Public Speaking: Avoiding common rookie mistakes, 12 foolproof ways to grab your audience, and what to do with your hands.

Avoiding the 10 most common mistakes in public speaking.

     At some point almost all of us are faced with having to give some form of presentation in front of an audience, be it co-workers or classmates, and I hope and assume that you want to keep your audience engaged and get your message across effectively. This article by Terry Gault will help you do just that by going over and helping you avoid the 10 most common rookie mistakes in Public Speaking. Some of them are common sense, but just in case you need a public speaking refresher. Here is a quick list of the mistakes, go to the article to find out more info on avoiding them. 

1. Using small scale movements and  gestures
2. Speaking with low energy
3. Not preparing enough
4. Not practicing enough
5. Data-Centric presentations
6. Playing it safe
7. Avoiding vulnerability
8. Taking oneself way too seriously
9. Presenting too much material
10. Rushing

Start Strong: 12 foolproof ways to grab your audience. 

"Hello, my uh name is Bob and I'm here to speak to you guys now about managing your um employee logistics and how to manage some HR systems. I'm gonna outline some new research in the field and will be explaining some new things for you guys. Okay so let's gets going." 

Are you bored to death or what? 

How you start a speech or presentation matters, and it matters more than you think. In just the first 30-60 seconds of a presentation, your audience has already figured out whether or not they are going to be genuinely engaged or sit back in their seats and go into mindless-sponge mode (passively absorbing information instead of being actively engaged and really learning). That's why a strong start to your speech or presentation matters so much. 

Here are 12 foolproof ways to start a speech according to this Genard Method blog post:

1. Question
2. Story
3. Quotation
4. A Strong Visual
5. Impactful/Disruptive Statistic 
6. Startling Statement
7. Personal anecdote (story) or experience
8. Humor
9. Expert Opinion
10. Sound Effect
11. Physical Object
12. Testimony or Success Story

I also recommend going to the blog post where the tips came from and scrolling down to see some examples of great starts to speeches. Click here to see the blog post.

What the heck do I do with my hands while speaking?!?

If you have ever been given a presentation and found yourself in the awkward position where you didn't know what to do with your hands then you are not alone. I believe that hand gestures can make or break an effective presentation. Maybe "break" is a little harsh, but a great speech can be denigrated with awkward or small hand gestures. Likewise, a less-compelling presentation can be boosted with effective use of hand gestures. 

Take a few minutes and check out some tips from this article on hand gestures during presentations.

Are there any other useful tips you know of for public speaking? Leave a tip in the comment section below.