Crafting a great speech is one thing. Delivering it with confidence, presence, and impact is another. In last week’s article (find it HERE) we discussed the building blocks of a great speech. Today, we are going to talk about how to deliver that great speech with confidence, impact, and value!

You can have the most powerful message in the world, but if your delivery falls flat, your audience won’t connect with it the way you want them to. That is why delivery matters just as much as structure—how you say something is just as important as what you say.

The good news? Confident delivery is a skill you can learn. You don’t have to be born a great speaker; you just need to know how to use your voice, body, and energy to bring your message to life.

Let’s break down the essential elements of powerful speech delivery so that when you step on stage (or in front of any audience), you do it with confidence and impact.

Own the Stage with Presence

Before you even say a word, your energy sets ...

Confidence doesn’t happen overnight. It’s built day by day, note by note, moment by moment, just like practicing a piece of music. 

As a clarinetist with over 30 years of performance experience, I’ve learned that preparing a solo for performance is no different than preparing a speech for performance. Both require preparation, patience, and, most importantly, a willingness to grow from every experience—no matter how uncomfortable or imperfect. That willingness also includes acknowledging our fears of failure and doing it anyway.

When I first started playing solos in 7th grade, I would get so nervous. My hands would shake (making it difficult to hold my instrument), my breathing would get out of sync, and I’d forget to exhale all the way, and I sometimes questioned whether I was good enough to perform. And then, every time I did it, I felt amazing and received applause and congratulations from the audience. Just like the client I mentioned in last week’s article, I spent way too much ...