Ask Us Anything: Public speaking expert Trang Nova shares how to confidently speak about your business

In this month’s Ask Us Anything series, SmartCompany asked renowned speaking coach and TEDx speaker Trang Nova to share her tips on how to confidently talk up your business.

From social media videos to pitch events to podcast interviews, public speaking is one of those skills founders are increasingly expected to have down pat in 2026. 

But not everyone feels like they have the gift of the gab – and even the most outwardly confident people can feel paralysing fear when speaking to an audience.

We hope Nova’s answers to your questions help you the next time you need to speak publicly.

1. How do I promote myself or my business without sounding like I’m “selling”?

Let me share a core memory with you. Stay with me:

When I was 18, I got my black belt in Taekwondo.

Finally!! After seven years of daily practice and bi-weekly classes with my master.  My parents had always insisted I learn martial arts from a young age. They’d always said that you can’t wait until you find yourself in a situation where you need to defend yourself, to start taking self-defense classes. 

You need to learn early on, so that you are already prepared to defend yourself, if the need were ever to arise.

And speaking is the same, if you are waiting until you have a big presentation, sales pitch or job interview to start practising your speaking skills, it’s already too late.

You need to start your speaking practice now, so that by the time your next big opportunity arises, often unexpectedly, you are ALREADY equipped to use your voice to show the world what you are made of.

And that’s why I’ve created the Voice for Impact Course.

It’s my comprehensive video course to help you transform your voice for confidence, anytime and anywhere, and you can immediately improve the way you sound, and be effortlessly prepared for your next opportunity!!

Did you see what I just did there? I sold something, without sounding like I’m selling.

The formula is this:

1. Tell a story 

2. Share a lesson from that story 

3. Sell your service or product that is specifically related to that story lesson

When you do that, you will build connection and trust with your audience first. Humans bond over shared memories, so don’t be afraid to share.

Then by the time you pitch, your sale comes across so much more compelling as your audience now understands the reasoning of why your offer is so meaningful and important.

2. I find pitch events scary! How do you deal with nerves when you need to speak in front of a crowd?

A couple of years ago, I was getting ready for what would be my biggest talk yet. There were 1000 people in the audience, and when I peeked through the curtain, all I could see was a massive sea of faces staring up at the stage.

I instantly felt my heart rate spike. My body started trembling. And I didn’t just have butterflies in my stomach, I had angry bats flying around in a hot ball of fire.

I started pacing around, repeating to myself my pre-talk mantra: “Your talk is not a performance to be judged. It is a gift that you get to give your audience” (Lance Allred).

And instantly, with my finger on my pulse, I felt my heart rate drop in real time.

What changed?

The thing is, nervousness is a reaction that is triggered by our survival instinct. When there is a threat to our safety, our brain raises alarm bells.

The reason we feel nervous in front of a crowd is not because of a physical threat, but an emotional one: The risk of judgement, failure, and rejection.

Therefore, if we want to overcome nerves, we need to shift our focus away from ourselves, which is the subject of the threat.

Instead, we need to shift our locus of attention onto our audience.

And when we focus on how we can add value to our audience and how much their lives could be better from what we have to say… Our body’s response will follow.

Instead of feeling fear, we will start to feel something else in response to public speaking: Excitement and readiness to be able to create a positive impact through our work!

3. How do I get better at doing interviews about my business?

To answer this question, I have one for you. Which are you better at:

1. Driving a car?
2. Or flying a helicopter?

Chances are, you are better at driving a car.

You’ve driven a car so many times that it has become automatic for you. In contrast, you’ve likely never learned how to fly a helicopter, therefore, you are not prepared, more nervous and incompetent at it.

If you want to get better at doing interviews about your business, you need to be prepared with responses to common questions, so that it feels automatic when you get asked those questions.

Common questions include:

• Can you tell us more about your business?
• What made you decide to start your business?
• What is the biggest way that you help your customers?
• What sets you apart from others who do the same thing as you?

I would encourage you to become so clear with your go-to spiel in response to these common questions, so that you can confidently answer them without even needing to think about it.

Even better, if you can prepare a two-minute response, that you can adapt to a short 20-second version, as well as a longer four-minute version, you will be even more deeply confident to answer interviews in all contexts, whether it’s on a podcast or at a networking event.

You’ll never know when you are pitching yourself to the CEO of a national company in an elevator, and when that happens, you’ll want to get it right (that’s what happened to me, and it went so well that he got my contact details and hired me to speak for his company afterwards!).

Want to hear more from Trang Nova? Visit her website here.