Last week, I was watching a speaker at my local Toastmasters club. This guy was a really nervous speaker just a few months ago. He has steadily improved since he joined the club and then last week he gave by far the most confident, funny and successful seven minute speech have ever seen him give.  The topic of his speech was a story from his own life and it occurred to me that it was this choice of subject that actually helped him to speak so confidently.

As a result of knowing the topic so well his nerves just seemed to disappear. The fact is that when you speak about something you know and understand really well you will naturally become more confident and less nervous. However, I know that it’s not always possible to speak about something you know well as the subject is likely to be pre-determined.

So how can you benefit from the power of familiarity?

It’s simple: preparation, preparation, preparation! Make sure you know your topic inside out before you get up to speak and you will feel much more confident.