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| President's
Tip of the Week 10
Biggest Public Speaking Mistakes
(5/27/09) Source:
Toastmasters
International Freebies How come intelligent, business-savvy
people end up boring their audiences? They fail to recognize that public speaking
is an acquired skill that improves with practice and honest feedback. Speaking
for 20 minutes before the right group of people can do more for your career than
spending a year behind a desk! Rob Sherman, an attorney and
public speaker in Columbus, Ohio, says in an article in the Toastmaster magazine
to avoid these mistakes: Starting with
a whimper. Don’t start with “Thank you for that kind introduction.”
Start with a bang! Give the audience a startling statistic, an interesting quote,
a news headline – something powerful that will get their attention immediately.
Attempting to imitate other speakers.
Authenticity is lost when you aren’t yourself. Failing
to “work” the room. Your audience wants to meet you. If you don’t
take time to mingle before the presentation, you lose an opportunity to enhance
your credibility with your listeners. Failing
to use relaxation techniques. Do whatever it takes – listening to music,
breathing deeply, shrugging your shoulders – to relieve nervous tension. Reading
a speech word for word. This will put the audience to sleep. Instead use a
“keyword” outline: Look at the keyword to prompt your thoughts. Look
into the eyes of the audience, then speak. Using
someone else’s stories. It’s okay to use brief quotes from other
sources, but to connect with the audience, you must illustrate your most profound
thoughts from your own life experiences. If you think you don’t have any
interesting stories to tell, you are not looking hard enough. Speaking
without passion. The more passionate you are about your topic, the more likely
your audience will act on your suggestions. Ending
a speech with questions and answers. Instead, tell the audience that you will
take questions and then say, “We will move to our closing point.” After
the Q and A, tell a story that ties in with your main theme, or summarize your
key points. Conclude with a quote or call to action. Failing
to prepare. Your reputation is at stake every time you face an audience –
so rehearse well enough to ensure you’ll leave a good impression! Failing
to recognize that speaking is an acquired skill. Effective executives learn
how to present in the same way they learn to use other tools to operate their
businesses.
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