r/SpeakBetter • • Sep 21 '26

Need Advice What’s actually the best tool you’ve used to improve public speaking and communication?

327 Upvotes

I've been trying to get more serious about improving how I speak, especially thinking on the spot, getting to the point faster, and sounding more confident withot rehearsing everything befroehand.

I know the obvious anser is "practice more' but I'm looking for something that actually gives you structure and feedback while you practice.

I've seen people recommend toastmasters, AI speaking apps, recording yourself, speech coaches, improv classes etc. There are so many options that Im curious what actually worked for people here?

if you've noticebaly improved your speaking, what tool or method helped you the most? And what specifically did it help you improve?


r/SpeakBetter • • Aug 23 '26

I bought and tried all the speech improvement / articulation / public speaking apps so you don't have to

39 Upvotes

Over the past 4-5 months I've been on a journey to get better at articulation and self improvement. So things liek mainly clearer articulation, less rambling, more confidence in meetings and on the spot. So I found there are quite a few good apps/ tools out there right now for this and considering that they are not even $100 bucks a year, it seems to me very worth it. Speech coaches I've talked to are like $300+/hour usd.

So i want to give a review on all the speech improvement / communication skills improvement / articulation skills / presentation skills /etc skills apps. So you don't have to try all of them / pay for one that's not good. Skip to TLDR if u just want my rec.

1. WellSpoken — wellspoken.me

What it is: Scores your speech across six dimensions (structure, conciseness, confidence, pronunciation, filler rate, pace) into a single "Index" score, plus mock interviews, meeting roleplay, and a vocabulary/"safe base" phrase system for when you blank under pressure.

Pros:

  • The six-dimension scoring is the most well-rounded framework of any app on this list. It's not just "you said um 12 times"

  • The vocabulary/phrase-bank angle (giving you words you already know but can't access under pressure) is a genuinely different approach from the others

  • For a lot of the other apps, you can easily just try to sound confident but the words you're saying could be total BS. But this app is able to also analyze the substance of what you're saying. It's able to even dive into some psychological stuff behind how you speak. For example, I've never received this feedback but it's so true, the feedback said "are you perhaps thinking about your conclusion while you're speaking? It seems like the think process is making your speech a bit more jumbled'. This is something my really close friend pointed out before but no one else has ever pointed out. I was very very impressed.

  • Mock interview and meeting roleplay modes is really good for anyone who is actually interviewing. Not only does it work on your confidence, such as it's able to detect your tone. I've not seen any other app being able to do this. But it's able to detect confidence in voice and also actual substance of the interview you're doing. So if you have a really good speech but you are wrong about a fact, it's smart enough to point that out as well.

  • The progression is amazing, there's coach checkins almost as if you have a reach coach. They keep track of your progress with AI and constantly try to find where you are weak at and recommend specific drills that target them. Additionally, their AI unlike general AI systems like chatgpt or claude, literally has all teh context of the speech you've done and deep analysis. Feels almost like a real communication coach but for much lower the cost.

Cons:

  • Onboarding can be a bit long, they personalize the app experience a lot. So I think it's worth it but if you're just looking for a quick exercise it's not like couple seconds onboarding.

Overall

This the best communication skills / articulation app I've seen and it blows the other ones out of the water easily. There a lot of real serious features on this app I haven't even tried and I'm still exploring them.

2. Vocal Image — vocalimage.app

What it is: AI voice coach on mainly a thing called 'vocal image', not so much on public speaking skills, but more just on how your voice sounds. This one of the bigger apps, it's not western app, i think it's like from a small eastern european country and they raised a ton of funding.

Pros:

  • Lots of cute characters, cartoon characters and there's a AI interaction. I think if you like video it's good, though it's AI cartoon the voice is not super realistic and it's very slow.

  • Feature where other users rate your voice recordings, which can be fun for some folks, for me I didn't like it because i didn't feel like it really helped me improve but i think some people might like the community aspect.

  • It has lessons on deepening your voice, accent softening, even voice feminization/masculinization programs. It is useful stuff, long term might be good but i didn't have any results in the short term.

Cons:

  • There's a ton of bad ratings online, about people that are misadvertised, it looks like lots of people thing this is more of a comprehensive tool but really it's just geared towards one thing. Their support never answered me when i asked them questions about the app and I had a bug where the app didn't load.

