How to get better at public speaking with TTS help

Before I became a content marketer, I was a scholar. Part of academic life is to present your research at symposiums and conferences. And one of the best ways to prepare for public speaking is to write down first what you’re going to say — and then listen to what your presentation will sound like.

This is where text-to-speech (TTS) tools come in handy. Let me show you why.

What makes a good public speech?

A good public speech is about the content as much as the delivery.

You know those speakers who make things look so effortless? They captivate a room with their words — and body language, too. It might look like they’re just winging it, so naturally, but behind their performance lies a surprising amount of prep work.

Hard prep work.

Preparation is the foundation of a successful speech or presentation. But before you can start practicing your delivery, you need to focus on the message you’re going to share. This way, you’ll start building the confidence to wow your audience — even if you’re terrified of facing a crowd.

By the way, do you dread speaking in public?

You’re not alone. Many people feel nervous or even have full-blown panic attacks at the thought of giving a presentation, leading a meeting or delivering a speech.

Glossophobia. That’s what the public speaking fear is called. 

According to the Chapman University Survey of American Fears, 28.7% of Americans report being afraid or very afraid of public speaking. This survey ranks it 53rd, behind sharks (52nd) and ahead of property theft (54th).

This reality reinforces the importance of adopting strategies to cope with glossophobia. Getting prepared is one of them.

Even if it doesn’t make you overconfident, preparation can at least reduce the chances of unexpected surprises and boost your overall sense of control. Lack of preparation, on the other hand, might even increase your anxiety as you’re more likely to feel overwhelmed and uncertain about your performance.

So should you write what you’re going to say?

Writing the speech down isn’t the only way to prepare, but it’s a very effective strategy, especially for beginners or for complex topics.

Putting your ideas on paper helps you:

• Organize your thoughts, ensuring your message is clear and flows logically
• Identify areas that need more information or stronger transitions

But you need to be careful because reading directly from a script can sound stiff and impersonal. You risk boring your audience, especially with a monotonous delivery and no eye contact. That’s why seasoned speakers might prefer to take the outline route. In this case, you just jot down key points and supporting details. You get structure without a full script.

👉 In this blog, however, I focus on the full script approach — in which you actually write the entire speech — because that’s where I see great benefit in using TTS tools.

The basics of speech writing

When preparing a speech, talk or presentation, start with the basics:

• Know your audience and tailor your content and approach accordingly. Let’s say you’re the keynote speaker at a SaaS conference. Obviously, you don’t need to explain to attendees what SaaS means.
• Have a thesis. A strong foundation starts with a well-defined goal for your speech. What do you want listeners to remember or take away after you’re done?
• Structure your speech logically, with a clear introduction, arguments and conclusion. With written content, audience members can always go back and reread a passage — word by word — if they feel lost. An effective speech doesn’t let people fall behind because it’s constantly reminding them where they are and where they’re going.
  • My tip? Tie your points back to your central thesis. Remind the audience how each point contributes to the bigger picture you’re painting.
• Don’t bore your audience. Research suggests that our attention span is shrinking in the digital age and is now averaging 47 seconds on any screen, according to Dr. Gloria Mark, author of the book Attention Span. For a great speech, you need to keep the audience engaged.

In most of the academic conferences I have attended, each presenter had a 20-minute time slot. The TED talks are even shorter. Speakers often have three, five or nine minutes. The maximum time allowed is 18 minutes — no matter who the speaker is. With this concise format, you only demand attention for a short period of time. Still, you need to hook your audience from the go and keep everyone interested until the final word.

Content for reading vs listening

With speech writing, you need a conversational tone — more than ever. You’re not writing for an imaginary audience. You’ll likely have a room full of people staring at you.

I know, it might be intimidating, but remember that they are there to listen to you and connect with your message. Make your speech engaging, keep it natural and don’t be afraid to inject a bit of humor.

Let me break down the nuances of crafting content for reading versus listening.

Aspect	Content for reading	Content for listening
Messaging	More comprehensive and detailed. Readers can take their time, re-read sections they find confusing and reference back to earlier parts	Simpler and easier to follow. Listeners can’t rewind or reread confusing parts, so clarity and conciseness are crucial
Sentence structure	Can be longer and more complex, with subordinate clauses and varied sentence structures	Shorter and simpler, so it’s easier for the listener to follow
Writing style	More formal (depending on the context) with the use of descriptive language and figurative speech to create a visual picture for the reader	More conversational with active voice, personal pronouns and simpler vocabulary
Organization and flow	Headings, subheadings, bullet points and implied transitions through sentence structure	Signposting through clear introductions, summaries and verbal cues, including explicit transitions (e.g., next or however)

You need to hear your writing aloud

Let’s say you wrote your speech, but how do you know it’s good for listening? Well, you’ll have to hear it aloud.

Of course, you can also get other types of help. 🤖

Let’s not forget that 45% of the US population is using generative AI, per a Salesforce survey. Popular AI-driven tools — from Grammarly and Hemingway to ChatGPT and Gemini — streamline your writing process. You can use generative AI to outline, proofread or adjust the tone of your speech.

