10 COMMON MISTAKES SPEAKERS MAKE
- Lack of Preparation: if you cannot say in one sentence what your presentation is about, then you have not prepared enough!
- Speak Too Long: the goal is not to overwhelm your audience—it’s to arouse their interest. . .and to that end, less is more.
- Do Not Know the Audience: you have a responsibility to meet the needs of your audience—and how can you do that if you don’t know the specifics of who they are, what they’re expecting, and what they need?
- Project the Wrong Image: learning about who your audience is will allow you to dress and present yourself appropriately.
- Misuse Visual Aids: any visual aid you use should enhance you and what you are saying; the visual should not overshadow you.
- Include Too Much Material: avoid data dumping—it is a turn-off. Your goal is to arouse interest so that folks will seek you out for more.
- Use Inappropriate Humor: humor is a very tricky thing, especially when speaking to a new group; poking fun at yourself can serve to humanize you.
- Speak In Monotone: do you believe in the importance of what you are saying? Then let your voice betray that enthusiasm.
- Have Lackluster Openings & Wimpy Endings: seduce them with a story, a question, an outrageous, but true, fact—you have less than 60 seconds to grab them. End with a bang—a challenge, a call to action, an invitation. Now that they’ve heard you, what do you want them to do?
- Are Self-Absorbed: the audience and their needs—not you-- must be at the center of your talk. Your concern is how you can connect viscerally with the audience.
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