Don’t Do This. The Worst Advice For Presentations and Public Speaking.

I have seen people do some crazy things as a result of their fears.

I’ve seen grown men scream like a baby at the sight of a spider.

I have also watched as family members jumped on the dinner table at the sight of field mouse in the kitchen.

One time when I was home alone as a latchkey kid, I walked around my entire house with a long stick because I thought someone was hiding in the house.

This is all silliness.

The grown men should know that simply looking at a spider is not a dangerous activity. My family should have realized that the tiny mouse posed no threat to them since it was in an entirely different room of the house. And I should have known that I could not fight off an intruder with nothing but a stick. Instead, I should have called an adult or waited for my parents on the front stoop.

public speaking advice

Even though most of us understand that our responses to our fears are illogical, we typically can’t help our wacky reactions. When we are afraid of something, we will often do anything to avoid the things that scare us.

The same goes for public speaking.

Delivering presentations and speaking to a crowd causes most people to tremble. When the fear of speaking strikes, many people will do anything to ease the discomfort.

In response to the common concern over public speaking, there is a lot of bad advice out there that many people follow, hoping to make their presentation less intimidating.

Even people who are not fearful of public speaking often follow bad public speaking advice simply because the advice is so common and undisputed.

public speaking tips

I want to ensure you don’t make a public speaking error akin to walking around an empty house, waving a stick in the air. Here are 4 pieces of advice I think you should ignore, or at least carefully reconsider before integrating them into your public speaking plan.

Worst Advice For Presentations and Public Speaking – and What To Instead

1. Be Thorough

When presenting to an audience, thoroughness is not necessarily a great thing. Thoroughness means you have left no stone unturned and you have covered every single piece of relevant information. Who wants to sit through a presentation in which every single piece of relevant information is covered? No one.

Thoroughness is key when developing your presentation, however thoroughness is inappropriate when on the stage. Make your point, address common questions, and then be done. Anything extra is just selfish and sloppy.

No one ever complains about a speech being too short. – Ira Hayes

TED talks can be no longer than 18 minutes, yet many of the world’s greatest minds have been able to deliver revolutionary ideas in that short amount of time. If they can do it, you can also do it. It is clearly possibly that big ideas can (and should) be delivered in a short amount of time.

What To Do Instead:

For your presentations, do the hard work of selecting the critical components of your message, summarizing those points, and then compressing your main ideas into a simple format. Your audience wants you to get to the point and then let them get on with their lives.

If you’re wondering how much information is too much, aim for no more than 3 supporting points. If you have more than 3 supporting ideas, cut the weakest links. Or, share them with the audience in a handout that you provide after your presentation, or look for ways to to creatively combine those points with other points so you have no more than 3 supporting ideas.

Also, follow a simple structure to keep you from meandering into the deep abyss of possibilities during your presentation.

Try using the structure: 1) What? 2) So what? 3) Now what?

Or use the structure: 1) Tell them what you’re going to say. 2) Say it. 3) Tell them what you said.

Within each of these structures, insert your most compelling supporting points, as well as a story or two and perhaps an appropriate joke, but nothing else.

2. Communicate Your Credibility

Many public speakers think they need to spend the first few minutes of their presentation sharing their accomplishments to ensure the audience is convinced of their credibility as a speaker. This seems like a good idea, but it is a horrible approach.

presentation tips and tricks how to

Leading with a list of your skills and successes will make you seem like a coldhearted lizard, instead of a warm, approachable human being.

Although projecting competence is clearly important, neglecting to demonstrate trustworthiness/warmth – a psychological conduit for influence – makes it very difficult for leaders to gain loyalty and to be persuasive in a sustainable way, according to a recent Harvard study.

Demonstrating competence is critical but establishing credibility is only important once you have established a connection with the audience. If you walk on stage and immediately start bragging, or humblebragging about yourself, the audience is going think, So what? Who cares? Or, What a jerk! A few people might think, Wow! That’s impressive, however most attendees will let your list of accomplishments go in one ear and out the other.

You might think that your audience wants to know all about your experience, but they don’t. At least not in the way most speakers deliver that information. Timing and technique are everything when talking about yourself, especially during presentations.

What To Do Instead:

There a many ways to open your presentation; you might try a few different options before landing on the intro that is a perfect fit for your material. Whatever you do though, don’t open with your résumé. Remember that your goal should be to demonstrate warmth to build a genuine connection with your audience. 

You can demonstrate your credibility throughout your presentation by being a master presenter, and perhaps dropping in some brief comments about your experiences in a natural fashion. 

Try opening with a personal story that is relevant to your presentation material. If you can pull off an appropriate joke, give that a try. Or, if you are presenting to a small audience, start your presentation by letting audience members introduce themselves for a few seconds each. (We all love talking about ourselves.) If none of these ideas sound ideal to you, then start your presentation by introducing your topic. People will appreciate your respect for their time when you waste not even a second before getting down to business.

If you choose to open your presentation with a personal introduction, keep your introduction lighthearted and fun; don’t let your intro feel like the average LinkedIn profile. 

3. Stay Calm

When most speakers feel their heart racing before a presentation, they tell themselves to calm down. Many speakers will try breathing techniques or meditation practices to relax before they take the stage. These solutions to public speaking anxiety are not a bad idea if you are having a legitimate panic attack, however if you are experiencing a manageable amount of anxiety, don’t try to calm down.

stay calm public speaking

Audience members want a passionate speaker to entertain and educate them. No one wants to listen to a speaker who is so calm they are almost asleep. Researchers have discovered that passion is contagiousResearchers call it “mood contagion.” In one series of studies leaders who were more “positive” in their communication (passionate, enthusiastic, and optimistic) were perceived to be more effective and, as a result, more likely to persuade their audiences to take a desired action, according to Forbes.

What To Do Instead:

Instead of calming down before you take the stage, pump yourself up. Get excited about your presentation by repeating I am excited as your pre-performance mantra. Studies prove speakers who say these magic words before their talk are more persuasive, competent, confident, and persistent than speakers who say I am calm before they speak.

Repeating your mantra of enthusiasm before your talk is proven to be a sufficient technique for managing public speaking anxiety, however go the extra mile and think about why you should be excited. Ask yourself, Why is my presentation important? How will this information help people? Use your answers to fan your flame of passion for your content.

Remember that your passion will be contagious. If you want your audience to be passionate about your presentation, you must lead the way by delivering your talk enthusiastically.

Conclusion

Toss out some of the old-school public speaking advice we have all heard for years, and instead leverage the power of modern techniques that are proven to captivate audiences. Be thorough in your preparation but deliver a presentation that is simple to comprehend and quick to deliver. In addition, lead with your warmth, not your credibility. Lastly, don’t calm down, get excited. Your passion will be contagious.

Additional Resources:

Fight Your Fear of Public Speaking – 4 Proven Methods

The Shocking Secret To Awesome Presentations

Develop This One Trait To Become A Better Public Speaker

Why Bullet Points Kill Presentations

What To Do With Your Hands During Presentations





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