STEM professionals often lack confidence in their public speaking skills.

Three ways they can reduce their lack of public-speaking confidence are to (1) reframe anxiety into energy, (2) build confidence through iterative practice, and (3) shift focus from performance to purpose.

Reframe Anxiety as Energy

Instead of fighting nerves, reinterpret them as the body’s preparation for performance.

Research by Harvard psychologist Alison Wood Brooks (2014) showed that telling oneself “I’m excited” instead of “I’m anxious” improved both confidence and performance.

Physiologically, anxiety and excitement look almost identical—elevated heart rate, alertness, energy.

The trick is to reframe interpretation, not suppress reaction.

Before presenting, remind yourself: “My body is ready to perform.” Treat the adrenaline surge as your ally, not your enemy.

When your heart races and your palms sweat, your body isn’t betraying you—it’s preparing you. Instead of saying “I’m nervous,” deliberately say “I’m excited.” This cognitive reappraisal turns the same physiological response into a performance boost.

Alison Wood Brooks’ 2014 study found that this simple phrase improved confidence and delivery quality across multiple speaking tests. Before stepping on stage, say aloud, “This is excitement—it means I care.”

Channel excess adrenaline into controlled movement. Take a deep breath, plant your feet, gesture purposefully, or use a vigorous vocal warm-up.

This transforms jittery tension into physical readiness—like an athlete bouncing on the balls of their feet before the whistle. Replace shaky stillness with deliberate posture and motion; the body tells the mind, “We’re ready to go.”

Shift attention outward: from ‘How am I doing?’ to ‘What do they need?’ When you focus on serving the audience or communicating a vital idea, anxiety morphs into drive.

Purpose absorbs excess energy and turns it into expressive passion rather than inward rumination. Before you start, silently state your goal: “I’m here to help them understand this.”

In short, anxiety and excitement share the same spark—only the direction differs. Point it toward purpose, and the fire fuels your message instead of burning your confidence.

So, one way you can help them overcome your lack of public-speaking confidence is to reframe anxiety as energy.

Another way is to build confidence through iterative practice.

Build Confidence Through Iterative Practice

STEM professionals trust systems that have been stress-tested; the same logic applies to speaking.

There is no better way to increase your self-confidence in public speaking than to practice many, many times.

Practicing under incrementally increasing pressure—alone, in front of peers, in front of strangers—builds “exposure confidence.”

When you start to practice, you are sensitized to your lack of confidence. The key is to desensitize yourself to this gradually. The fastest way to do this is through thorough practice.

When I was in the Air Force, we had a saying: “We train the way we fight, and we fight the way we train.”

So, what does this tell you? The way you delivered your presentation in practice is the way you will deliver it when the time comes for the actual presentation.

Deliberate repetition wires your brain to make speaking feel automatic rather than threatening.

Simulate presentations in low-stakes settings, such as team meetings or Toastmasters meetings. Record yourself, analyze performance data (pace, filler words, clarity), and refine through iteration—the same process STEM professionals use to debug systems.

So, two ways you can overcome your lack of public-speaking confidence are to reframe anxiety into energy and build confidence through iterative practice.

A final way is to shift focus from performance to purpose.

Shift Focus from Performance to Purpose

Anxiety thrives on self-focus: What if I mess up? Confidence grows when attention shifts outward—to the message, the data, and the audience’s needs.

Earnestly focusing on the message, data, and audience needs goes a long way to reducing your lack of confidence in your public speaking.

Communication expert Dale Carnegie emphasized this principle a century ago: “Develop success from failures.

There is no success without failure. Believe it or not. Why is this so? It is so because if you are not failing, you are not trying hard enough. If you are not trying hard enough, you will not succeed.

After 10,000 attempts to test materials for the incandescent light bulb, Thomas Edison was asked whether he was discouraged. He said, “No. I have just found 10,000 materials that will not work.”

Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.” The key is to look at them this way.

Modern neuroscience supports it—audience-centered thinking engages empathy networks, which dampen fear circuits.

Before speaking, identify one core idea you want your audience to understand or act on. Make your mission their comprehension, not your perfection.

So, three ways you can overcome your lack of public-speaking confidence are to (1) reframe anxiety into energy, (2) build confidence through iterative practice, and (3) shift focus from performance to purpose.

Confidence isn’t a fixed trait—it’s a trainable response. For STEM professionals, the mindset shift from performance under scrutiny to communication under purpose is the most reliable formula for growth.

Call to Action

• Before presenting, remind yourself: “My body is ready to perform.” Treat the adrenaline surge as your ally, not your enemy.

• Practice your presentations on your own and in front of peers. There is no better way to increase your self-confidence in public speaking than to practice many, many times.

• Seek out failure. It is the surest road to success

References

• Brooks, A. W. (2014). Get Excited: Reappraising Pre-Performance Anxiety as Excitement. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(3), 1144–1158.

• Carnegie, D. (1936). How to Win Friends and Influence People. Simon & Schuster.

• Lucas, S. E. (2020). The Art of Public Speaking. McGraw-Hill Education.

• Goleman, D. (2006). Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships. Bantam Books.

• LeDoux, J. (2015). Anxious: Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety. Viking Press.

Being a confident, engaging, and effective STEM speaker is a vital personal and professional asset. With more than 40 years of engineering experience and more than 30 years of award-winning public speaking experience, I can help you reduce your presentation preparatory time by 50%, overcome your fear of public speaking and be completely at ease, deliver your presentations effectively, develop your personal presence with your audience; and apply an innovative way to handle audience questions deftly.

Working closely with you, I provide a customized protocol employing the critical skills and tools you need to create, practice, and deliver excellent STEM speeches and presentations. Let’s connect and explore how I can help you become the exceptional speaker you were meant to be. Please reach out to me at frank@speakleadandsucceed.com or 703-509-4424 for a complimentary consultation. Schedule a meeting with me at calendly.com/frankdibartolomeospeaks