10 Public Speaking Tips to Be More Persuasive & Win Buy-In

You're 20 minutes into your product demo webinar when you notice the attendee count dropping steadily. Chat activity has gone silent. The prospects your team spent weeks nurturing are now multitasking during your presentation. And your carefully crafted narrative is falling flat.

Public speaking can be difficult no matter the venue. But virtual presentations can be particularly challenging, especially when you can't connect with the audience in person. In this guide, we'll cover public speaking tips to be more persuasive — so you can win buy-in and turn webinars into business conversations.

Key takeaways:

• Use storytelling and the rule of three to make your message stick and win buy-in more easily.
• Your virtual presence (camera angle, lighting, pacing, and body language) is just as important as your words.
• How you recover from mistakes matters more than avoiding them, and it can help you build credibility.

10 Public speaking tips to engage and win over virtual audiences

Use these tips to improve your public speaking skills, increase your confidence, and make your next webinar a success.

1. Research your audience so you earn their trust immediately

B2B audiences join webinars to solve specific problems or access exclusive data, not to hear broad industry overviews. Before your event, get to know your audience so you can tailor your approach:

• Research their biggest challenges related to the topic.
• Get familiar with the tools and solutions they're already using.
• Read up on recent industry trends affecting their roles.

Then, use these insights to map out your webinar. When you present content that truly speaks to your audience, you'll have an easier time earning their trust. Which can alleviate any public speaking anxiety you have and help you get buy-in faster.

2. Tell stories to make an impact on your audience

The right data can certainly make a webinar more interesting. But statistics alone probably won't persuade your audience to act. Instead, turn numbers and outcomes into compelling narratives.

Attendees are likely to forget facts and figures the moment the webinar ends. But people remember stories 22 times more than data alone.

Use this storytelling pattern to develop anecdotes:

• Start with someone your audience can relate to who's facing a problem they know well.
• Show how the usual solutions didn't work — and let your audience nod along.
• Reveal what actually solved the problem — such as your product or service.

Here's an example: "Last month, a SaaS marketing director told me she was burning through $50,000 monthly on paid ads with no results. She'd tried everything — new agencies, different platforms, even hired specialists. Nothing worked. I'll show you the three-step framework she used to cut customer acquisition costs by 40% while doubling qualified leads."

3. Structure content in threes so your message sticks

Make your presentation memorable by structuring it with the rule of three in mind. The human brain is wired for pattern recognition, and elements arranged in groups of three tend to be more effective.

You can use the rule of three a few different ways:

• Covering three main concepts per presentation
• Provide three examples or case studies for each point
• Give three specific next steps in the conclusion

For help planning what to say, use Livestorm's script generator. Plug in a topic and description, and then adjust the audience knowledge level and tone of voice. Then, fine-tune it to make it yours.

To make sure the material sticks, include visuals in your PowerPoint. Highlight the three steps, examples, or concepts so viewers can see and remember them.

4. Control your voice and pacing to connect with the audience

If you're nervous about speaking in public, you might be inclined to rush through your presentation. But the faster you speak, the less likely your audience can follow along or connect with what you say.

Instead, aim to talk slower than your normal conversation pace. This gives your audience time to process and react to information. Use strategic pauses before and after key points to let information sink in.

Avoid monotone, which can make your delivery sound tedious. Instead, vary your vocal tone and emphasize important words, phrases, and storylines.

For optimal audio quality, use a headset or external microphone. To avoid audio issues during the event, test your microphone in advance. Check for echo or background noise that could distract from your message.

5. Look professional and command the virtual stage

Effective public speaking goes beyond what you say during your presentation. It's also about your body language and how you present yourself.

Great lighting is essential for webinars and virtual events. Face a window to use natural light or invest in a ring light. Avoid having bright light behind you, as it can make your face difficult to see.

For a virtual speech or presentation, the camera angle also matters. Position your webcam at eye level, not looking up at your face or down at the top of your head.

To make eye contact with the audience, look at the camera lens, not at the faces on your screen. If this feels unnatural, put a sticky note next to your camera to remind yourself where to look.

Use body language to your advantage. Maintain good posture, use animated facial expressions, and keep gestures within your camera frame so your audience can see them.

