The World's Most Amazing Public Speaking Technique

For people the world over, speaking in public is a terrifying proposition. Yet what is more exciting than a powerful speech on an important topic? Speeches and presentations have changed history, inspired millions, created instant superstars, and rallied entire nations to action. On a more everyday level, they contribute to professional advancement and help organizations accomplish their mission.

With such a momentous pedigree, you’d think that speaking in public would be an ultra-sophisticated task, approachable only by the best and brightest among us. Yet public speaking is relatively easy, and with practice and experience, immensely satisfying. Stage fright is a significant hurdle, of course—but even gaining confidence as a speaker is easier than we might imagine.

There’s a simple procedure, in fact, that can assure us of greater confidence while contributing hugely to our speaking success. This procedure is so mundane and obvious, however, that we usually ignore it completely. So here’s the scintillating secret to undaunted and dynamic public speaking:

Breathe.

“Well, I’m already doing that,” I can hear you thinking—“and I’m still nervous!” And it’s true that what we call breathing for life doesn’t help us much in public performances. Vegetative breathing is a more or less autonomic response and doesn’t require effort. But breathing for speech is different. We need more oxygen, for one thing, to project sound outward and to lengthen our exhalation (since speech is simply controlled outward breath).

Equally important, we must unlearn the lazy habit of breathing shallowly. For speech, we need to breathe diaphragmatically or “belly breathe.” The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that flattens out when the lungs above it expand, and by that flattening, push out our abdominal muscles. That’s why our belly moves outward when we breathe in.

Diaphragmatic breathing is a bellows-like action that allows the lungs to expand fully and to effortlessly produce a full reservoir of air. That’s the level of oxygen we need to produce strong and resonant speech. But there are some other very positive effects to be gained from using this humble but amazing tool of vocal production.

Here are six benefits of using your diaphragm to breathe fully. Together, they go far beyond the simple production of sound. These attributes belong more to the realm of credibility, authority, and believability as a speaker. And those are characteristics that can take you a long way toward public speaking success.

Six Benefits of Diaphragmatic Breathing

1. Slows your heart rate and calms you physically.
2. Provides oxygen to the brain.
3. Aids your stance and appearance: formidable instead of “caved in.”
4. Gives a resonant floor to your voice which produces the sound of authority.
5. Supports sound to the end of the sentence, where the important words come.
6. You appear confident and in control (rather than gasping or out of breath).

In order of the benefits above, then, good diaphragmatic breathing will: Reduce your nervousness, keep you sharp and mentally present, help you appear prepared and professional, make your arguments credible and persuasive, “punch” the important words and phrases that drive your narrative, and give you the appearance of a practiced speaker who is completely in control.

“And the heart must pause to breathe,” wrote Lord Byron.

Indeed!