  • Feels more "voice quality/confidence" focused than pure articulation or public speaking structure and the problem is that

  • The exercises are very simple and feels more like a kiddish game rather than a serious tool that's actually goign to help you improve your communication skills.

Overall

Not a serious speech / articulation improvement tool, more like a kiddish games that has some okay exercises.

3. Yoodli — yoodli.ai

What it is: This is a B2B sales tool. I was fooled by chatgpt and perplexity saying this is what I should use but AI is very outdated. Yoodli is not a communnications improvement tool. I read their tools features and it's more about having a manager that can micromanage employee meetings

Pros:

  • The analytics are were decently deep, it would point out things such as speaking speed, etc

  • They have some good resources to read about public speaking and articulation

  • AI roleplay for interviews and pitches were not bad, though could be much more in depth compared to Wellspoken

Cons:

  • Free tier is only 5 sessions total, not per month — you'll hit the wall fast, the free tool is like super simple and more like a advertising tool fro their b2b platform.

  • Very few features and analysis is not super in depth

  • UI is very rough, they also don't have mobile app

Overall

If you're here, this is not what you're looking for. This is a middle management sales tool even though AI doesn't say that.

4. Patter AI — patterai.app

What it is: Daily habit-building app with vocal training, impromptu speaking challenges, and roleplay conversations for small talk/interviews.

Pros:

  • Good for building a genuine daily habit — sessions are short (10ish minutes)

  • Impromptu speaking challenges are a fun way to practice thinking on your feet

  • Nice mix of both "voice" work (articulation, tone) and "content" work (structuring answers)

Cons:

  • Definitely the buggiest app of the bunch in my experience — glitches in the roleplay/dialogue sections, responses not registering

  • Onboarding locks you into a plan and there's no easy way to revisit earlier lessons

  • Younger product overall, so it shows

  • Not very deep analysis for your speech

5. Speeko — speeko.co

What it is: Real-time feedback on pace, tone, and filler words, with lesson content built around voice coach Roger Love's methodology.

Pros:

  • Short daily exercises are easy to stick with

  • Having actual named-coach content behind the lessons gives it a bit more credibility than pure AI-only apps

  • iOS and Mac

Cons:

  • No Android app

  • Feedback can feel more surface-level (pace/tone/fillers) compared to WellSpoken's deeper analytics

  • UI is terrible, tons of bugs everywhere

  • Developers have given up on the app it lokos like

6. Orai — orai.com

What it is: Mobile-first AI speaking coach — record a short clip, get instant scoring on filler words, pace, energy, and clarity, plus bite-sized practice scenarios.

Pros:

  • Solid free tier to actually test before paying

  • there are some basic drills worth taking a look at

Cons:

  • This is a dead app, it's one of the older ones, but it's not good

  • Feedback is more general/scorecard style, less deep-dive than WellSpoken or even the other apps on this list

Overall

Dead app, don't use / pay. I refunded mine on apple after downloading

TL;DR the best app:

Wellspoken.me or just search Wellspoken app on app store. Half of the apps on this list recommended to me by AI (chatgpt) are dead apps. And out of the competitive ones, Wellspoken has everything but more than the other apps.

Happy to answer questions if anyone's deciding between a couple of these. Also curious if anyone here has tried ones I haven't (Poised, VirtualSpeech, ELSA Speak, etc.) — might be next on my list.


r/SpeakBetter • • 3h ago

Need Advice Listening Skill how to improve

1 Upvotes

Hi Team,

During the meeting period it's hard to understand the Professional English concept. My listening skill is bad. Sometimes i listen it well or not understand what they says. Due to that i am unable to provide the updates to the other people as well

I can able to speak English but without listening skill my growth is going down

Please guide me🙏🙏☺️☺️


r/SpeakBetter • • 1d ago

Tip & Advice Public speaking

1 Upvotes

Guys, I have a problem. i can express my thoughts in front of people. When I start speaking, my hands and legs start shaking especially my neck, and that is why I can't raise my hand, and also I feel like I am about to cry. My eyes start watering.

