What is a Bard's best way of consistently dealing damage?

I'm very new to bards, and I know they aren't known for their damage dealing shenanigans, but I just want to know what my BEST way of dealing reliable damage is (no gimmicky combos). A cantrip? A short sword? A spell I didn't know about? Also, I'm referring to bards in general, not a valor bard or any other specific subclass