Folks may forget what your slides looked like or what you even look like, but they won't forget a crummy delivery. Find out what public-speaking mistakes can ruin your presentation.

1. 9 Public-
Speaking
Mistakes
You Need to
Stop Making

2. a presentation from
written by Matt Snodgrass

3. 1. Reading a speech word for word
Why it’s a mistake: No one likes being talked down to.
Your listeners can read. Listening to you read
the obvious is mind-numbing.

4. Tip: Don’t numb people’s minds. Instead, use a
keyword outline to prompt your thoughts,
address your audience, then get rolling.

5. 2. Winging it
Why it’s a mistake:
Winging it is good…if it’s your
8th grade history presentation
on the French-Indian war.
We’re in the business world
now, though. People have
invested time (and money) to
come hear you speak.

6. Tip: Respect your audience by
giving them a well-rehearsed
presentation that delivers
what was promised.

7. 3. Using boring technical language
Why it’s a mistake:
OK, so you’re smart. (If you
weren’t, you probably wouldn’t
have been asked to present.) But
you don’t have to show off
those smarts by babbling
in complex language about,
say, the binary language of
moisture vaporators.

8. Tip: Give your speech in everyday language…
unless audience members really do want to hear
about moisture vaporators.

9. 4. Focusing solely on what you want
to talk about
Why it’s a mistake: Your presentation
needs to focus on what your audience
has come to hear you discuss.
The presentation
audience isn’t
you, you, you.

10. Tip: Remember that you’re not forcing
information on your audience. You want your
presentation to be connecting and inspiring.

11. 5. Not having a point
Why it’s a mistake:
Failure to have at least
one point for folks to mull
about will doom your
presentation to mediocrity
(or worse).

12. Tip: Make sure you spend some time
researching your audience. Why are they
here listening to you? What motivates them?
What are their pains?
Know your audience.
Know your purpose.
Know your presentation.

13. 6. Thinking your slides are everything
Why it’s a mistake:
Your slides might rock,
but your delivery (if
you don’t work on it)
may not. Think of it this
way: Great sheet music
doesn’t make a great
musician. You have to
know how to play it.

14. Tip: Keep the focus on you, not your slides.
Your slides should serve
as ancillary information,
not be the primary
source of it.

15. 7. Opening with a joke.
Why it’s a mistake:
Sadly, in this day and age,
chances are a joke that
you find amusing will
offend someone.

16. Tip: Humor is good.
Jokes are (typically) not.
Don’t alienate a portion
of your audience with
potentially offensive
material.

17. 8. Having too much nervous energy
Why it’s a mistake: Rampant
bouncing, incessant pacing,
and excited shouting can
certainly make a presentation
more interesting…
but they can also scare or
distract your audience.

18. Tip: Feel free to move around a
little bit, but try to stay
somewhere between
“winning the lotto” excited
and “heading to a doctor’s
appointment” excited.

19. 9. Going overboard on your slides
Why it’s a mistake: You’re assaulting people’s
eyeballs. You may have a phenomenal
graphics design team, but they don’t have to
touch every single slide.

20. Tip: Clean slides are nearly always better.

21. To find out more presentation gaffes
(and the remedies for them), join us for
Presentations Unleashed
starting February 14.
Use code INSPIRE and save $200.