When giving a presentation, there are many do’s and don’ts to remember. In this article, we will go over the major ones, and provide you with some tips that you can implement into your own presentation. Avoid fidgeting, talking too fast, scolding, and walking away from the podium. These are just some of the most common mistakes people make when speaking in public.
Avoid fidgeting
If you’re speaking in front of a group of people, there are ways to keep from fidgeting. Avoid touching your hair, playing with buttons, pins, or coins, and dancing or swaying at the podium. Taking a sip of water every now and then is also helpful. Drinking water before you speak will also help you get your words out easily, without becoming fidgety.
A good tip for preventing fidgeting during your speech is to maintain good posture. Good posture projects confidence and professionalism. Slouching or swaying will give your audience a sense of unpreparedness and can even damage your credibility. Avoid fidgeting by being focused and practicing. Fidgeting can be minimized by using slide clickers, which allow you to focus your nervous energy on moving the clicker rather than your hands or feet. If you find yourself fidgeting while speaking, it could be a sign of stage fright or anxiety.
Practice your speech in front of a mirror. This will help you identify what is going wrong. Practice your speech in front of a mirror to identify what causes your nervousness and how you can eliminate them. Another tip is to hold a paperclip firmly in your hand while speaking to avoid fidgeting during your speech. While practicing, this may seem like a simple tip, but it can help you immensely.
Avoid talking too fast
Speaking too fast is not only embarrassing for you, but it can also turn off your audience. It makes you sound disorganized and hurried. The audience also struggles to keep up with you if you’re speaking too quickly. This will weaken your impact and make you look unreliable. Here are some tips for speaking more slowly:
If you’re presenting a message, slow down and be clear on your point. Speaking too fast can make your presentation sound overly salesy and pushy. Listeners don’t like to be sold to. In addition, your well-crafted message may be lost if you’re speaking too fast. Speaking too fast can also make you look impatient, aggressive, and lack empathy. So, if you’re speaking in public, avoid talking too fast!
In a fast-paced society, there’s a tendency for people to speak too fast. While some people don’t mind speaking quickly, others find it impossible to maintain the attention of their audience. When people speak too fast, they don’t understand what they’re saying and lose interest, making it difficult to make their points. This problem makes it nearly impossible to convey a meaningful message effectively. As a result, fast-talkers often hear, “Could you repeat that?” or face glazed-over looks.
Speaking too fast also gives you an air of nervousness. People perceive it as a lack of confidence or nervousness. They’ll see you as a hurrying fool if you talk too fast. Moreover, it’s very embarrassing if your audience thinks that you’re rushing. Slowing down your speech and focusing on the reason you’re speaking can help you relax. Then, your audience will understand your message better and you’ll be able to convey your message with more confidence and enthusiasm.
Avoid walking away from the podium
If you are prone to nervousness or jitters while speaking in public, one way to avoid getting lost in your presentation is to walk away from the podium. Many speakers make the mistake of walking away from the podium, which will only cause them to lose focus and lose their audience’s attention. Instead, make use of hand gestures, such as shaking your arms or making a “1000-point light” gesture. Moreover, it will help you connect with your audience, which will make you sound more confident.
Besides providing stability for speakers, the podium can also provide a place to hold a water bottle and other items. You can also place your laptop, slide presentation, or video. Make sure that your visual aids are colorful and easy to understand. Keep in mind that red and green are difficult to read from a distance. You should also keep textual aids to a minimum. Too many visual aids will distract your audience.
When speaking in public, it’s important to recognize the nervousness you feel. Many times, even seasoned public speakers get nervous. It’s important to admit to your audience that you’re nervous before giving your speech. By admitting your nervousness, you’ll be more able to address the problem and put your audience at ease. So, avoid walking away from the podium when speaking in public.
Avoid pacing
Pacing is a common strategy that people use to cope with nerves or make a statement in front of a crowd. While small amounts of movement are natural, excessive pacing is not. Instead, keep moving and gesturing sparingly. You can still use small steps to walk across the stage as you speak. It’s better to pace more slowly and thoughtfully than to walk around in circles, however.
Pacing is often mistaken as an effective way to increase the impact of your speech. Instead, try to speak at a pace that is close to the speed at which you would converse with a friend. Speaking too slowly can easily lose the attention of your audience, and they may not retain as much of your speech. To perfect your pacing, set a timer and then increase it halfway through or reduce it altogether.
Pacing can also distract the audience and affect sightlines. If your audience isn’t paying attention to you, they might lean toward you or crane their necks to see you. Another method to avoid pacing while speaking in public is to move to one side of the room. Then, when you’re done speaking, move back to the opposite side to make another point. If possible, you should spend a few minutes on each side of the audience.
Avoid stifling your audience’s apprehension
An important tip in avoiding stifling your audience’s nervousness when speaking in public is to be as authentic as possible. Even the most congenitally blind person can express various facial expressions, and these emotions are universal. Fear, anger, disgust, sadness, and surprise are some of the most common ones. If you feel apprehensive about speaking in public, try to find ways to avoid affecting your audience with your own sense of humor.
Many speakers use the heightened arousal of nervousness as a tool to channel their extra energy into an effective speech. While it is natural to feel apprehensive about delivering a speech, people prefer an enthusiastic and alert speaker. One of the greatest tips in public speaking is to channel your nervousness and stay calm despite how much you feel. Apprehension is part of the communication process, and the more nervous you are, the less successful you are.
