F or many people, public speaking ranks just below reptiles (but above spiders and heights) when it comes to the things they fear most. We've found the apps that will help you nail those nerves.
No matter how intense your fear of public speaking, when you’re building your social enterprise, the need is hard to avoid from time to time. How else will you impress complete strangers with your vision, and make the impact you dream of, after all? Fortunately, you don’t need an elocutionist to get you walking and talking tall in front of a crowd – just use your smartphone to train you instead. We’ve done a bit of digging to help you pitch and present like a pro: banish glossophobia with these essential public-speaking apps.
1. VirtualSpeech
Practice may make perfect, but virtual reality (VR) makes it fun. Pair this Android/iOS app with any Google Cardboard or Gear VR headset, and Virtual Speech will simulate the experience of giving a presentation. Whether you want to practise in front of a big audience or a small group, this app gives you a range of 360º environments (from classrooms to boardrooms) that'll help hone your technique and annunciate with ease.
2. Confident Public Speaking Now
Your palms are sweaty, your stomach’s full of butterflies and your legs are made of jelly – when it comes to presenting, a few nerves are normal but they needn’t throw you off your game. Bring a sense of calm to preparations with hypnotherapist David Ridgeway’s Confident Public Speaking Now. Available on both Android and iOS this app is preferable to picturing your audience in their underwear and features 10 minutes of self-hypnosis and guided meditation to get you back on track.
Forget flash cards, this app (on Android and iOS) turns your mobile into a digital teleprompter so you can reel off your spiel like a seasoned TV broadcaster. This clever little app enables you to import .txt files from Dropbox, copy and paste from email or create documents within the app. Plus you can set your scrolling speed, quickly move between different sections, opt for mirror or reverse text and track your time as you speak.
4. PromptSmart Pro
Seeking something even more high tech? The PromptSmart Pro iOS app takes the theme one step further. With speech-recognition technology, it auto-adjusts text speed to your speaking pace and holds your place when you go off script.
5. Likeso
Stop ‘likes’, ‘sos’ and ‘ums’ from crushing your credibility with the Likeso iOS app, which uses voice-recognition technology to analyses your words and pacing in real time. Awarding you a score from ‘A+’ to ‘uh-oh’ and training you out of poor oratory habits. Similar apps include Um Counter (Android ) and Ummo (also iOS ) – both are tuned to pick up filler words for killer presentations.
6. Speakerclock
Inspired by the famous TED Talk timer, the Speakerclock iOS app is big red digits that let you see how you’re tracking and how much time you have left as you speak. It’s a really simple concept, but incredibly useful for ensuring a reasonable pace and staying within those all-important time constraints. The traffic light system helps you see when the end is near so you can hammer home key messages. And when your presentation’s over, simply tap the screen to stop. Presentation Clock on Android performs a very similar function, or try Toastmaster Timer for the same traffic light effect.
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