It’s no secret that public speaking can be a daunting task, especially for those with glossophobia or a fear of public speaking.
10 Most Common Public Mistakes
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All those eyes focus on you as you present over a webinar platform or in a lecture hall. It’s nerve-wracking.
To get through the presentation, many people adopt bad public speaking habits that actually harm your presentation and make your overall message unclear and poorly received by your target audience.
Below are the 10 most common public mistakes you need to watch out for when giving your next online meeting presentation.
1. Memorizing a script
When you are giving a presentation, whether in person or over the internet via online platforms, no one wants to listen to you reel off a script you memorized. It’s boring to listen to and seems impersonal and like you didn’t really care about the message you are trying to convey. Not only that, but you are more likely to forget a sentence or important point.
Instead, use the time preparing to focus on your nonverbal communication and presentation skills, which will make for a much better presentation.
2. Lack of preparation and practice
One of the biggest rookie mistakes is not preparing adequately for any public speaking engagement. It takes time to write a good presentation. If you don’t leave adequate time to rehearse and prepare, you waste your listener’s time, and you become disorganized and unprofessional. So, if you want to make a good impression and make your ideas known verbally, prepare and practice beforehand.
3. Reading aloud
Just reading your speech or presentation aloud is never good for your audience. You are not engaged with them. When you read from your cards only, no eye contact is made, and the speaker tends to mumble and can’t be heard. In short, it leaves your audience bored and uninterested in what you have to say. You want the audience to feel your passion for your presentation through the computer screen.
4. Having no visual aids or using them incorrectly
When you’re giving a presentation, it’s important to have a few slides that convey important information about your topic to the audience. Not having any is a big mistake as it can mean that your audience could miss key points.
Also, making your slides too busy, having too little or too many slides, filling them with too much information, and looking at your slides, not your audience, are other common pitfalls that speakers make. Be sure to use your visual aids appropriately.
5. Speaking in a monotone
A monotone voice can make you seem disinterested in your material and quickly bore your listeners. When your voice lacks variation, it’s easier for audiences to stay engaged. To keep their attention, practice speaking enthusiastically and varying your tone throughout your presentation.
6. Poor eye contact
When you are giving a presentation or a speech, you need your audience to see you as an authority and connect with you. It’s tough to do this when the speaker refuses to make any eye contact with the audience. So, even if it makes you nervous, it’s best to learn to do it and overcome that fear.
Look at one or two people for about 3-5 seconds and then move on to someone else and keep doing this so that you can connect with everyone attending.
7. Not speaking clearly
It’s about more than just using the right inflections. Speaking too quickly, slowly, loudly, or softly can detract from your presentation. Your audience must hear and understand you clearly, which is only possible if you speak at the right volume or speed. Practicing your speech or presentation will help you perfect your delivery.
Read also: Public Speaking Online: How to Give Amazing Talks
8. Distracting mannerisms
Standing statue-still while speaking at an event or giving a work presentation online is bad, but so is fidgeting and pacing too much. It’s common to use fidgeting and pacing to control your nerves, but you need to do it in ways that don’t take away from what you are trying to say. There is a happy balance that needs to be achieved.
It’s ok to be nervous and use some repetitive actions, but try to make them small enough that the audience doesn’t necessarily notice you are doing it.
9. Lack of energy and excitement
If you come across as tired and lacking focus and energy, you will most likely lose your audience’s interest. Not having enough energy drains your vitality presentation, and people are less likely to engage with your message. It’s a big mistake not to bring your own enthusiasm to your public speaking. It’s contagious when you are excited, and your audience will be more receptive to your overall message.
10. Oversharing too much information
Information dumping is a frequent issue for public speakers. For instance, you might have an interesting topic and feel compelled to share everything you know about it with your audience. While it’s great to share your knowledge, providing too much information can overwhelm your audience and dilute the impact of your presentation.
Too much information can quickly overwhelm your audience. It’s essential to strike the right balance — demonstrate your expertise on the subject without overloading them. This way, your audience can grasp and apply the key takeaways later.
Whether teaching an online course or lecturing to a room full of employees, public speaking can feel daunting and makes many people nervous. However, avoiding these 10 common public speaking mistakes will help make your next public speaking event a lot more enjoyable for you and your audience.
Start from today, firstly by signing up on MyOwnConference.
Final words
In conclusion, mastering public speaking depends on more than simply delivering your message. It requires careful preparation, a genuine connection with your audience, and an energetic, adaptable delivery. When you avoid the ten common mistakes such as relying only on memorized lines, skipping practice, or speaking in a flat tone, you make it easier for your audience to connect with what you say. Understanding the importance of eye contact, clear speech, helpful visuals, balanced energy, and a well-measured amount of content helps you move from being just a presenter to becoming a true communicator. In the end, when you approach every speaking opportunity with sincerity, preparation, and focus on your listeners, you not only share information but also inspire people to take action and overcome public speaking mistakes.
FAQ
If you memorize a full script you risk sounding robotic and disconnected, you may forget important points and your audience might feel you did not truly believe in or engage with your own message.
Because without sufficient preparation and rehearsal you become disorganised, waste your audience’s time and present yourself as unprofessional, which makes your message less effective.
When you simply read your cards or slides you lose eye contact and dynamic connection with your audience, the speech sounds flat and listeners are more likely to lose interest.
Speaking in a monotone voice or failing to vary tone and pace makes you appear uninterested in your own message and quickly bores the audience, reducing their attention and retention.
Because oversharing overwhelms the audience, dilutes your key take-aways, and makes it harder for listeners to absorb and apply the core message you intended to deliver.
Madeline Miller is a writer at Do My Assignment. She writes about webinars and public speaking. Madeline is also a blogger.