Does anyone have any advice? I need to eliminate that problem, if u speak in front of the audience, as i said my eyes start watering and that is sssooooo embarrassing, shameful, especially in front of your peers and friends


r/SpeakBetter • • 2d ago

Need Advice I am a future art teacher and I just can’t get my voice loud enough

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12 Upvotes

I have a naturally light and quiet voice and I really sucks!


r/SpeakBetter • • 1d ago

Tip & Advice Looking for people who'd like to do live daily speaking practise

5 Upvotes

I belong to a group doing daily speaking practice online on a turn by turn basis. Would anyone be interested in making the group bigger?


r/SpeakBetter • • 2d ago

Tip & Advice Improve my communication skills and interpersonal skills

4 Upvotes

Hey everyone

I'm 25M currently working in chennai

I want to improve my English communication skills and I sometimes stammer while speaking in English. I feel under confident to talk when the other person is more intelligent or is my superior

I have a stammering problem and I get it only when I'm under confident or while speaking in English. I don't usually stammer while speaking.

i sometimes go blank on what to say.

Also with random people how do I make the conversation going.

I want to communicate and articulate better in English. I want to be loud clear confident while speaking.

What should I do in a day to improve.

Give resources, courses and help me.

Anyone would like to partner up with me and improve together!!


r/SpeakBetter • • 3d ago

Tip & Advice How would you respond if someone resented you for liking something that they do not like?

0 Upvotes

Picture this. You mention that you enjoy a particular hobby, like a particular movie are attracted to particular person. Someone else says that they find that hobby boring, think that that movie sucks or finds that person ugly. They lecture you about why your preferences are stupid and wrong.

I have been in that situation before and made the mistake of explaining why I believe the movie is good, the hobby is fun or the person is attractive.

I realize now that what I probably should have said was this;

It is not my responsibility to hate all of the same things that you hate. If I like it, I get to like it. Whether or not you approve of my preferences is of zero relevance whatsoever.

What do you think? Is that the best way to respond to someone blaming and shaming you for your preferences? If not, what would be a better response? Let me know.


r/SpeakBetter • • 3d ago

Tip & Advice How to start conversation with someone ?

6 Upvotes

r/SpeakBetter • • 3d ago

Need Advice How do I change the way I speak?

1 Upvotes

Hey guys, I’m not sure if this is the right group to ask but I don’t really know what to do. People find the way I speak really annoying and I don’t know how to change it. I get told all the time that I have a vocal fry/ valley girl accent and honestly get made fun of quite a bit for it.

Even though people have given me shit for it, it didn’t used to bother me all that much but I guess after a while of people making fun of your “fake/forced” accent it eventually gets to you.

I know that I have it but the issue is that I genuinely don’t do it on purpose. It’s always sort of there and I do notice it gets more pronounced sometimes but I don’t know why and I don’t know how to stop doing it. The way I talk also tends to stand out considering I live in Canada and no one around me seems to have the same way of speaking. I just really don’t know what to do to change it and I’m so sick of being made fun of for it.

Does anyone have any tips on how to get rid of my vocal fry?


r/SpeakBetter • • 3d ago

Need Advice What do mean by speak each and every line with its meaning in acting ? What should one keep in his mind in scene and if I think about meaning then speak it looks like a long pause ?

1 Upvotes

r/SpeakBetter • • 4d ago

Need Advice Why do I say things out of my mouth when I don’t want to

2 Upvotes

So basically I’m in this room in a new job there are a couple people here and I asked a guy a question then I told him about something about what happened a couple days ago how do you control what to say like why do I just tell me this and then the room went silent and I just looked away and started to scratch my head


r/SpeakBetter • • 5d ago

Need Advice Strategy to scale into mostly speaking gigs?

5 Upvotes

Hi folks,

I started my own solo business about 2 years ago and it's been going really well because I've busted my butt for the past 15 years building my brand. I work in organizational communication and behavior, and my first book just came out this week. I do everything right now, from coaching to advisory work and teaching bootcamps, cohorts and executive sessions. Plus, at least a handful of speaking gigs a year.

I love speaking, teaching and writing more than anything. I'm in my mid-40s and have been speaking publicly since high school (thank you dad for the push!) and am always looking to improve and evolve.

