Standing in front of a classroom of eighth graders, first-year teacher Jessica Hoffman was determined to deliver the best lessons possible. One day, a student raised her hand and told Hoffman that she began almost every sentence with “um.”
So, it’s no surprise that Hoffman, now an NCSL training specialist, lists reducing “verbal clutter” as one of five strategies to help perfect your public speaking. She told attendees at NCSL’s Base Camp 2024 that all five give a speaker confidence, command and credibility—traits needed to captivate an audience and deliver a message successfully.
“A lost audience is never found.”
—Jessica Hoffman, NCSL training specialist
“It’s crucial to ensure that your public speaking consistently engages your audience, because a lost audience is never found,” Hoffman says. “If you lose your audience’s attention, it is not coming back at 100%.”
1. Maintain eye contact: She says studies show that speakers who use good eye contact with their audiences are perceived as more qualified and honest than those who don’t. She emphasizes that what is said in a speech or presentation is only 7% of what is communicated to the audience.
“You come in with this almost Shakespearean text, it’s so precious, it’s so important,” Hoffman says. “It’s full of great information. You wrote it, you printed it out, but you just sit there and you stare at it and you read it word for word for word. Subconsciously you are telling your audience that they have permission to disconnect from you. They don’t have to pay attention, they can disengage.”
Instead of reading directly from the page, Hoffman suggests breaking up your script into bullet points or main themes so there’s no temptation to read it verbatim.
2. Speak up: Use volume when publicly speaking. Hoffman says studies show listeners associate louder voices with authority, and volume matters twice as much as what is being said.
“I’m not suggesting that you scream and shout at your audience,” she says. “I’m just suggesting that you add a little oomph, some power, some pop in your voice to make sure that it gets their attention and keeps it.”
3. Mix it up: Hoffman says vocal variety is just as important as volume. About 38% of communication is tone of voice, and varying the volume, pitch and pace of a speech can take a speech from OK to great. Hoffman said even a 10% increase in vocal variety can have a significant impact for a speaker.
Hoffman’s favorite method for changing it up is the “pause and punch.” This method involves a “micropause” before an important word or phrase to put listeners on the edge of their seats, followed by extra volume or emphasis on the important phrase.
4. Use your hands: To help shake out nervous energy while public speaking, Hoffman emphasizes the importance of hand gestures. She says the most influential speakers have been found to use twice as many hand gestures as other speakers. Channeling nervous energy through gestures also minimizes distracting movements such as foot tapping or fidgeting with note cards.
“Our brains process sounds and motions together,” Hoffman says. “They’re naturally interwoven.”
5. Cut the clutter: Hoffman’s final strategy was the lesson she learned as a new teacher about reducing filler words and clutter. She says speakers are much more likely to be harshly judged for using filler words, which can undermine their credibility and make them appear less confident. To avoid throwing around “ums,” “aahs” and “likes,” she suggests slowing everything down to keep thoughts and words in perfect harmony.
Having great content won’t matter if the delivery isn’t engaging, she says. “Once they go to their phone, their attention is gone. Once they start to daydream, you are not getting their focus back.”
Grace Olson is an Iowa-based freelance writer.