6. Practice out loud to feel more confident

Being a good public speaker or webinar host is about more than just knowing the material you're sharing. You also need to know how to deliver it successfully.

Practicing your presentation out loud can help you feel more confident, whether or not you have a fear of public speaking. While you can always practice independently, a dress rehearsal or webinar dry run can be more effective.

With a dry run, you get a chance to practice your speech and work on your presentation skills. But you also get to test out the webinar software and make sure you're comfortable with your virtual setup.

Livestorm makes it easy to plan practice sessions with fellow speakers and moderators before the big event. These sessions are also great opportunities to test your webcam and microphone and make sure your speaker notes actually help you give the talk you want to deliver.

7. Get in the right mindset

Practice sessions can help you feel confident in the days or weeks before the event. But on the day of the webinar, Pauline Mura, Livestorm Senior Marketing Partnerships Manager, recommends taking a few important steps to get in the right mindset.

“Before a presentation, I make sure that I have everything ready: my laptop is charged and my camera is working. I connect half an hour or 15 minutes before, just to make sure everything's working correctly on the technical side.”

In addition, Pauline meditates and uses breathing techniques to build up energy and calm nerves. “I also think projection really works,” she shares. “When you think of a situation where you’re in full confidence and you see the webinar going well and the crowd sharing, that helps you become a confident person facing your audience.”

8. Prepare for tough questions to build credibility under pressure

Q&A sessions are often when people decide whether they trust you enough to take the next step. In addition to having great answers, it's important to be able to speak to their real concerns.

One way to handle tough questions is to develop deep expertise on the topic. This way, you'll be able to draw from your extensive background and answer questions confidently.

Another option is to practice responding to common objections. Check with your sales team and create a list of frequently asked questions and objections so you can plan responses.

When you encounter a particularly difficult question, say you don't know — and tell the audience member what you'll do to get the answer. For example, you might say, "That's a really important question about enterprise security protocols. Rather than guess, let me connect you with our security specialist."

9. Recover from mistakes smoothly to maintain your confidence

Even the most experienced presenters have missteps. Everyone stumbles over their words or has technical issues from time to time. Your recovery matters more than the mistake itself.

Have a backup plan in case your tech fails. For example, send your slide deck to a co-host in case you have an issue with screen sharing. And make sure to plan a practice session ahead of time to work out any glitches.

If you misspeak, correct yourself and move on instead of dwelling on errors. If you lose your train of thought, pause briefly and refer to your webinar outline. You can also ask the audience a question to give yourself time to regroup.

10. End with a clear call-to-action so people know what to do next

Weak endings waste the engagement you've built up throughout your presentation. Make the most of it by pointing attendees to specific actions or next steps in their buyer journey.

Make your calls-to-action specific and time-bound. Instead of "Contact us if you're interested," say "Schedule a 15-minute strategy call" or "Book a free 30-minute demo this week."

After the webinar, follow up with attendees within 24 hours. Share resources you mentioned in the presentation and repeat the next steps you suggested.

With Livestorm, emailing attendees is easy. In addition to sharing resources, you can also include a link to the webinar recording so attendees can rewatch at their convenience.

Frequently asked questions about public speaking tips

What should I do if my mind goes blank during a presentation?

If your mind goes blank and you lose your train of thought, pause for a moment. Check your notes and refer to your main talking points or transition phrases. If you need more than a moment to regroup, turn your attention to the audience and ask a question about the topic.

How can I handle difficult or aggressive questions from the audience?

Stay calm and reframe challenging questions into neutral topics that you can address professionally. Aim to acknowledge their perspective while steering the conversation toward a solution.

Is it better to memorize my entire presentation or use notes?

Good speakers typically know their content well enough to present without reading every line. But the key to how to speak publicly isn't memorizing scripts word for word.

Memorize your opening hook, key transition phrases, and closing call-to-action. In your webinar outline, include bullet points for the main ideas you want to share. This way, you can speak naturally and confidently while being able to respond to audience questions.

How do I know if my presentation was effective?

Webinar registration only tells you how many people were interested in your event. To see how effective your presentation was, track video engagement metrics. With Livestorm, you can monitor attendance, view duration, chats, and poll responses.

Then, check your marketing metrics to measure business outcomes. Monitor follow-up meeting requests, demos scheduled, or content download rates.