Public speaking isn’t always easy, and there are plenty of pitfalls that you can run into if you’re not careful. You can think of it as being like trying to navigate an obstacle course. You need to know that the obstacles are there if you want to be able to avoid them.
That’s where this week’s article comes in. We’re going to highlight some of the most common reasons why people fail at public speaking so that you can avoid them. Let’s dive in.
If you’re not an expert in the subject you’re talking about, it stands to reason that you’re going to struggle to deliver a decent talk. You might be surprised by how common it is for public speakers to take to the stage without having the expertise they need to get the job done. Despite that, it’s pretty obvious when someone’s trying to talk about something that they’re not an expert in. It’s better to turn down a speaking opportunity altogether than it is to try to wing it and talk about something that you’re not really qualified to talk about.
Audience research is one of the most important parts of public speaking, because it’s always important to know to whom you’re speaking. When you know that, you can tailor your presentation to ensure that it’s as relevant to them as possible so that you’re delivering as much value as you can. If you’re not taking the time to understand who you’re speaking to, you shouldn’t be surprised if your presentations fall flat.
We see this happening all the time. Many public speakers are so keen to get gigs that they’ll either speak for free or be willing to cut their prices as much as they need to so that they get the job. Going back to the point that we made about expertise, it’s better for you to pass up an opportunity entirely than to fail to charge what you’re worth. It’s going to be difficult for you to make a living as a speaker if you’re not charging enough.
If you don’t have good public speaking skills then it doesn’t matter how much expertise you have because you’re going to struggle to get your point across. That’s why it’s so important to always look for ways to improve, because the better you are as a public speaker, the more you reduce your chances of failure.
If your message isn’t clear enough then it’s going to be impossible for everyone to take it away with them. Your goal as a public speaker should always be to identify the message that you want people to remember so that you can focus on getting that across throughout your presentation. Another common issue that we see is that people will try to share too many different messages, and when that happens, people generally don’t remember any of them.
This is one of the biggest mistakes that we see public speakers making, and we’ve all seen a speaker who’s bored their audience to tears by just reading from their slides. When done well, slides should be a visual aide that accentuates what the speaker is saying, rather than just a script to be followed. The general rule with creating slides is that less is more. It’s better to provide people with too little than too much, at least when it comes to the slides you prepare.
If you have a thick accent then it can be difficult for people to understand what you’re saying. When that happens, it becomes much more difficult for you to deliver a talk that people take away with them. If so, you’ll need to take steps to soften your accent as much as you can to make yourself more understandable. It’s not impossible to be a successful speaker if you have a strong accent, but it’s certainly more difficult.
If you look nervous then people will notice and it will impact the way that they perceive you. If it seems as though you’re nervous, then people will think that you don’t know what you’re talking about and they’ll quickly switch off. The important thing here is to fake it until you make it. Even if you feel nervous, try not to let it show.
If you’re not speaking loudly enough, people are going to struggle to understand what you’re saying. It’s similar to what happens if you have a thick accent. The good news is that this is much easier for you to overcome, because all you need to do is to practice projecting your voice so that you can be sure that people can hear you.
This is the biggie, and it’s one that a surprising number of public speakers fail to do. Put simply, if you want to be a successful public speaker, you need to practice as much as you can so that you’re putting in the best possible performance every time you take to the stage. You could argue that the “enough” here is misleading, because there’s no such thing as enough practice. The more you practice, the better you get. It’s as simple as that.
Now that you’ve heard our thoughts on why you might be failing at public speaking, we want to hear from you. Have you struggled with any of these issues? And if so, were you able to overcome them and become a better public speaker?
As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments so that we can keep the discussion going. You can also follow us on your favorite social networking sites for more. We’ll see you soon for another article!
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