- Toastmasters International.
Toastmasters has been helping people become better presenters and speakers for years. It’s worth it to see if there’s a local Toastmasters class in your area. They also offer a lot of other professional development resources like free tips—from accepting awards to creating sales pitches—on their Public Speaking Tips page.
- Garr Reynolds.
Garr Reynolds is a speaker and best-selling author of the award-winning Presentation Zen, The Naked Presenter, and Presentation Zen Design. His website offers a lot of free presentation tips and information. His site, Presentation Zen, has a blog with great tips and resources for public speaking and presenting, as well.
- WordStream.
WordStream is an online advertising and search marketing firm. Their blog, 20 Ways to Improve Your Presentation Skills, offers some valuable tips, from how much information to present to ways to actively engage your audience.
- TED Talks.
You’re likely familiar with TED’s slogan, “Ideas worth spreading.” TED has grown in popularity in recent years, and many cities now have a local TED event. To study and hone your presentation and public speaking skills, I suggest watching TEDTalk videos and attending a TED event if you can.
- MindTools.
MindTools’ career development organization’s blog, “Better Public Speaking,” offers some good insights into the importance of presenting and how to become better at it. Their communication skills page also offers a lot of free information on how to be a better communicator, which ties into presenting and public speaking.
- Self-evaluation.
A great, low-cost way to improve your speaking and presentation skills is to have a friend record you on camera in front of a practice audience, or even solo will work. This will help you to see what your body language says about you, how your voice sounds, the types of expressions you make, and more. Practice makes for improvement.
- American Rhetoric.
American Rhetoric has a lot of free speeches and information. Their online speech bank has more than 5,000 speeches you can listen to for free, including speeches from John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.! Listening to great public speakers can help you improve your own public speaking skills.
- Portent.
Portent is a Digital Marketing Firm. Their blog, 3 Surprising Ways to Instantly Improve Your Public Speaking Skills, has some good insights as to what you’re doing wrong and how to fix it when speaking in front of an audience (such as voice speed, and so on).
- Ginger Public Speaking.
Ginger is a firm that supports individuals in becoming better public speakers, as they boast “we turn communicators from nervous wrecks into public speaking leaders.” They have a great page with FREE professional development resources you can utilize, including a free course and free book download.
- The Public Speaking Project.
The Public Speaking Project offers a range of tools to support users in improving their public speaking skills. The information is offered by “a variety of speech professionals who are dedicated to providing free and low-cost instructional materials…” You’ll find a free virtual classroom, e-book, and more on their site.
