40 Fatal Public Speaking Mistakes
It's that time of year again! What time? you ask.
It's the time of year I celebrate my birthday by doing the same number of push ups that equal the year I'm celebrating.
It seemed like a good idea when I turned 30, but I'm guessing I'm going to have to look for a new way to celebrate sometime soon.
The challenge this year is to do 40 consecutive pushups.
The outlook is bleak.
Because I wasn't sure if I would make 39 push ups last year, I wrote a list of 39 Things I've Learned About Public Speaking.
I don't want to repeat last year's list, so I've come up with a new list...
40 Fatal Public Speaking Mistakes.
It's not that the mistakes will kill you, but they will definitely hurt your presentation.
1.
) Don't practice.
Just wing it and hope everything falls into place.
2.
) Drink ice water and dairy products before your presentation.
Who doesn't want to produce more phlegm and clear their throat a lot during a speech? 3.
) Apologize in advance for being boring/nervous.
4.
) Create your slides before you've nailed down your content.
5.
) Skip audience analysis.
6.
) Tell a lot of irrelevant stories about your kids, spouse, nephews, etc...
7.
) Keep walking from one side of the room to the other for the entire presentation.
8.
) Try to sound motivational by speaking loudly the entire time.
9.
) Insult politicians, businesses, and other easy targets so you can get a quick laugh.
Just hope they don't have supporters or employees in the audience.
10.
) Dress inappropriately for the event.
11.
) Speak quickly so you can get more information into your speech in half the time.
12.
) Stand in one spot while rocking back and forth from heel to toe (like a rocking chair).
13.
) Stand in one spot while swaying from side to side (like a pendulum).
14.
) Start the speech by telling the audience you haven't done this presentation in a long time and will probably get lost along the way.
15.
) Use slides that say the exact same thing you're telling the audience.
16.
) Keep turning your back to the audience and speaking to the screen.
17.
) Don't arrive early to set up your room.
Show up a few minutes before and expect everything to be set up perfectly.
18.
) If you're using a microphone, skip the sound check.
Just ask people if they can hear you when you start your speech.
19.
) Start your speech by reading the "Starfish" story from "Chicken Soup for the Soul".
20.
) Use a lot of acronyms your audience won't be able to remember.
21.
) Use a lot of big words to show off your vocabulary.
Who cares if no one knows what you're saying? 22.
) If your audience disagrees with you, try to convince them by being extra passionate about your position.
23.
) Go over the time you've been given to deliver your speech.
This works well just before lunch.
24.
) Don't research the statistics you use in your speech.
Just assume they're correct because you heard someone else use them.
25.
) Steal stories from other speakers and make yourself the main character.
26.
) When reading a speech, hold onto the lectern for dear life and don't look up.
27.
) Ask the audience to share their deepest feelings with people they're meeting for the first time.
28.
) Ignore the mood in the room and jump straight into your presentation.
It will show the audience how tuned in you are.
29.
) When using statistics, let the audience figure out how those statistics apply to them.
30.
) Say "um" a lot so you'll sound more "authentic".
31.
) Keep checking your wristwatch every few minutes.
The audience will be curious about where you have to be after the speech? 32.
) Assume the professor pose (one arm across your body and one hand holding your chin) so no one questions your knowledge.
33.
) Give an infomercial on your product or service instead of speech that provides useful information.
34.
) Forget vocal variety.
Just use the same tone of voice and volume regardless of what you're speaking about.
35.
) Start your speech by complaining about the weather, your hotel, breakfast, aches, pains and anything else you can think of.
Everyone loves a whiner.
36.
) Mispronounce the names of the VIPs in your audience.
Better yet, call them a different name altogether! 37.
) Since body language is supposed to make up for 55% of your message, use a sparkling smile and huge gestures to cover up your lack of preparation.
38.
) Insult people in the audience because they're not as enthusiastic about your topic as you are.
39.
) Use examples that are sexist and racist generalizations.
40.
) Don't practice.
I know this was #1, but it's important enough to repeat again.
