Let us jump straight into this one:
Lack of preparation – this simply cannot be overstated. Preparation is all too often the difference between the amateur speaker and the pro. Make no mistake, no matter how talented a speaker you are preparation is key. I would go as far as to suggest that a failure to prepare appropriately for a speaking engagement is the number one cause behind ‘speakers fright’, tip-of-the tongue, mental blocks and other easy to observe speaking blunders. Whether you’re too lazy to properly organise yourself for a presentation or find yourself too busy to plan and practice, I put it to you that a failure to plan is a plan to fail. To avoid the mistakes that only amateurs make, here are 7 things you need to consider in your preparations:
1. What are your objectives for the presentation?
2. What content should be included or omitted?
3. How best can you relate to the audience and keep their attention?
4. How will you manage your time effectively?
5. Will visual aids enhance or weaken your presentation?
6. What questions are you audience most likely to ask?
7. What analogies, metaphors or stories can I draw from to make my presentation more interesting to listen to?
Handouts – handouts can be a great way to capture highlights of your presentation and to summarise any key information in a easy to reference way. However, it is better to consider giving handouts to your audience members at the end of your oratory. When materials are handed out while a presentation in ongoing, the focus of the audience can become broken and rather than engage your listeners, you may well lose their concentration as they browse through your handouts to get a preview of what you are about to say. This of course, can be a source of distraction. Not the best way to keep your audience tuned in to your frequency.
DON'T read from a script – this is probably the fastest way to divert the interest of your audience elsewhere. Not good. When you read word for word from a script, you disconnect from your audience and more often than not, fail to build good rapport with your listeners. In addition to this, your presentation is likely to come across as dull, which will leave your audience feeling bored and unengaged. Whether you are reading from a piece of paper or PowerPoint presentation, the same rules apply. If you must read something verbatim, keep it short and sweet then quickly move on to a more lively and dynamic presentation.
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