9 Public-Speaking Mistakes You Need to Stop Making

a presentation from

written by Matt Snodgrass

1. Reading a speech word for word

Why it’s a mistake: No one likes being talked down to.

Your listeners can read. Listening to you read

the obvious is mind-numbing.

Tip: Don’t numb people’s minds. Instead, use a keyword outline to prompt your thoughts, address your audience, then get rolling.

2. Winging it

Why it’s a mistake:

Winging it is good…if it’s your

8th grade history presentation

on the French-Indian war.

We’re in the business world

now, though. People have

invested time (and money) to

come hear you speak.

Tip: Respect your audience by

giving them a well-rehearsed

presentation that delivers

what was promised.

3. Using boring technical language

Why it’s a mistake:

OK, so you’re smart. (If you

weren’t, you probably wouldn’t

have been asked to present.) But

you don’t have to show off

those smarts by babbling

in complex language about,

say, the binary language of

moisture vaporators.

Tip: Give your speech in everyday language…

unless audience members really do want to hear

about moisture vaporators.

4. Focusing solely on what you want to talk about

Why it’s a mistake: Your presentation

needs to focus on what your audience

has come to hear you discuss.

The presentation

audience isn’t

you, you, you.

Tip: Remember that you’re not forcing

information on your audience. You want your

presentation to be connecting and inspiring.

5. Not having a point

Why it’s a mistake:

Failure to have at least

one point for folks to mull

about will doom your

presentation to mediocrity

(or worse).

Tip: Make sure you spend some time

researching your audience. Why are they

here listening to you? What motivates them?

What are their pains?

Know your audience.

Know your purpose.

Know your presentation.

6. Thinking your slides are everything

Why it’s a mistake: Your slides might rock,but your delivery (if you don’t work on it) may not. Think of it this way: Great sheet music doesn’t make a great musician. You have to know how to play it.

Tip: Keep the focus on you, not your slides.

Your slides should serve

as ancillary information,

not be the primary

source of it.

7. Opening with a joke.

Why it’s a mistake:

Sadly, in this day and age,

chances are a joke that

you find amusing will

offend someone.

Tip: Humor is good.

Jokes are (typically) not.

Don’t alienate a portion

of your audience with

potentially offensive

material.

8. Having too much nervous energy

Why it’s a mistake: Rampant

bouncing, incessant pacing,

and excited shouting can

certainly make a presentation

more interesting…

but they can also scare or

distract your audience.

Tip: Feel free to move around a

little bit, but try to stay

somewhere between

“winning the lotto” excited

and “heading to a doctor’s

appointment” excited.

9. Going overboard on your slidesWhy it’s a mistake: You’re assaulting people’s

eyeballs. You may have a phenomenal

graphics design team, but they don’t have to

touch every single slide.

Tip: Clean slides are nearly always better.

To find out more presentation gaffes

(and the remedies for them), join us for

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