The opening is rushed
Nerves speed you up most in the first minute. A slow, low start settles you and the room.
PRESENTATION PRACTICE Open strong and finish on purpose.
The slides are ready. The voice is the part people rarely rehearse. The first 30 seconds and the last line matter most, and both get better with a few short takes out loud.
Starts with your free Voice Snapshot: one minute of you talking about a presentation, measured. No account needed.
WHAT USUALLY GOES WRONG
Small habits a listener hears straight away.
Everything sounds the same
A flat line makes a strong idea sound routine. Melody and punch show the listener what matters.
The close fizzles
“So, yeah, that's it” wastes your best moment. A closing line is worth rehearsing on its own.
Opening lines that work
Skip the thank-yous and the “so, today I'm going to talk about”. Wait for the room to settle, then open with something that makes people want the next sentence. Here are four kinds of opening, with a line for each.
A moment
- A specific scene
One sentence
Drop people into a time and place. It works for almost any talk.
Say it like this
Last March, our support queue hit four thousand tickets in a day.
A question they already have
- Ask
- Wait
One sentence
Only ask it if you'll wait for the answer, even if that's just a show of hands.
Say it like this
Who here has waited on hold this month?
A fact you can stand behind
- The fact
- A pause
One sentence
Use your own numbers, or a source you'd happily name on the slide.
Say it like this
Half of our new users never open the app after week one.
The point itself
- Your conclusion
One sentence
For a short internal update, starting with the conclusion is often the best opening of all.
Say it like this
We should stop building new features and fix the three we have.
Then pause. A full second of silence after your first line gives it weight, and it gives you a breath before the rest.
Help people follow you, then land the point
Listeners can't scroll back. Signposts tell them where they are, and one clear key point gives them something to take home.
- Say the map early. “There are three things I want to cover.” Then use them: “First…”, “Second…”, “And the one I'd remember…”. Pause after each. It feels obvious to you and it's a relief to the audience.
- Choose one key point. If someone remembered a single sentence from your talk, which should it be? Write it down and say it at least twice, once in the middle and once at the end.
- Slow down for it. A short pause before the key point and another after it do more than any slide animation.
- Plan the closing line. Build to it, say it slower than everything else, and stop. Then say “thank you”, not before.
Instead ofEvery sentence you'll say is on the slide
TryOne picture, number or short phrase per slide
Instead ofReading the slide aloud, back to the room
TryGlance at the slide, then talk to people
Instead ofThe key point is bullet four of six
TryThe key point gets a slide of its own
Instead ofYour script lives on the slides
TryYour script lives in your notes
How much to write for the time you've got
Many people speak around 130–150 words a minute when they're presenting calmly. Treat it as a starting point for planning. Speaking rates vary a lot between people, and even depend on how you measure them (Yuan, Liberman and Cieri, 2006). Nerves usually push you faster.
| Talk length | Words to plan | Word counts in detail |
|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 650–750 | 5-minute speech |
| 10 minutes | 1,300–1,500 | 10-minute speech |
| 15 minutes | 1,950–2,250 | 15-minute speech |
| 20 minutes | 2,600–3,000 | 20-minute speech |
Plan a little under the limit. Pauses, a laugh, a slow start and one slide that misbehaves all take time. To plan from your own pace, take the speaking speed test, then paste your script into the speech time calculator. If you tend to rush, our guide on how to speak slower has drills that work.
Handling questions at the end
- Let the question finish, then wait two seconds. It shows you're thinking, and it stops you answering the question you expected instead of the one they asked.
- Repeat it in one sentence so the whole room hears it: “The question is how long until we see results.”
- Answer in your first sentence, then give one reason or example and stop.
- If you don't know, say what you do know, what you don't, and when you'll follow up.
- If it's a hostile question, say what's fair about it first, then restate your view calmly.
- Close the Q&A yourself with your key point, so the last words people hear are yours.
Nerves on the day
Nerves before a talk are normal, and they don't have to go away for the talk to go well. In a set of studies that included public speaking, people who reframed their nerves as excitement, for example by saying “I am excited” out loud, performed better than people who tried to calm down (Brooks, 2014).
- Arrive early enough to stand where you'll speak and say your first line out loud once.
- Just before you go up, breathe in for two and out for four, three times.
- Have water nearby, and your first line and key point on a card.