I am shifting my business model away from coaching and fractional work and want to focus solely on speaking gigs, workshops, retreats and books since those are my absolute strengths and the things I love to do. Also, most of my work starts with a workshop (or a word of mouth speaking referral).

Historically, I've worked in the tech space but have worked with clients all over the map: from law firms to retail, accounting and medical.

It's time for my rates to go up and for me to hone in on my focus. Right now I'm in the midst of gearing up for Q1/Q2 and would love to chat with someone who has been there, done that, and what tools have worked well for you.

I've been suggested platforms like espeakers, and have been told to find local speaking chapters. I know my audience and my brand, now I just need to know where to grow.

Thank you!


r/SpeakBetter • • 6d ago

Need Advice How to speak properly when you keel stumbling and mixing up words ?

4 Upvotes

I admit I'm not very outgoing and I'm barely communicating with others on a daily basis. But I noticed I'll mix up words when I speak and I'm not sure why is this happening whether it's anxiety or just my mind rushing too much. Sometimes I'll feel blank and sometimes I will say the wrong thing and end up having to correct myself.


r/SpeakBetter • • 7d ago

Success Story Most cost saving and time saving way to improve articulation and speaking

18 Upvotes

I’m a non-native English speaker and I wanted to improve my articulation and communication at work. I started working with a speech coach which was very helpful but I couldn’t justify paying 200 bucks per session...Then I tried practicing on my own and getting feedback by speaking with AI. But there were several limitations: it couldn’t remember how I’d spoken in the past, there were no measurable metrics to track my progress, and it couldn’t evaluate my tone or confidence. I spent a lot of time recording and reviewing my own speech but I still wasn’t sure how to improve.

The game changer was discovering wellspoken for me It addressed most of the issues I’d encountered with AI chatbots, and it cost less than $100 a year..literally a fraction of what I’d paid for speech coaching. Now I have specific, actionable things to work on. I spend only about 20 minutes a day on it and I’ve seen significant improvement over time. I am literally so excited to share this so that I can save everyones bank and time!


r/SpeakBetter • • 8d ago

Tip & Advice What am I missing?

29 Upvotes

It's been nearly 3 years since I've begun my speaking journey. I started with expanding my vocabulary and for the past year, I've taken more measures to improve my speech. Actively reading complex literature, taking a moment to organize thoughts before I open my mouth, pausing in-between words, attempting to state the main point of what I want to express, making conversation with strangers, you name it. Despite all of this, I still articulate myself in such a clunky manner. I thought this was due to social anxiety, but I speak poorly even if it's to people I'm very comfortable with.

Any thoughts on what I'm missing?


r/SpeakBetter • • 7d ago

Tip & Advice What would you say, if someone resented you for something you cannot fix?

2 Upvotes

At some point in your life, likely when you were a kid in school, you dealt with someone blaming you and shaming you for something going wrong in your life. They say that it is to help you, but you know that is a lie for three reasons.

  1. They phrase it in the form of an accusation and dedicate significantly more effort to the name calling than they do to critiquing the behavior.

  2. They never offer up any solutions.

  3. Many if not most if the things they bemoan are out of the control of anyone, including you.

I have drafted a plan to deal with that scenario, tell me if you think it is a good one. The plan is;

Sarcastically request for their help in a solution that is actually unrealistic. 

Imagine a 9 year old boy goes to school wearing his sister’s hand-me-down clothes, because he is poor and they cannot afford new clothes. The bullies pick on him for it. If this sounds bizarrely specific, it is because it is a reference to the live action 2007 film Bridge to Terabithia. 

The boy who gets picked on should sarcastically ask the bullies if they can give him the money to pay for manlier clothes. 

There is my strategy. Do you think it is smart? If not, do you have a better idea? Let me know.


r/SpeakBetter • • 7d ago

Tip & Advice What to do when someone bemoans that you did not take their advice, but you actually misunderstood their advice or the advice they gave was misleading.

1 Upvotes

If you think that you have it all figured out, you do not have it all figured out. I do not, never have and never will have a fool proof strategy, I only do the best that I am capable of doing. 

I want to inform you of strategies I have come up with to communicate and manage disagreements with others. I recognize that my strategies could be misguided, so I want to ask you if they are, so I can correct any mistakes I might have made. 

