How I Use Public Speaking Skills to Stay Confident During Final Presentations

• Chris The Grad
• 0 Comments
• December 13, 2025

By: Chris the Graduate 

Finals week hits hard enough with exams, late-night study sessions, and trying to hold your GPA together, but presentations take the stress to a different level. As an engineering major who used to get nervous just introducing myself in class, I had to figure out how to stop my voice from shaking every time I stood in front of a room. Surprisingly, the thing that helped me most wasn’t studying more; it was improving my public speaking skills.

Over the past couple of semesters, between being a writing tutor, a peer mentor, and speaking at fraternity events, I’ve gotten way more comfortable talking in front of people. And honestly? Those skills are clutch during finals week.

Here’s how public speaking helps me stay confident, calm, and collected when presentation day comes around:

1. I Practice My “Professional Mode” Before the Presentation

Public speaking taught me how to switch into a more polished version of myself on command: slower voice, clearer sentences, better posture. I practice this the day before, even if it’s just in the mirror. By the time I’m actually presenting, my brain is already in the right “mode,” so the nerves don’t hit as hard.

2. I Know How to Control the Room

One of the little things they don’t teach you in class is this: when you walk up to the front, you’re in charge of the room even if it’s just for five minutes. I take a deep breath, plant my feet, and make eye contact with one person first. That tiny moment lets me feel grounded, like I’m setting the pace, not the anxiety.

3. I Use Pauses as a Tool, Not a Panic Button

Before I practiced public speaking, I used to speed-talk through every slide like I was trying to finish before my nerves caught up to me. Now, I’m comfortable pausing after an important point. It makes my delivery clearer and gives me a second to reset.

4. I Always Have a “Backup Line” Ready

If I forget what I was going to say, I have a simple line like:
“Let me rephrase that for clarity…”
or
“To connect this to the next point…”

You’d be shocked how professional that sounds, and it buys you a couple of seconds to find your place.

5. I Practice Using My Slides as Support Instead of a Script

Public speaking taught me not to stare at the screen. I build slides that highlight key points so I can talk naturally without reading. It makes the whole presentation feel smoother and more confident.

6. I Rehearse With Real Pressure

If it’s a final presentation worth a big chunk of my grade, I’ll run through it once for a friend, a roommate, or even my fraternity brothers. When you present in front of real people, you feel the nerves, and you learn to push through them before the actual day.

Why This Matters During Finals Week

Presentation season is stressful. But if your delivery is strong, you not only look confident, you actually feel more confident. Public speaking skills make you sound like you know what you’re talking about, even when finals week has you running on caffeine and prayers.

Public speaking isn’t just something you do on a stage; it’s a tool that helps you survive college. And during finals week? It’s one of the best tools you can have.