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Get used to speaking · Lesson 2 of 11

Build a Speaking Ladder: Small Steps to Confidence

Build a step-by-step speaking ladder, learn when to move up a rung, and split any step that feels too big.

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THE WRITTEN LESSONFollow along at your pace

A speaking ladder is a list of small steps that take you from talking alone to speaking to a group. Each step is a little harder than the one before. In this lesson you will see one ladder you could try, learn when to move up, and learn what to do when a step feels too big.

Confidence grows from small wins

When you succeed at something, you believe a little more that you can do the next thing. So break speaking into steps you will probably manage, and make each one a little harder than the last. Pushing yourself into a big talk too early can do the opposite: if it goes badly, it can leave you less sure of yourself, not more.

Five purple bars of rising height labeled Step 1 to Step 5, each with a green check, beside a green line chart of confidence rising over the steps. A crossed-out card reads Big talk too early.(opens the full-size picture)
Each small win adds to your confidence.

A ladder you could try

Here is one ladder, week by week. In week one, speak for one minute, out loud and alone, about something you know well. In week two, give that same minute to one friendly listener. In week three, make one planned comment in a meeting or a class. In week four, give a three-minute update to a small group. In week five, rehearse a five-minute talk twice, for one or two people. In week six, give that talk to a group.

A ladder beside six rows. From the bottom: Week 1, 1 minute alone; Week 2, 1 minute, one listener; Week 3, one planned comment; Week 4, 3-minute update; Week 5, rehearse a 5-minute talk; Week 6, give it to a group. A note says A sensible order, not a tested program.(opens the full-size picture)
Six weeks, six rungs. It is a sensible order, not a tested program.

This ladder is not a tested program. It is a sensible order to start from, so change it to fit your life. If your own first step is a comment in a class, put that near the bottom.

Move up when a step feels ordinary

The weeks are only a guide. Move up when a step starts to feel ordinary, not when the calendar says so. Some steps will take one try. Others will take a month. That is fine, because the aim is to get used to each step, not to hurry through the list.

A calendar card reading Day 21 beside a crossed-out label Move by date. An arrow runs from a worried face to a calm face, with the words Move up when it feels ordinary. Two green bars, 1 try and 1 month, are both checked, with the note That's fine.(opens the full-size picture)
Move by how the step feels, not by the date.

Split the step that feels too big

If a step feels impossible, split it. Speak for thirty seconds instead of a minute. Say your comment to one colleague before the meeting, then say it again in the meeting. Splitting does not mean you failed. It means you found a step you can clear, and that is the one that builds confidence.

One tall purple block splitting into a smaller step and a next step. A stopwatch shows 30 sec instead of 1 minute, a gold label reads Almost too easy, and a card shows two people talking, labeled Before the meeting.(opens the full-size picture)
One big step becomes two smaller ones.

Track your wins

After each step, jot down one thing that went better than last time, for example “I looked up more.” Measure yourself against your own last try, not against other speakers. Someone else’s polished talk tells you nothing about your own progress.

A notepad headed Better than last time with the line I looked up more and a pencil. Next to it, a green arrow points from You last time to You now, and a crossed-out card reads Another speaker.(opens the full-size picture)
Compare yourself with your last try.

YOUR TURN

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Read the full lesson script

In this lesson, you'll build a speaking ladder: small steps that take you from talking alone to speaking to a group. You'll also learn when to move up a step, and what to do when a step feels too big.

Confidence grows from small wins. When you succeed at something, you believe a little more that you can do the next thing. So break speaking into steps you'll probably manage, and make each one a little harder than the last. Pushing yourself into a big talk too early can do the opposite.

Here's one ladder you could try. In week one, speak for one minute, out loud and alone, about something you know well. In week two, give that same minute to one friendly listener. In week three, make one planned comment in a meeting or a class.

In week four, give a three-minute update to a small group. In week five, rehearse a five-minute talk twice, for one or two people. And in week six, give that talk to a group. This ladder isn't a tested program. It's a sensible order to start from.

The weeks are only a guide. Move up when a step starts to feel ordinary, not when the calendar says so. Some steps will take one try. Others will take a month. That's fine.

If a step feels impossible, split it. Speak for thirty seconds instead of a minute. Say your comment to one colleague before the meeting. Make the first steps almost too easy, because a step only counts if you actually clear it.

After each step, jot down one thing that went better than last time. Measure yourself against your own last try, not against other speakers.

So remember: confidence grows from small wins. Move up when a step feels ordinary. And split any step that feels too big. Before the next lesson, speak for one minute, out loud and alone, about something you know well. Next, you'll learn to rehearse out loud, for a listener.