Fearless Presentations

Low Risk Venues to Practice Public Speaking Part 2 of 2

September 03, 2024 Doug Staneart

This is part two of a two-part series about low-risk venues where you can practice public speaking. 

In the introduction last week, I mentioned that the absolute best place to practice public speaking is in a public speaking class with a great coach. A good public speaking class is a controlled environment, so the risk is very low. However, over the years, I've come across a bunch of other low-risk venues to practice public speaking. 

Last week, I covered a number of low-risk virtual venues where you can practice speaking in front of a group. Virtual venues can be great for fine-tuning your message and learning to be concise. And, in most cases, you can practice and get your message perfect before unveiling it to the public.

This week, I give you some of the best low-risk venues to practice in front of a live audience. The live audience is crucial for gaining public speaking confidence because most of your confidence will come from seeing that positive visual feedback from the audience. When you communicate well, your audience will give you positive expressions. Those little nods when they agree with you and smiles when you make them laugh are critical to overcoming public speaking fear.