- Start slower than feels right. You'll speed up on your own.
- If you lose your place, pause, look at your notes and carry on. The audience doesn't know your script.
If nerves are the main thing holding you back, the public speaking anxiety quiz takes a couple of minutes and suggests where to start.
WHAT PRACTICE LOOKS LIKE
Real prompts from the path.
Each rep is two short takes: one to hear where you are, one after a single cue from your coach. Chapter 1 is free; later chapters are part of Pro.
Chapter 1 · The Mirror
Drop the starter words
The rep asksExplain one idea you care about to someone who has never heard it.
Chapter 3 · Volume & Punch
Punch the contrast
The rep asksTell an audience how something in your field used to work, and how it works now.
Chapter 7 · Under Pressure
Slow and low to start
The rep asksGive the first minute of a talk to a room of senior people.
Chapter 10 · Showtime
Own the first 30 seconds
The rep asksOpen a talk on a topic you know well.
Chapter 10 · Showtime
The closing line
The rep asksGive the last 30 seconds of a talk you care about.
WHAT YOU'LL PRACTISE
One skill at a time, measured on every take.
- Starting in silence, without fillers (Chapter 1, free)
- Pace and pauses that let a point land (Chapter 2)
- Volume, punch and melody (Chapters 3 and 4)
- A slow, low start under pressure (Chapter 7)
- Owning the first 30 seconds and the closing line (Chapter 10)
Pace, pauses, fillers, melody and punch are measured on every take, and your coach quotes your own words. How it works
Rehearse your talk in pieces
Takes in the app run up to 90 seconds, so rehearse the parts that matter most on their own, and do your full runs with a timer on your phone.
A week before
Write it and time it
Read the whole talk aloud with a timer. Cut until it fits with a minute to spare.
Five days before
The opening
Rehearse your first 30 seconds in the app, starting with your free Voice Snapshot, until the start is slow and clean.
Four days before
The key point and the close
Take each on its own. Listen for a flat line or a fading last word.
Two days before
A full run on your feet
With your slides and a timer. Mark where you stumble and rehearse just those bits again.
The day before
Opening and close, once more
One take of each. Then stop rehearsing and get some sleep.
On the day
The two-minute routine
The free “Before your big moment” routine: a breath reset, your first line slowly, one run.
GUIDES, TOOLS AND QUIZZES
Read up, then practise.
- How to speak slower without sounding strangeYou don't need to drag every word. Measure your pace once, then slow down in the few places listeners need it most.
- Monotone voice? How to sound more engaging without sounding fakeWhat makes a voice sound flat, what the research on lively speech actually measured, and five exercises, in order, that add variety you can hear.
- How to stop saying “um”: a 7-day plan that swaps fillers for pausesCount your fillers, learn what they're doing for you, then spend five minutes a day for a week replacing them with something quieter: a pause.
- Speaking speed testRead a short passage and get your words per minute in about a minute.
- Speech time calculatorPaste your script and see how long it takes to say at your pace.
- Public speaking anxiety quizA few honest questions about your nerves, and what to try first.
Questions people ask
How do I start a presentation?
With a moment, a question, a fact you can stand behind or the point itself. Leave the thank-yous for the end. Wait for the room to settle, say your first line slowly, then pause.
How many words is a 10-minute presentation?
At 130–150 words a minute, about 1,300–1,500 words. Your own pace may be quite different, so measure it with the speaking speed test and plan from that.
How fast should I speak when presenting?
Slow enough for people to keep up, and with enough variety to keep them listening. Many speakers land around 130–150 words a minute. The app's current target band is 130–165, and there's a relaxed setting for careful speakers.
Should I memorise my presentation?
Memorise the first 30 seconds and the closing line. For the middle, know the order of your points and talk to them. A fully memorised talk can sound recited, and one slip can throw you.
How do I stop reading my slides?
Take most of the words off them. One image, number or short phrase per slide, with your sentences in your notes. Rehearse out loud so you know what you'll say for each one.
Can I rehearse a whole 20-minute talk in the app?
Not in one take. Takes are capped at 90 seconds, so rehearse in sections: the opening, each key point and the close. Use a phone timer for full runs.
Sources
Have a minute before it matters?
Record one answer now and see what your listeners will hear.
Rehearse my openingAlso: Meetings · Interviews · Life moments