While these copywriting tools help you hone your skills, listening to your own work aloud remains a time-tested technique for aspiring writers. Hearing your speech can highlight issues that are not too obvious when reading silently. For example:

❌ Gaps in your explanation

❌ Choppy transitions

❌ Awkward phrasing

❌ Word repetition and redundant points

❌ Non-logical order of ideas

❌ Grammar and punctuation issues

❌ Lack of clarity

Plus, listening to your speech as the audience would hear it helps ensure that your message is clear and easy to follow. Going from text to voice allows you to assess your content from a listener’s perspective, making it easier to critique and refine it. But wait, you should not read it yourself.

At least not yet.

Why you should not read your draft yourself (just yet!)

We all have a natural tendency to gloss over our own mistakes. When you reread your own work, you won’t necessarily catch:

• Missing words: You might simply skip over a missing word because your brain fills it in automatically based on context.
• Misplaced punctuation: A comma out of place could completely alter the meaning of a sentence, but you might miss it because you interpret it correctly the first time around.
• Awkward phrasing and logical inconsistencies: You might overlook plot holes or clunky writing because you’re so familiar with the content in your head.

Yes, that means you need someone else — or something 🤖— to read the draft to you. 😉

Why you should use a text-to-speech app to read your content aloud

Text-to-speech tools — like our very own Voice Insert — convert written text into spoken words.

In seconds, you get your entire speech in audio format. You can listen to audio content while on the go or even share the MP3 file or link with peers for feedback.

These TTS apps have come a long way from their early days of robotic monotone voices.

• In the past, these systems relied on simple techniques like concatenating pre-recorded sounds or manipulating formants (the building blocks of speech sounds) to create synthetic speech.
• Now, with advances in natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning, modern TTS tools analyze the nuances of human speech, including intonation, rhythm and emphasis, and then synthesize voices that sound much more natural and engaging.

Whether in audio marketing, sales, publishing or education, there’s an increased demand for this technology. In fact, the TTS market size is expected to grow at a 15.96% CAGR over the next five years.

The range of applications is broad, but I find text-to-speech quite helpful to improve your public speaking skills. Let me break down the benefits in terms of:

• Content quality: It’s not only about catching sloppy writing mistakes. It’s also about helping you achieve a conversational tone and smooth flow. You might have to add explicit transitions, simplify clauses and review word choices. Even the most confident speaker can struggle to hold an audience’s attention if their delivery is monotone or their speech is disorganized.
• Time management: I have been to conferences where speakers have droned on well past their allotted time, forcing the chair to resort to the mortifying task of cutting them off. Using TTS apps to read your speech can give you an accurate sense of its length. Better figure out in advance if you need to trim or expand sections.
• Pronunciation: TTS can highlight difficult-to-pronounce words or phrases, giving you the opportunity to practice them and ensure smooth delivery during your presentation.
• Familiarity with content: Hearing your speech multiple times can help you reduce anxiety about forgetting key points during the presentation. The more you hear it, the more confident you become in your material, resulting in a more compelling delivery.

Text-to-speech is great but you still need to practice your speech yourself

Sorry, but you can’t skip this step. Maybe someday you can have a holographic version of yourself doing all the talking while you relax backstage, but for now, you’ll be the one giving the speech, and good old-fashioned practice is key.

When rehearsing your presentation aloud to refine your delivery and timing, follow these proven public speaking tips:

• Use vocal variety to keep your audience engaged. Vary your pace, volume and pitch to emphasize important points.
• Maintain good posture, make eye contact and use natural hand gestures to complement your speech.
• Show your passion for the topic and connect with your audience.

How to prepare for public speaking with TTS apps

Let’s say you’re ready to incorporate TTS into your public speaking preparation toolset. Here are the steps:

1. Write your speech. Start with a detailed draft, focusing on clarity and logical flow. Refine your writing to ensure it is concise and engaging.
2. Convert your written text into spoken words. Input your draft into a TTS tool to generate an audio version of your speech or presentation.
3. Listen and analyze your speech. Play the audio several times to become familiar with how it sounds. Note any areas that need improvement, such as unclear points, awkward phrasing or timing issues.
4. Make adjustments as needed. Modify your written speech based on the insights gained from listening to the TTS version. Ensure it’s conversational and clear to follow and understand.
5. Practice your presentation. Now that your speech is polished, it’s time to rehearse. Practice delivering it aloud, either on your own or in front of a trusted friend or colleague. Time yourself and pay attention to pacing and emphasis — you should sound natural and engaging. You can even record yourself and listen back to identify areas for improvement in your delivery.

Nail your public speaking preparation with Voice Insert

I wish I had an app like Voice Insert when I was prepping for conferences. With a built-in text editor, our TTS software makes it so easy to listen to your writing aloud.

Once you log in and create a new transcription, you can paste your draft or craft your speech directly in our tool. You can save new drafts or edit previous transcriptions.

After you convert your text into speech, you have the options to:

• Listen to the audio directly from the Transcription dashboard
• Copy a web link to the audio
• Download your speech in MP3
• Embed the audio in a website

In the Starter plan, you get 10,000 words per month — for free. But of course, if you’re a prolific writer or professional speechwriter, check out our full pricing structure, so you don’t hit any limits on your creativity.

Ready to boost your confidence in public speaking? Let’s help you.