Public Speaking 101: How Tristan de Montebello Mastered Public Speaking in 7 Months

The ONE Thing

NOVA Media

Entrepreneurship, Business, Careers

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 January 2026

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Public speaking consistently ranks as one of our biggest fears, but what if the real issue isn’t technique at all? In this episode, Jay sits down with Tristan de Montebello, co-founder of Ultraspeaking, to explore why confidence breaks down when we communicate and how to rebuild it from the inside out. Tristan shares his rapid journey from beginner to finalist in the World Championship of Public Speaking and the lessons that reshaped how he thinks about mastery, coaching, and performance. Together, they unpack the idea of “leaking” insecurity, why audiences feel it instantly, and how small moments like pausing, blanking, or making mistakes can actually build trust when handled with confidence. The conversation moves beyond stages and spotlights into everyday moments: meetings, conversations, questions left unasked, and opportunities we quietly avoid. This episode is about learning to stay present, trusting what’s already inside you, and stepping into discomfort long enough to let your best thinking show up. Challenge of the Week: Volunteer for something without fully preparing. Raise your hand, ask the question, or take the turn you’d normally avoid and notice what shows up when you stay confident anyway. We talk about: [00:00] Intro: What is Ultraspeaking? [02:21] What People Get Wrong About Public Speaking [04:33] Why Do “Quick Fixes” Not Help in Speaking? [05:58] Speaking Is About One Thing: Psychology [08:28] Are You Leaking Your Insecurity? The Impact of Stumbling in a Speech [10:28] Small Signals of Confidence - How to Stop Leaking [18:47] Tristan’s Journey at The World Championship of Public Speaking [24:16] The Truth about Great Public Speakers [36:16] Your Weekly Challenge *** To learn more, and for the complete show notes, visit: the1thing.com/pods. We talk about: Why confidence leaks before technique ever matters The role of coaching and deliberate discomfort in mastery How staying present changes the way people receive your message Links & Tools from This Episode: Ultraspeaking Website World Championships of Public Speaking The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey Free Resources Want to be a guest or share feedback? Email podcast@the1thing.com or send us an audio note at Speakpipe.com/the1thing. Produced by NOVA

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey there, One Thing Family. My guest this week is my friend Tristan de Montobello. He's one of the co-founders of a really innovative company called Ultra Speaking. And they help people become more powerful and confident communicators. And while a lot of it is around public speaking, it's really about communicating in every facet of our lives. And what I love about them is like, this is not your father's
0:21.9	Dale Carnegie class. They're going deep into coaching. They're going deep into how what's
0:27.3	happening inside of us is usually spilling out on wherever communication platform we're on
0:32.1	and how to fix that stuff on the inside so that what comes out feels so much more confident
0:36.8	and better. So no matter how
0:38.6	you choose to communicate, whether it be on a big stage or a small one, or just like hanging out
0:43.9	with really close people and having an important conversation, there's something useful for you
0:48.7	there. I do think the bigger background story here, if you're listening, my one thing fans,
0:55.0	is the story on the journey of mastery. So whether you're interested in public speaking or just what it looks
0:59.8	like to be on the path to mastery, I think this is a great episode for you. I'm Jay Papazan,
1:05.0	and this is The One Thing, your weekly guide to the simple steps that lead to extraordinary results.
1:23.4	Tristan, welcome to the show.
1:24.4	Thank you, Jay.
1:30.9	Ever since I first saw you deliver your message around Alter speaking this past June,
1:40.5	I was so excited to hear you at our own conference and just get to know you better because there are people who we say, you know, game, see game, you have that old saying.
1:46.1	Like, you're clearly on the path of mastery and what you do. You're committed to it,
1:51.1	and others recognize you in it. And you're tackling, you shared, I won't steal your thunder,
1:56.5	like one of our greatest fears. So how do people rank public speaking in terms of things they're afraid of? It is often the biggest phobia in America, at least often before death. I think
2:04.5	Jeremy Seinfeld has a funny joke there who says people would rather be in the casket than giving
2:09.2	the eulogy. It's pretty good. So it ranks higher than an unexpected visit from your in-laws?
2:17.4	Debatable. Debatable. Okay, got it, got it. So, higher than an unexpected visit from your in-laws?
2:17.9	Debatable.
	...

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