Mistakes to avoid when making a presentation

Over the past decade, I’ve had the opportunity to listen to hundreds of speeches. In this month’s column, I break down the most common speaking mistakes I’ve observed, with the hopes you’ll avoid these mistakes when delivering your own presentation.

Don’t inject filler words

I, umm, want to, uhh, encourage you not to use, umm, filler words when delivering your speech. And so, umm, I think these, uhh, unnecessary words actually take away from, uhh, what your message is.

Was the previous sentence hard to read? One of the most common mistakes for new speakers is to use filler words (such as uhh, umm, so, but, and) instead of silence. The reason for this is it can feel uncomfortable to stand in front of an audience and be silent for a brief moment between sentences. Instead, amateur speakers feel the need to constantly be talking, so they fill the silence with filler words, which don’t add any substance to the speech. In fact, they do more harm than good.

The first step to eliminating filler words is to understand the filler words you’re using. The Toastmasters program has a role called the “Ah Counter.” It’s that person’s job to listen throughout the entire meeting and take note of all filler words used by speakers during the meeting. The Ah Counter’s report will help you learn what filler words you use most often. You can also identify your filler words by recording yourself practicing your speech and then watching it back.

Don’t use qualifiers

Words such as “just” and other qualifiers take away from what we are saying and water down our overall message.

For example, if I were to say: “This is just my opinion, but, I think our company needs to renovate the boardroom,” it has a lot less of an impact than if I were to say: “Our company needs to renovate the boardroom.”

This tip goes beyond formal public speaking opportunities and is true for everyday conversations and e-mails as well. Next time you’re crafting an e-mail, take note of anytime you’re using the word “just.” My guess is that word doesn’t need to be there, and your message would be stronger without it.

Don’t wing it

We’ve romanticized this idea of spontaneously delivering a speech with no practice at all. There are a small percentage of people who have the natural skillset to pull this off. The reality is, the vast majority of people need to practice their speeches.

There are a few ways to practice your speech. As mentioned earlier, you can record yourself practicing and watch it back to see if there are areas for improvement. You can ask a family member or friend to watch you deliver your presentation and then ask for feedback. Or, perhaps the best way to practice is by joining a local Toastmasters club, where you’ll get a weekly opportunity to speak in front of a group of people who want to see you succeed.

Don’t write (and read) speeches word for word

People often begin their speech-writing process by writing out the entire presentation word-for-word. Amateur speakers will then stand in front of the audience and read what they’ve written down verbatim.

The problem with this approach is it limits our ability to utilize body language and vocal variety, which are two essential elements of what makes a great speech.

A better approach is to build your speech into sections. Start with an introduction, which is a sentence or two you should commit to memory. Then you should organize the remaining speech into sections, and each section should leverage a keyword that will trigger your memory. Your conclusion should also be committed to memory.

For example (my written down notes would be what appears in “quotation marks”):

1 - Intro/hook sentence (commit this to memory): “Today I am Billy’s best man… but in fifth grade, we were arch enemies…”

2 – “Billy 5th Grade Story” (this is a story I know well, so I don’t need to write down the details, I simply tell the story I’ve told many times before.)

3 – “Kind, Courageous, Reliable” (these words will trigger my memory and I can give real life example of why Billy is kind, courageous and reliable without writing down full sentences.)

4 – “Billy’s Partner” (this will remind me to mention the individual who Billy is marrying and why they make a great couple.)

5 – Conclusion (commit this to memory): “Even though my 5th grade self would disagree… I wish Billy and Sara all the love and happiness in the future.”

By creating notes that act as bullet point reminders, we won’t be restricted to reading several words off of a page, and can move around the stage freely and utilize body language and vocal variety.

If you’re thinking about joining Toastmasters to improve your public speaking skills, our Kelowna AM Toastmasters Club is always looking for new members.

If you’re interested in learning more about Impactful Communication, subscribe to my YouTube channel.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.