Unmute Yourself
Learning to love public speaking – because you gotta actually talk to voters
Once NDTC learners decide to run, many face an immediate personal hurdle – one that can inspire dread in some people since as far back as middle school. It’s a common concern we hear from NDTC learners – fear about public speaking.
We get it. Whether you’re on a stage in front of a crowd or cornered in a grocery store, speaking to strangers as a political candidate can be daunting. Even seasoned politicians sometimes struggle with public speaking – and saying the wrong thing is delightful only for reporters.
While we don’t have any magic solutions, we do have some solid tips and tricks that have helped any number of candidates and campaigns. It’s also why the month of April is about messaging at NDTC.
Read through to figure out how to get more comfortable with being up on stage or the center of attention.
Start Small and Build Up
Public speaking confidence – like anything, especially fundraising – grows with practice. Begin with small, friendly audiences and gradually expand your comfort zone. If you feel comfortable, record yourself or ask trusted confidants to help identify improvement areas.
Doing something you’re scared of is hard, so celebrate the small wins.
Public speaking is not a natural talent for everyone, but it’s a skill you can learn. Your voice matters. You can get more comfortable using it with some practical tools, help from us and your kitchen cabinet, and a shift in perspective.
Use Talking Points as a Safety Net
Going blank happens often. Someone asks you what your favorite book or movie is and suddenly you’ve never read or watched a thing. Similarly on the campaign trail, you might worry about forgetting a key issue or message on the spot. Remember Texas Gov. Perry famously forgetting which three federal departments he would eliminate during a nationally televised debate?
You aren’t likely in front of a national audience, but even if you are, talking points serve as a safety net. They aren’t a full speech, but they’re tools that will help you stay on message. After practicing you’ll be able to navigate almost any conversation.
Four Steps for Great Talking Points:
Keep them concise – 3-4 sentences maximum for each point
Structure them effectively – Start with truth, define a problem, provide your solution
Support with facts – Have 4-5 relevant facts ready to back up your claims
Practice them aloud – Test with friends and family until they flow naturally
Practicing, by yourself and with trusted family and friends, will allow you to tailor your talking points to your audience and setting. Remember that active listening is key. The goal of a conversation is not to tick off every talking point but to create a connection.
Reframe Speaking as a Two-Way Street
Public speaking is actually about listening more than anything else. You can’t represent your community without first listening to it. Successful candidates engage with their community, and hear and offer solutions to what people have to share, which means effective candidates listen more than they speak.
Let’s say a candidate has a half-hour available at a campaign event. A typical politician might spend 20 minutes speaking and 10 minutes shaking hands. A more effective one would spend five minutes speaking and the rest of the time engaged in active listening. That’s a much shorter set of talking points to memorize and deliver without stumbling over your own words!
Active listening helps you learn what the other person has to say and gives you a chance to say something without uttering a word: that you value the other person enough to listen.
Remember to:
“Hold space” for others. Don’t interrupt, judge, or make the conversation all about you.
Be attuned to other’s emotional states. This can help you gauge how to respond best.
Stay focused on who you’re talking to. No one wants to feel like the person they’re talking to would rather be someplace else, especially a voter.
It also helps to build a genuine conversation, to simply talk with the other person, rather than delivering a “speech.”
Reframing your outlook on communication can help alleviate some of the pressure and make you a better candidate. Conversations should be opportunities to engage with voters and donors, not performance tests.
Find Your Comfort Zone in the Large Audiences
This is a series of tricks a lot of public speakers – pastors, the person giving the eulogy, CEOs, you name it – will use.
Think of the person or the people you love the most, and how your work, and your public service is for them. For a better world that they get to inherit if you accomplish what you set out to do. NDTC’s CEO, Kelly Dietrich, will often say “I’m a proud girl dad – it’s her world and I get to live in it.” Who is your person, the one you’re doing this work for? Think of them before you look out at the audience. And know that everyone out there has someone like that. Speak to that shared ideal.
Once you get up in front of the audience, find a couple of faces to connect with – one to your right, one to your left, one in the center. In a small room, look at the first couple of rows. In a larger room, look toward the middle. And when you speak, alternate between meeting their eyes. Look like you’re actually speaking like a person and to a person.
Remember, they’re all human beings just like you. Everyone in that audience ate breakfast, put on their pants one leg at a time, has bills, hopes, fears, loves, losses, and concerns just like you. Worst case, they disagree and don’t vote for you. Best case, they vote for you, and you get to change your community for the better.
The only thing that doesn’t work? Never trying. So give it a shot. We believe in you!
Need more practice? Check out our online courses: How to Craft a Core Political Campaign Message, How to Write a Stump Speech, and Using Personal Stories on the Campaign Trail.
By Lily Haffner, 2025 Internship Program.
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