Public Speaking for Non-Native English Speakers: 4 Game-Changing Tips

By Victoria Lioznyansky, M.S., M.A.

Public speaking is tough for most of us. But public speaking for non-native English speakers is even more difficult. In addition to typical speaking fears, you may also worry about mispronouncing words, stumbling over complex sentences, or whether the audience can understand your accent.

When you’re not speaking your native tongue, you may fear that your language skills could hurt your credibility and overshadow your expertise.

Well, I can relate. English is not my first language either. I moved to the United States over two decades ago with adequate English skills. Since then, they’ve improved drastically, but I still have a very thick accent.

Fortunately, this hasn’t held me back in my career or business. Because I’ve learned that

a.) speaking confidence is more important than how well you speak and

b.) there are several ways to boost confidence and speak more clearly.

Let’s dive in.

The Real Barrier: It's Not Your Language, It's Your Mindset

If you feel anxious every time you speak, if you can’t seem to get your point across, or if your presentation falls flat, it’s easy to assume this is a language barrier issue. But trust me, it’s not.

This is a limiting belief that you need to overcome. While being a non-native speaker and having an accent definitely presents some challenges, it ultimately has no bearing on your effectiveness as a public speaker. People get used to an accent after a few minutes. The same way they get used to someone with a slight lisp or a stutter. 

At the end of the day, improving your English won’t have nearly as much impact on your ability to deliver an effective presentation as growing your confidence. It’s all about whether you can show up and speak like the expert and leader that you are. Once you develop true, unshakable, inner confidence, your accent, your grammatical mistakes, and even a misuse of some words won’t matter. 

When my dad first came to the United States, he was already 59 and he knew very little English, maybe 50 words total. He started taking classes right away, but he was so confident in who he was that he never let his poor English stop him. He would go anywhere and talk to anyone.

He’d use the little English he knew, along with his hands and his tone of voice to communicate with people. And the funniest thing was that people not only understood him, they enjoyed speaking with him.

Anyone Can Become A Confident, Influential Speaker

I’ve helped hundreds of people become brilliant public speakers despite debilitating anxiety. Around half of them were not even native English speakers. The thing is - the process to becoming a confident speaker is the same, whether you’re a native speaker or not!

Take Irina. When she first came to me, she dreamed of sharing her inspiring life story to empower people all over the world. But at that point in her life, she could barely do a short livestream - let alone the regular presentations she was expected to make for work.

Originally from Colombia, it didn’t help that she wasn’t confident in her English speaking ability. She was petrified that she’d stumble over her words and jeopardize the career she’d worked so hard for.

After working with me, everything changed. In just a few short years, she went from feeling overwhelmed with intense speaking anxiety to becoming an international speaker, author, entrepreneur, and radio host.​

Arturo had a similar experience. As a software engineer, he’s an expert at what he does. But he was so afraid of speaking up in meetings and presentations that he turned down opportunities for promotions.

Originally from Mexico, he didn’t feel confident in his ability to speak with authority in front of an English audience. So he tried everything to conquer his fear. Like reading blogs, watching YouTube videos, and attending Toastmasters meetings. But nothing helped.

That’s when he found me. Within two months of working together, Arturo started to notice a real difference in his public speaking confidence. 

He said the mindset shifts and daily habits he learned were some of the most powerful tools for him. He went from worrying about how he looked and sounded to focusing on what he could give to his audience. He started leading trainings at work and joked, “Now I think I’m talking too much in meetings.”

In the case of both of these clients, I didn’t help them become better English speakers. I simply helped them transform their relationship with public speaking so they could show up with confidence, influence, and authority.

That’s really all you need! But building this confidence takes time, so here are four other tips on public speaking for non-native English speakers to help you in the meantime.

1. Slow Down When Speaking

When we’re nervous, we tend to speak faster. It’s a common tendency for many. However, a fast pace can make you more difficult to understand, especially when you’re not a native speaker.

This is actually something I’ve personally really struggled with. In my native language, I speak very quickly. So I’ve had to learn to slow down my pace when presenting in English. 

Slowing down helps with pronunciation, clarity, and overall audience understanding. As the old saying goes, "Slow and steady wins the race." By speaking slowly and enunciating carefully, you give your listeners time to process what you've said.  

They’ll also have an easier time adjusting to the cadences and sounds of your accent or pronunciation quirks. When you speak at a slow, steady pace, audiences can get used to your accent fairly quickly, but when you speak fast, it may take them longer.

So take a beat and be conscious of how fast you’re talking. Pause briefly between phrases and at the end of each point or idea. Not only does this make it easier for your audience to understand you, but it also prevents you from gasping for air mid-sentence and getting even more anxious. 