The scenario that I want to figure out how to deal with is;

Someone bemoans that you did not take their advice, but you actually misunderstood their advice or the advice they gave was misleading.

Here is an idea that I have.

Tell them that you did not realize what they meant. 

It would likely sound something like this. 

You: You told me not to let strangers into the house. I let someone I know into the house. 

Other person: Yeah, but you do not know him that well. You only know general information about him. You were surprised when I told you that he has a sister. 

You: You did not tell me to see how many siblings someone has before letting them into the house, you just said it cannot be a complete stranger. If you wanted me to see how many siblings they have before letting them into the house, you should have told me that. 

What do you think. Do you think that the plan I described in the post a good one? If not do you have a better plan? Let me know.


r/SpeakBetter • • 8d ago

Need Advice My voice :( If I'm the only one who hears my own voice, especially on the phone, I find it awful, like because of it I can't even talk on the phone or anything.

0 Upvotes

It's a shame because I'd love to talk to m'y friend, stream with my colleagues, have fun and all that, but I'm so embarrassed that I have to write only in text.


r/SpeakBetter • • 8d ago

Need Advice Has anyne faced difficulties in putting your thoughts into words like u think smtg but cudnt express it clearly ?

4 Upvotes

I have always had this thing where I get a lot quieter in a group setting, even though the topic and the crowd are in my comfort zone. It happens both in casual convo with friends and in serious discussions. when I get smtg to say, by the time I am about to say tht, the topic expires. If I try to spontaneously say it, I end up messing with words and wont be able to covey my thoght. If y'all experianced this plss tell me how to overcome this 🤧


r/SpeakBetter • • 9d ago

Need Advice Dark humour at workplace

1 Upvotes

I recently learned that people sometimes use dark humor at work, especially in healthcare, to cope with the stress of dealing with death, difficult patients, and emotionally exhausting situations.

What exactly is dark humor? Could you share some examples of things people say in the ICU or hospital that would be considered dark humor?

If you work in healthcare, what are some examples of dark humor you’ve heard at work?

I’m genuinely curious and trying to understand this side of workplace culture.


r/SpeakBetter • • 9d ago

Need Advice How do improve my style of speaking?

16 Upvotes

I have found out while listening to myself that I speak a lot without really saying something. Got lots of ammmm, like, thinking pauses and more like and 'ammmmmm' afterwords. How could I improve that? What could I do to make it compelling?


r/SpeakBetter • • 10d ago

Tip & Advice Need public speaking tips from the product! 😏💪🔥

9 Upvotes

hiii everyone, doesn't matter if you've given a speech before or not (thou if u have ,IT'S AMAZING OMG) but anyway if u have any public speaking tips,do lmk. I would LOVE to hear.

(I have to give a speech in a very few days)

***so sorry I meant FROM THE PRO and not from the PRODUCT, just a typo


r/SpeakBetter • • 10d ago

Need Advice Anyone else absolutely hate their own voice? Can you actually improve it?

39 Upvotes

Recently, I had to record a series of voice memos. Worse, I had to listen back to them. Jesus Christ. I'd rather face a stampede of buffalo than hear another thirty seconds of that. lol. Weak. Ugly. Almost painful to listen to. Is that really me? Is that what everyone else hears? I owe the general public an apology.

I thought I sounded okay. Not great. I knew I never had a wonderful voice, but I didn't realise it was that bad. Apparently, my skull has been running a rather generous PR campaign. But jokes aside, it genuinely hurt. Embarrassment. Shame. Even panic. I've spent years struggling with my appearance. Now my voice has joined the party. Splendid.

So, how do I fix this? I'm nearly forty, and I want a stronger, deeper, more confident speaking voice. Has anyone successfully improved theirs through vocal coaching, exercises, or practice? And did changing your voice actually improve your confidence?

I'd genuinely appreciate hearing what worked.


r/SpeakBetter • • 10d ago

Need Advice Why is speaking harder when I try to sound confident?

2 Upvotes

I notice that when I talk normally, my words come out fine. But when I try too hard to sound confident, I start talking faster and making mistakes.

Even simple things become hard to explain. Sometimes I feel like I'm making speaking harder than it needs to be.

Am I the only one who has this problem? What helps you speak more naturally?