How I Built an AI-Powered Public Speaking Coach (And How You Can Use It)
Public speaking is one of the most common fears people face — and one of the most valuable skills anyone can develop. That's why I built an AI tool designed to help you become a better, more confident speaker. It's called Public Speaking Coach, and it's a custom GPT built on OpenAI's ChatGPT platform. In this article, I'll walk you through what it does, how it works, and why I think it can genuinely help you level up your communication skills.
What Is a Custom GPT?
You've probably heard of ChatGPT, the AI chatbot developed by OpenAI. Last fall, OpenAI opened up the ability for users to build custom GPTs — specialized versions of ChatGPT tailored to specific purposes. Think of them as focused AI assistants trained with particular expertise in mind.
I took advantage of this feature to create Public Speaking Coach, a GPT designed to answer your most pressing questions about public speaking. To build it, I fed ChatGPT a wealth of my own tips, advice, and insights drawn from years of experience. But here's the beauty of it: the tool doesn't just rely on what I know. It combines my guidance with ChatGPT's vast knowledge base to give you the best possible answers.
How It Works in Practice
Using Public Speaking Coach is simple. When you open the GPT, you'll find a few pre-loaded prompts at the bottom of the screen to help you get started. These are based on the most common questions I hear from people working on their speaking skills. But you're not limited to those — you can type in any question you'd like.
Let me walk you through a few examples of what it can do.
Example 1: "How Do I Start My Speech?"
This is one of the most frequent questions speakers ask, and the GPT delivers some excellent suggestions:
- Tell a story — Jump headfirst into a narrative to hook your audience from the very first sentence.
- Ask a question — Engage listeners immediately by prompting them to think.
- Share a surprising fact or statistic — Give them something unexpected that demands attention.
- Use a quote — Borrow wisdom from someone memorable to set the tone.
- Try a direct address or visual image — Make it personal or paint a vivid picture.
These are all strategies I genuinely stand behind and have covered in my own content. It's exciting to see the GPT generate advice that aligns so closely with what I'd recommend in person.
Example 2: "What Should I Do If I Get Nervous?"
Public speaking anxiety is incredibly common, and the GPT handles this question beautifully. Here's a summary of its advice:
- Use breathing techniques to calm your nervous system before taking the stage.
- Practice positive visualization — Stand on the stage beforehand, even if the room is empty, and envision what the experience will be like. I talk about this all the time because it's remarkably powerful.
- Practice relentlessly — If there's one thing that will improve your skills more than anything else, it's consistent, deliberate practice.
- Focus on your message, not yourself — Shift your attention from how you're performing to the value you're delivering to your audience.
Example 3: "How Do I Incorporate Body Language Effectively?"
Beyond the pre-loaded prompts, you can ask Public Speaking Coach anything. When I asked about body language, the response was thorough and practical:
- Practice open body language to project confidence and approachability.
- Make eye contact — This is one of the most important and underrated tools a speaker has.
- Use gestures purposefully — Don't force hand movements. Instead, choose specific moments in your speech where a deliberate gesture will amplify your message. Forced body language can actually feel awkward and distracting.
- Pause for impact — Let silence do the heavy lifting at key moments.
- Move with intention — Use the stage to reinforce transitions and energy shifts.
What really impressed me was that the GPT even provided an interactive exercise: prepare a short speech, record yourself, and then review the footage to identify where your body language could improve. That kind of actionable, real-time coaching is exactly what makes this tool valuable.
Why I Built This
My goal has always been to make public speaking resources as accessible as possible. Public Speaking Coach is another step in that direction. It's essentially a free resource — with the caveat that you do need a ChatGPT subscription to access custom GPTs. But for those who already use ChatGPT, this is a powerful productivity tool that can provide personalized coaching on demand, any time you need it.
This was one of the first custom GPTs I've ever built, and I'll be the first to admit I have plenty to learn about the process. That said, OpenAI has made the creation workflow surprisingly straightforward, and the results have exceeded my expectations.
Try It Yourself
I'd love for you to give Public Speaking Coach a try and share your feedback. Is the advice helpful? Are there areas where it could improve? Your input will help me refine the tool and make it even more useful over time. Whether you're preparing for your first presentation or looking to sharpen skills you've been building for years, this AI coach is here to help — and it's available whenever you need it.
Public speaking doesn't have to be something you dread. With the right guidance, the right practice, and now the right AI tools, you can transform it into one of your greatest strengths. Give Public Speaking Coach a shot, and let me know how it works for you.