Slowing down makes you sound more polished, in control, and authoritative as a speaker. It also makes you sound less nervous and more confident - and can even boost your confidence in the process.

2. Stick to Simple, Clear Vocabulary

I know we all want to sound sophisticated, well-educated, and intelligent. This often translates into a desire to pepper our presentations with impressive, academic vocabulary. 

However, this is actually a limiting belief. Using overly advanced and complex words can seriously undermine your effectiveness, especially in a second language where you may not be 100% certain what these words mean or how they should be used.

In reality, clear, simple language is far more effective because it feels more relatable and conversational for audiences. By sticking to more common, everyday speech, you improve comprehension and prevent your presentation from feeling stiff or too formal. 

Also, English can honestly be a challenging language. And if you don’t know a word very well, it’s easy to use it in the wrong context, which could hurt your credibility or confuse your audience. It’s much better to use a more straightforward synonym.

If you want your audience to easily absorb everything you’re saying, use language that any fifth grader can comprehend. The way you affect people and make them feel is much more important than the words you use. Aim to use direct, powerful language over complex or jargon-filled language and you’ll leave a greater impact.

Swap Out Anything You Can’t Pronounce

Many of us also have problems with certain sounds or letters that are difficult to cleanly pronounce in English. The easiest solution is to just swap words containing them out with an easier-to-pronounce synonym or alternative phrasing.

I wish somebody had given me this advice when I first started my Nutty Scientists of Houston business because as it turned out, I can’t pronounce "nutty" - at all. I had to go to my kids and ask them to train me for hours on that one simple word. They found it endlessly amusing to listen to me stumble over it.

Now, let me just say that my accent and mispronouncing "nutty" did not prevent me from making my Nutty Scientist franchise the number one among all 90 franchises in North America. But it certainly made me feel uncomfortable and self-conscious many, many times when introducing the brand name.

So if you habitually struggle to pronounce certain letters or sounds in English, play to your strengths! Don't try to force problematic words into your presentations. Whenever possible, replace them with clearer synonyms that are easier for you to say.

For example, I always replace "sheet" with alternatives like "document," "handout," or "paper." That's because I have a persistent issue properly pronouncing words where a long "e" sound comes before another vowel. And I think you can guess which inappropriate word that might inadvertently sound like.

So instead of compromising my authority, I simply rephrase to stick with vocabulary I can speak perfectly.

In the long term, it’s obviously a good idea to practice these sounds so you get better. But in the short term, do yourself a favor and make your presentations a lot easier by making these simple swaps. It will not only boost your confidence, but it will prevent audiences from getting confused (or, worse, offended if they think you said something crude!)

Use Correct Intonation

Intonation refers to the rising and falling patterns of pitch within phrases and sentences. Every language has its own distinct intonation patterns and rhythms that form its overall sound.

You can actually recognize people from certain countries and cultures not just based on their accents, but based on the intonation patterns they use within certain words and sentences. For example, Spanish has very recognizable rising inflections at the end of statements that we don't share in English.

For non-native speakers, intonation is one of the trickiest elements to pick up on in a new language - it's extremely nuanced and difficult to describe. That's why listening and mimicking examples is so important for improvement.

My top tip for mastering English intonation is to listen closely to podcasts, audiobooks, television shows, and other media. Pay careful attention to how the speaker's voice flows up and down as they speak. Note where they place emphasis, what words get stressed, and which syllables rise or fall in pitch.

Then, pick a section to model - stop the audio every sentence or two, and repeat out loud, carefully shaping your mouth and modulating your breath to match their inflection. With enough repetition and focused practice, you'll start to take on the English rhythm and sound more natural to native speakers.

Many English learners inadvertently speak with very flat or monotone intonation patterns because they translate too literally from their native tongue. But delivering a presentation sounding like a bored robot is a surefire way to lose your audience's interest. Mastering intonation can make all the difference.

Ready to Build Genuine Public Speaking Confidence?

Hopefully, you found these tips on public speaking for non-native English speakers  helpful. However, it ultimately doesn’t matter if you have an accent or aren’t a native speaker. It doesn’t matter if you don't use highly sophisticated language. It doesn't matter if you make occasional grammatical mistakes. 

The only thing that truly matters is that you speak with genuine confidence, with authority, with assertiveness, with passion, and with brilliance. That's what makes the most difference. Because what matters is how you make people feel when you speak.

How people feel is what inspires action - whether you’re trying to sell them something or encourage a new way of thinking.

My best advice to you is this: don’t waste your time trying to perfect your English speaking. Instead, invest this time in learning how to build genuine, unshakeable inner confidence because that will help you speak in front of any audience in your career or business.

So how do build unshakable confidence?

Click to book a Discovery Call with me today!