Public Speaking Tips: You Don't Have a Confidence Problem

Hosts: Percy Barr, Wayne Pratt and Bernie Franzgrote

Public speaking tips from Nat Mailhot at East Trade Winds: why confidence is a skill, and how to start bold, tell better stories, and cut your filler words.

GROWTH CATEGORY: Marketing & Branding

Brought to you by East Trade Winds, Profit10™, and Web Indexer.

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East Trade Winds

You stand up to pitch and your mind goes quiet. You blame your nerves. Communication coach Nat Mailhot says you're fixing the wrong thing, and she showed a room of business owners what to fix instead.

Nat Mailhot is a communication coach who helps professionals, leaders, and speakers sound clear and confident. In this East Trade Winds talk, she shares public speaking tips for business owners who want to speak about themselves with more impact. Nat says most people think they have a confidence problem. They don't. They are missing a skill. She teaches simple tools: start bold, find your crutch word, and use storytelling to share your "firsts" stories. She also asks speakers to focus on what the audience will think, feel, or do. Nat tells a vulnerable story about losing a TEDx license and what it taught her. This session is for solopreneurs, founders, and leaders with a pitch, podcast, or networking talk coming up who want it to land.

Watch the full conversation here:

Many speakers think nerves are the problem, but most are missing a skill. Nat Mailhot, a communication coach with over 10 years of experience in English and French, explains how business owners can fix this. She shares simple tools: start bold, cut crutch words, tell stories, and focus on what the audience should feel.

Who this is for

SMB owners, solopreneurs, corporate escapees, and leaders building systems.

Key Lessons

1. Confidence follows skill.
Nat says most clients walk in sure they have a confidence problem. They don't. They haven't had the practice or the training yet. She compares speaking to a puzzle. Clear speech, structure, voice, and movement are the pieces. Once you know them, confidence shows up on its own. For example, Nat chooses to stand when she presents. It lets her use her hands and move around. That is a skill choice, not a feeling.

2. Start bold, then clean up your crutch word.
Nat opened with a Maya Angelou quote about how people remember how you made them feel. She says a quote or a big claim at the start gets you remembered. Then she asked the room for their crutch word. Her own daughter had one, and she used it out of context. A speaking coach once noticed a speaker starting every sentence with "and." After that, Nat said, it was all she could hear. Your listeners do the same.

3. Tell stories from your firsts, and make it about the audience.
You have a hundred stories in your back pocket. Think about your first client, your first podcast guest, or the first time you flew. Then say what you learned. Nat shared her own vulnerable moment: TEDx chose not to renew her TEDxCabarete license, and it hurt her ego. She used it as a teaching moment. Before any talk, she asks one question: what do you want them to think, feel, or do?

Practical Steps

• Find your crutch word. Say your next pitch without it, or with less of it.
• Write three "firsts" stories: your first client, your first podcast, your first frustration. Add one line on what you learned from each.
• Before any talk, finish this sentence: "I want them to think, feel, or do ___."

About the Guest

Nat Mailhot has coached professionals in English and French for over 10 years and created the Teen Talk program for young speakers. Connect: Website · LinkedIn · Instagram. Have a talk coming up? Book a 30-minute call with Nat through her website.

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Partners on this episode

East Trade Winds: free weekly networking. Bring one challenge, bring one introduction.

Profit10™: free Profit Snapshot. Ten questions on where your business leaks profit.

Web Indexer: a website chatbot that answers visitor questions 24/7.

FAQ

Is public speaking really a confidence problem?
Nat says most people think so, but it is usually a skill gap. Learn the skill, and confidence follows.

How do I stop using filler words?
Find your crutch word first. Notice when you use it, then use it less. Pausing is hard, but it builds credibility.

How should I open a talk or pitch?
Start bold. Use a quote, a big claim, or a short story from one of your firsts.