Confidence Building for New Moderators

"You're such a natural when it comes to moderating and speaking in front of an audience!" That's something I hear quite often. But the truth is that it's not something I was born with. It's the result of lots of preparation, experience, and continuous learning. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to moderate discussions, lead panels, and speak in front of various audiences. Each time, I've refined my approach, learning what works and what doesn't. Because the key to effective public speaking isn't just confidence, it's preparation. Some of the most important things I focus on when preparing: ✅ Know your audience - Who are they? What do they care about? What tone and energy will resonate with them? If you're online, you might want to increase the energy level to get your message across. (In the words of Maya Angelou: It's not what you say, it's how you make the audience feel. If you are passionate about your subject and eager to tell the story, they'll listen to every word.) ✅ Structure matters - A clear beginning, middle, and end make a speech or discussion engaging and easy to follow. (Say what you're going to say, say it, and recap what you just said. 'Show, don't tell' is another golden rule, meaning that you can use a story to illustrate you point.) ✅ Active listening - As a moderator, it's not just about asking good questions, but truly listening to the answers and adapting the conversation in real time. (Sometimes it's as easy as asking a quick follow-up question like 'Why's that?' or repeating something that was just said and add your own thoughts.) ✅ Body language & voice control - How you deliver your message is just as important as the words you choose. Tone, pace, and presence can make all the difference. (Don't be afraid of silence, a pause after an important point will only underline your message. And do review your own performance! You can do it in three steps; with just the sound (listening to you voice and intonation), with just the image and no sound (watching your body language and how you move on stage and interact with the audience, and finally with both.) ✅ Practice makes perfect - Take time to learn your key messages, and practice saying them out loud. This way you will find your own rhythm. (But you don't have to memorise the entire script.) ✅ Embracing the unexpected - Things won't always go as planned. A great speaker or moderator is someone who can handle surprises with composure. (And remember, your listeners don't know what's in the script or what comes next, so just roll with it.) I love what I do, and I've worked hard to develop these skills. So no, it didn't just come naturally, but with every experience, I continue to grow. Whether it's somebody else up on the stage or me leading the conversation. What are your best tips for public speaking and moderation? Let's discuss!

A few years ago, I walked into a room filled with senior managers for a leadership workshop. One individual immediately caught my attention. He wasn’t the loudest. He didn’t take up unnecessary space. But whenever he spoke, the room paused and listened. That moment made me reflect: What gives someone that kind of presence? That calm, grounded authority, without force? Over time, the answer became clear: Confidence. Not the loud or performative kind. Not something you’re either born with or not. But a skill, a habit, built through small, intentional actions. After training hundreds of teams, I’ve seen a pattern: The most confident people aren’t always the most experienced or extroverted. They’re the most consistent. Here are 6 habits I’ve seen them practise and how you can build them too: 1. Simplify Confidence gets buried under complexity. When a task feels too big, you freeze. So break it down. → Instead of “Prepare for the presentation,” try: “List 3 key points I want to say.” → Ask: What’s the smallest next step I can take? Try this: Shrink the task until it feels doable and do just that. 2. Start Confidence isn’t built by waiting. It’s built by doing. Even tiny actions quiet self-doubt. → Stuck on that report? Open a doc and write a working title. → Set a 5-minute timer. Start messy. Try this: Start before you feel ready. Momentum follows action. 3. Celebrate Confident people track progress, not perfection. → After a tough meeting, ask, “Did I show up?” → Finished reading one page? Solved one issue? Mark it. Try this: Say “I did it” after small wins. It rewires your brain to believe in progress. 4. Repeat Repetition builds belief. → Want to improve speaking? Record a 2-minute voice note daily. → Read for 5 minutes at the same time each day. Try this: Pick one confidence-boosting habit. Repeat it daily for a week. 5. Done > Perfect Perfection slows you down. Confident people ship when it's ready, not flawless. → Don’t perfect every slide. Focus on clear delivery. → Post with typos if needed; clarity beats polish. Try this: Do one thing “imperfectly” today and move on. That’s real growth. 6. Stick With It Confidence doesn’t mean certainty. It means you keep going, even when unsure. → If a project feels messy, show up anyway. → Keep the routine. Results will follow. Try this: Stay consistent, especially when things feel uncertain. That’s when confidence builds the most. ➜ Confidence isn’t a mindset. It’s a practice. Built through small, repeated acts of courage. And you don’t need to wait for it. You can build it! What’s one tiny action you’ve taken recently that made you feel more confident, even if no one noticed? Share it below. You might inspire someone who needs it today.

