Public speaking is an art. It can be natural or by birth. It can be cultivated too with the help of a mentor. These best 100 public speaking quotes and tips will inspire you to become a better public speaker. It lists very interesting information to understand your audience, prepare for a better speech, make eye contact and how to deliver a speech.
Public Speaking Quotes
1. A wise man speaks because he has something to say, a fool speaks because he has to say something. – Plato
2. Once a word has been allowed to escape, it cannot be recalled. – Horace
3. Grasp the subject, the words will follow. – Anonymous
4. Rhetoric is the art of ruling the minds of men. – Plato
5. Let thy speech be better than silence, or be silent. – Dionysius Of Halicarnassus
6. Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. – Benjamin Franklin
7. Be sincere; be brief; be seated. – Franklin D. Roosevelt
8. If you have an important point to make, don’t try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time – a tremendous whack. – Winston Churchill
9. Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words best of all. – Winston Churchill
10. I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel – Maya Angelou
11. It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech. – Mark Twain
12. Fear paralyses you – fear of flying, fear of the future, fear of leaving a rubbish marriage, fear of public speaking, or whatever it is. – Annie Lennox
13. Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the unthinking. – John Maynard Keynes
14. Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot. – D.H. Lawrence
15. If I went back to college again, I’d concentrate on two areas: learning to write and to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively. – Gerald R. Ford
16. You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart. – John Ford
17. According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than delivering the eulogy. – Jerry Seinfeld
18. Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens. – Jimi Hendrix
19. You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart. – John Ford
20. A good orator is pointed and impassioned. – Marcus T. Cicero
21. Best way to conquer stage fright is to know what you’re talking about. – Michael H Mescon
22. There are only two types of speakers in the world. 1. The nervous and 2. Liars. – Mark Twain
23. o one ever complains about a speech being too short! – Ira Hayes
24. It takes one hour of preparation for each minute of presentation time. – Wayne Burgraff
25. 90% of how well the talk will go is determined before the speaker steps on the platform. – Somers White
26. The most precious things in speech are the pauses. – Sir Ralph Richardson
27. Well-timed silence hath more eloquence than speech. – Martin Fraquhar Tupper
28. They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. – Carl W. Buechner
29. Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
30. The right word may be effective, but no word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause. – Mark Twain
31. Pausing adds that special dramatic impact. – Anonymous
32. Filler words like “umm” and “ahh” can get dangerous if used too much – Anonymous
33. You are not being judged, the value of what you are bringing to the audience is being judged. – Seth Godin
34. Simple and to the point is always the best way to get your point across. – Guy Kawasaki
35. The first time you say something, it’s heard; the second time, it’s recognized; the third time, it’s learned. – John Maxwell
36. More present moment engagement = less crappy thoughts. – Marie Forleo
37. It’s what you practice in private that you will be rewarded for in public. – Tony Robbins
38. Only the prepared speaker deserves to be confident. – Dale Carnegie
39. The first 30 seconds and the last 30 seconds have the most impact in a presentation. – Patricia Fripp
40. If you want to connect, you must let them reflect. – Darren Lacroix
41. Speak like you talk, not like you write. – Craig Valentine
42. The worst speech you’ll ever give, will be far better than the one you never give. – Fred Miller
43. If you don’t want to preach, put stories in your speech. – Andy Harrington
44. The single most important skill you must have to lead is the ability to tell your own story. – Bo Eason
45. The only reason to give a speech is to change the world. – Nick Morgan
46. Audience interaction should be proportional to the amount of trust you’ve earned. – Michael Port
47. Some introverts are perfectly comfortable with public speaking; I’m not one of them. – Susan Cain
48. A good speaker is done talking before the audience is done listening. – Anonymous
49. All the great speakers were bad speakers at first. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
50. A good speech is like a pencil; it has to have a point. – Anonymous
51. If you don’t know what you want to achieve in your presentation, your audience never will. – Harvey Diamond
52. Speech is power: speech is to persuade to convert, to compel. – Anonymous
53. The basic unit of communication is not the word but the idea. – Michael Landrum
54. Your audience doesn’t want you to be perfect – they want you to be present. – Anonymous
55. Do not be afraid to speak your mind. – Anonymous
56. Death is the number two fear that people have and public speaking is the first! – Sidney Sheldon
57. Ah, the first rule of public speaking – always start with a joke. – Jon Stewart
Public Speaking Tips
58. Public Speaking TIP: Don’t talk right away
59. Public Speaking TIP: Show up to give, not to take
60. Public Speaking TIP: Make eye contact with audience members one by one
61. Public Speaking TIP: Say thank you when you’re done
62. Public Speaking TIP: Practice And Prepare Extensively
63. Public Speaking TIP: Eliminate Fear Of Rejection
64. Public Speaking TIP: Watch Yourself In The Mirror – Your facial expressions, Your gestures, Your body movements, How welcoming you appear
65. Public Speaking TIP: Record Yourself And Learn Your Voice
66. Public Speaking TIP: Lightly Exercise Before Speaking
67. Public Speaking TIP: Know 100 Words For Every Word That You Speak
68. Public Speaking TIP: Focus On The Material, Not The Audience
69. Public Speaking TIP: Don’t Overthink Audience Reactions
70. Nervousness Is Normal. Practice and Prepare!
71. Know Your Audience. Your Speech Is About Them, Not You.
72. Organize Your Material in the Most Effective Manner to Attain Your Purpose.
73. Let Your Personality Come Through.
74. Use Humor, Tell Stories, and Use Effective Language.
75. Don’t Read Unless You Have to. Work from an Outline.
76. Use Your Voice and Hands Effectively. Omit Nervous Gestures.
77. Grab Attention at the Beginning, and Close with a Dynamic End.
78. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
79. Practice with distractions.
80. Find a style that works for you.
81. Take every opportunity to speak.
82. Practice body language and movement.
83. Don’t go over the allotted time.
84. Observe Great Presentations
85. Find a Mentor
86. Write Down the Presentation Content
87. Speak with an intent to move people to action.
88. Start strong with a “grabber”
89. Structure your material in three sections– grabber, middle, close.
90. Practice. Practice. Rehearse out loud with all equipment you plan on using.
91. Try to speak to one or two people in the audience as they arrive – they will be your allies in the audience
92. Know the setup.Arrive in good time to check out the speaking area.
93. Relax. Begin with a well prepared grabber. A relevant personal story is a great start.
94. Visualize yourself successful.See yourself at the end of the speech surrounded by people asking questions, visualize the applause.
95. Don’t apologize– the audience probably never noticed it.
96. Smile. Look like the content matters to you – if the audience don’t feel that it is important to you.
97. Don’t rely too much on your slides
98. Incorporate examples and anecdotes
99. The first thing to do when preparing a speech is to define your end goal.
100. Make Slides an Aid, Not a Crutch