Failing to prepare for your speech is the most fatal public speaking mistake you can make.
It's the time of year I celebrate my birthday by doing the same number of push ups that equal the year I'm celebrating.
It seemed like a good idea when I turned 30, but I'm guessing I'm going to have to look for a new way to celebrate sometime soon.
The challenge this year is to do 40 consecutive pushups.
The outlook is bleak.
Because I wasn't sure if I would make 39 push ups last year, I wrote a list of 39 Things I've Learned About Public Speaking.
I don't want to repeat last year's list, so I've come up with a new list...
40 Fatal Public Speaking Mistakes.
It's not that the mistakes will kill you, but they will definitely hurt your presentation.
1.
) Don't practice.
Just wing it and hope everything falls into place.
2.
) Drink ice water and dairy products before your presentation.
Who doesn't want to produce more phlegm and clear their throat a lot during a speech? 3.
) Apologize in advance for being boring/nervous.
4.
) Create your slides before you've nailed down your content.
5.
) Skip audience analysis.
6.
) Tell a lot of irrelevant stories about your kids, spouse, nephews, etc...
7.
) Keep walking from one side of the room to the other for the entire presentation.
8.
) Try to sound motivational by speaking loudly the entire time.
9.
) Insult politicians, businesses, and other easy targets so you can get a quick laugh.
Just hope they don't have supporters or employees in the audience.
10.
) Dress inappropriately for the event.
11.
) Speak quickly so you can get more information into your speech in half the time.
12.
) Stand in one spot while rocking back and forth from heel to toe (like a rocking chair).
13.
) Stand in one spot while swaying from side to side (like a pendulum).
14.
) Start the speech by telling the audience you haven't done this presentation in a long time and will probably get lost along the way.
15.
) Use slides that say the exact same thing you're telling the audience.
16.
) Keep turning your back to the audience and speaking to the screen.
17.
) Don't arrive early to set up your room.
Show up a few minutes before and expect everything to be set up perfectly.
18.
) If you're using a microphone, skip the sound check.
Just ask people if they can hear you when you start your speech.
19.
) Start your speech by reading the "Starfish" story from "Chicken Soup for the Soul".
20.
) Use a lot of acronyms your audience won't be able to remember.
21.
) Use a lot of big words to show off your vocabulary.
Who cares if no one knows what you're saying? 22.
) If your audience disagrees with you, try to convince them by being extra passionate about your position.
23.
) Go over the time you've been given to deliver your speech.
This works well just before lunch.
24.
) Don't research the statistics you use in your speech.
Just assume they're correct because you heard someone else use them.
25.
) Steal stories from other speakers and make yourself the main character.
26.
) When reading a speech, hold onto the lectern for dear life and don't look up.
27.
) Ask the audience to share their deepest feelings with people they're meeting for the first time.
28.
) Ignore the mood in the room and jump straight into your presentation.
It will show the audience how tuned in you are.
29.
) When using statistics, let the audience figure out how those statistics apply to them.
30.
) Say "um" a lot so you'll sound more "authentic".
31.
) Keep checking your wristwatch every few minutes.
The audience will be curious about where you have to be after the speech? 32.
) Assume the professor pose (one arm across your body and one hand holding your chin) so no one questions your knowledge.
33.
) Give an infomercial on your product or service instead of speech that provides useful information.
34.
) Forget vocal variety.
Just use the same tone of voice and volume regardless of what you're speaking about.
35.
) Start your speech by complaining about the weather, your hotel, breakfast, aches, pains and anything else you can think of.
Everyone loves a whiner.
36.
) Mispronounce the names of the VIPs in your audience.
Better yet, call them a different name altogether! 37.
) Since body language is supposed to make up for 55% of your message, use a sparkling smile and huge gestures to cover up your lack of preparation.
38.
) Insult people in the audience because they're not as enthusiastic about your topic as you are.
39.
) Use examples that are sexist and racist generalizations.
40.
) Don't practice.
I know this was #1, but it's important enough to repeat again.
Failing to prepare for your speech is the most fatal public speaking mistake you can make.
Source...