He had the answers. But couldn’t say a word. One of my clients came to me frustrated.   He was the most prepared person in the room. He’d done the research. He even coached his colleague before the meeting. But when they faced the customer, he froze. And the colleague answered everything.   Not because he knew more. But because he wasn’t trapped in what-if mode.   ❌ What if I mess up? ❌ What if I don’t sound smart? ❌ What if I don’t belong here?   This wasn’t a skill problem. It was a confidence problem.    Here’s what I told him:   🎯 You don’t need to sound smart. ↳ You need to sound sure. 🎯 You don’t need perfect answers. ↳ You need present energy. 🎯 You don’t need to lead the room. ↳ You need to trust that you belong in it.   Before your next big meeting, try these:   💡 How to build confidence before your next big meeting: 1. Say it loud: “I can do this. I’ve done harder things than this.” → Prime your brain for action, not anxiety. 2. Remind yourself: “If they invited me, I belong here.” → You’re not here to prove yourself. You already belong. 3. You don’t need to know everything. → You need to bring what they can’t Google. 4. Say this: “I’m not here to impress. I’m here to make an impact.” → Focus on service, not approval. 5. They’re not judging you. They’re hoping you’ll help. → This is collaboration, not performance. 6. Tell yourself: “There is no stupid question or answer.” → You’re not here to be perfect. You’re here to be useful. 7. Revisit one win where you showed up and delivered. → Let your story remind you who you are. 8. Prepare 3 backup angles for your idea. → If Plan A doesn’t land, be ready with B or C. 9. Script your opener. Make your closing even stronger. → Start strong, finish stronger. 10. Power pose for 30 seconds. → Stand straight Let your posture lead your confidence. 11. Take two rounds of 4–6 breathing. → Inhale for 4. Exhale for 6. Reset your calm. You don’t need more prep. You need more permission to trust yourself when it counts. Let me know in the comments. What would you add as point 12?   🔁 Repost this if you're ready to speak with confidence. 🔔 Follow Harit Bhasin for leadership & career strategies.

🎤 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫 = 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫.  🎙️ 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 = 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫. Two distinct roles, each with its own unique beauty, and I like to do both! It's wild to think that just a few years ago, public speaking filled me with dread, especially when it wasn't in my mother tongue. Yet, last week, I had the pleasure of moderating a fantastic F&B panel discussion, marking my 7th public speaking event this year! That's an average of one stage appearance a month. How did I go from a trembling presenter to confidently leading a stage? Here are 6 key lessons that transformed my journey, ranked by impact: 1. 𝑲𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑨𝒖𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆  Before speaking, understand who's in front of you. This shifts you from broadcasting to genuinely connecting, making all the difference. 2.  𝑮𝒖𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑵𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆, 𝑭𝒍𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒚 A clear storyline holds attention, but be ready to adapt when your audience signals a new direction. Impact comes from combining structure with empathy. 3. 𝑼𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒐𝒍𝒆 𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒓 𝑴𝒐𝒅𝒆: 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆.  Your primary job is to transmit your insights. Deliver your knowledge with clarity and punch. Own your story, voice, and body language; let your energy set the tempo for your audience. 𝑴𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝑴𝒐𝒅𝒆: 𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑴𝒊𝒄.  Here, you become a facilitator. Your goal is to spotlight diverse voices, skillfully weave disparate threads into one cohesive conversation, and guide the flow to deliver maximum value for everyone listening. 4. 𝑴𝒊𝒄𝒓𝒐-𝑹𝒆𝒑𝒔 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑰𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝑨𝒔 𝒂 𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒓: Rehearse your story and flow. Master your material, but focus on engaging your listeners first. 𝑨𝒔 𝒂 𝑴𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒐𝒓: Vibe-check with panelists beforehand. Active listening and authentic curiosity are more powerful than a rigid script. 5. 𝑩𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝑳𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒖𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝑰𝒔 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 Your appearance, your voice, hand gestures, and posture convey your message before your words do. Train them to reinforce your story. 6. 𝑬𝒎𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒚 (𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝑨𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆!) Every stage, big or small (even a team meeting or town hall!), is an opportunity to grow. Practice makes progress. Start now, speak often, listen harder, and your message will land every time. What's your biggest lesson from public speaking or moderating? Share below! 💬