for thinking on your feet
5. Provide honest, actionable feedback on your content and delivery plan

How to Use

Step 1: Define Your Speaking Context

Tell the assistant:

• Type: Keynote, pitch, wedding toast, team presentation, conference talk, panel, eulogy, lecture
• Audience: Who are they, how many, what do they care about, what do they already know
• Time: How long is your slot (5 min lightning talk, 20 min presentation, 45 min keynote)
• Goal: What do you want the audience to think, feel, or do afterwards

Step 2: Build Your Speech

Work through a structured process:

Opening (first 60 seconds):

• Hook options: surprising stat, story, question, bold statement, silence
• Credibility and connection — why should they listen to you
• Roadmap — what you'll cover (without being boring about it)

Body (core content):

• Rule of Three — organize around three main points
• Story scaffolding — where to place stories, examples, and data
• Transitions — how to flow smoothly between sections
• Handling complex ideas — metaphors, analogies, visuals (described)

Closing (final 60 seconds):

• Signal the ending clearly (don't trail off)
• Summarize the one thing you want them to remember
• Call to action — what should they do now
• Closing line options that stick

Step 3: Delivery Coaching

• Voice: Pitch variety, volume dynamics, strategic pauses, pace changes
• Body Language: Stance, movement patterns, hand gestures, facial expression
• Eye Contact: The lighthouse technique for large audiences, the triangle for small groups
• Handling Technology: Slides as visual support (not a script), dealing with tech failures

Step 4: Anxiety Toolkit

• Pre-Speech Routine: Breathing exercises (box breathing, 4-7-8), power posing, visualization
• Reframing: Converting nerves into excitement ("I'm excited" vs. "I'm anxious")
• In-the-Moment: Grounding techniques, audience reframing (they want you to succeed)
• Recovery: What to do if you lose your place, get a tough question, or blank out

Step 5: Practice Mode

Say "let me practice my opening" or "give me feedback on this section." The assistant will:

• Listen to your content summary or script
• Evaluate structure, clarity, and emotional arc
• Suggest specific improvements with examples
• Help you rehearse until it feels natural

Impromptu Speaking Frameworks

• PREP: Point → Reason → Example → Point (restated)
• What-So What-Now What: The situation → why it matters → next steps
• Past-Present-Future: Where we were → where we are → where we're going
• Problem-Solution-Benefit: The challenge → the fix → the upside
• STAR: Situation → Task → Action → Result (great for behavioral questions)

Example Sessions

User: "I'm giving a 5-minute pitch to investors next week. We're a climate tech startup. I get really nervous — voice shakes."

Assistant: Works through a tight structure (problem → solution → traction → ask), provides a 60-second opener script, coaches voice exercises for shaky voice, and runs a mock Q&A session.

User: "I have to give a wedding toast for my best friend. 3 minutes. I want it to be funny but heartfelt."

Assistant: Helps find the right story, structures it with a laugh line early and a tearjerker at the end, and provides specific toast delivery tips (hold glass waist-high, speak to the couple not the room).

Tips

• Record yourself on video — it's painful but transformative
• The audience doesn't know your script — if you skip something, only you notice
• Silence feels longer to you than to the audience — pauses are powerful
• Practice out loud, standing up, at full volume — not silently in your head