It’s normal to feel your heart racing, your thoughts speeding up, or your hands starting to shake. This happens because the brain is wired to protect us, and it often treats being watched or judged as a threat, even when logically we know we’re not in any real danger. The good news is that neuroscience shows our brains can adapt and change. With the right techniques, you can train your brain to form new patterns so that speaking begins to feel safer, easier, and more natural, even if it has felt daunting in the past.

Here are five practical ways to work with your brain and body to build genuine confidence when you speak:

1. Break the fear cycle with a pattern interrupt and humming

When your brain has learned to expect fear, it tends to trigger the same set of physical and mental reactions each time: fast heartbeat, tense muscles, shallow breathing, and racing thoughts. A quick way to interrupt this is to change what your body is doing in that moment. Before you speak, clench your fists for about ten seconds, then release and shake out your hands. This simple action helps reset built-up tension in the body and signals that it’s time for a fresh start. You can also hum quietly for around 30 seconds before you begin, as the vibrations help stimulate the vagus nerve. This nerve plays a key role in calming the body’s stress response, so humming can help shift you out of fight-or-flight mode and into a more balanced, steady state. Together, these techniques break the loop that keeps fear going and help you feel more centred before you even begin speaking.

2. Clasp your hands to help slow your pace

When nerves kick in, it’s very common to speed up – not just in speech but in your movements too. People often don’t realise how much faster they’re talking or gesturing until it’s over. Gently clasping your hands together as you speak gives your body an anchor and naturally encourages slower, steadier movements. This helps your speech slow down too, making you feel more in control and giving your brain time to process what you want to say next. The physical stillness helps reduce that rushed feeling and creates the impression of calm, even if you still feel a little nervous inside.

3. Use scent association to create a calm anchor

Scent is closely linked to the parts of the brain that handle memory and emotion, which is why a familiar smell can trigger strong feelings or memories in an instant. You can use this to your advantage by creating a positive scent association that helps you feel steady when you speak. Choose a calming scent, such as lavender, citrus, or peppermint, and use it regularly when you’re feeling relaxed at home during meditation, light stretching, journaling, or any quiet wind-down time. Over time, your brain starts to link that scent with a calm state. Then, when you smell it before speaking, it can help trigger that same sense of ease and balance, supporting your confidence in the moment.

4. Focus your gaze on one point to reduce overwhelm

When you feel anxious, your brain naturally scans the room for signs of danger, which can make it harder to concentrate. This scanning behaviour adds to mental overload and makes it easier to lose your train of thought. Instead, pick one point in the room, perhaps a spot on the back wall, the edge of a banner, or just above the heads of your audience, and let your gaze rest softly there. This simple action gives your brain fewer distractions, helps steady your focus, and allows you to stay more present with your message. It also prevents the wandering eye movements that can make you feel more unsettled when nerves are high.

5. Cool your palms to lower stress signals

Anxiety often shows up through physical signals such as sweaty or hot palms, as your body gets ready for action. A quick, effective way to lower this response is to press your hands against something cool; for example, a bottle of water, a glass, or even a table surface. Doing this for just 30 seconds helps lower the temperature of your hands and sends a message to your brain that the body is safe. This can help reduce your overall sense of stress and make it easier to focus on what you want to say rather than on how you’re feeling physically.

Speaking with confidence isn’t about trying to be perfect or pretending you aren’t nervous. It’s about helping your brain and body work together so you can express your ideas clearly, calmly, and in a way that feels genuine to you. With small, consistent steps like these, confidence becomes something you build over time and each positive experience adds to that sense of safety and control.