Bad public speaking habits can absolutely derail even the most professional speaker. Make sure you’re in the clear by knowing what to avoid.

Here are nine of the biggest public speaking quirks you’ll want to steer clear of during your next presentation.

1. Reading Directly From Your Slides

You were probably able to get away with this during your school days, but you’re a professional now. There’s no reason why you should read directly from your slides.

Not only does it waste your audience’s time, but it makes you come across as if you didn’t bother to prepare.

2. Failing to Properly Message Your Speech

Even if you’ve never delivered a public speech in your life, you probably understand the importance of targeting a speech to one’s audience.

Every speech has an audience, no matter how casual or formal. Establishing your audience helps you establish your tone during the writing process.

3. Over Gesticulating

Pay close attention if you’re someone who tends to speak with their hands. Overly gesticulating is problematic, as it distracts the audience from your speech.

Hand signals in and of themselves aren’t bad, but make sure you don’t let your hands do all the talking.

4. Fidgeting

It’s common to feel nervous before giving a speech, even if you’re only addressing a small number of people.

Nervous quirks like hand-wringing, foot tapping, and pen clicking lessen the impact of your message.

Instead of your great ideas, all the audience will be able to focus on is how nervous you seem.

5. Talking Down to Your Audience

Nobody likes a know-it-all. Ineffective public speaking occurs because a speaker doesn’t understand how to properly address his or her audience.

It’s important that you come across as professional by including data-driven facts but don’t appear pompous. Smile, make eye contact and keep a friendly demeanor.

6. Appearing Too Casual

Certain entrepreneurs, such as Steve Jobs, could get away with wearing something simple like a black turtleneck sweater and jeans.

You’re not quite at that level yet.

It’s important to dress the part of a professional, so skip the casual wear in favor of a nice suit jacket or blazer.

7. Turning Your Back to Your Audience

Turning your back on your audience is just as unforgivable as reading from your slides. Even if you can recite your presentation word for word, turning your back makes you harder to hear.

If this is one of the bad public speaking habits you’re guilty of, keep a copy of your presentation near you at the front of the stage or table.

8. Fluctuating Your Volume and Pacing

A monotone speaker is a surefire way to put your audience to sleep. But don’t get so caught up in your own nervous quirks that you inadvertently raise and lower the volume of your voice every other word.

Try and keep a natural, consistent pace. Think of your speech not as a monologue, but as a conversation.

9. Creating a Lackluster Ending

As you begin to wrap up your speech, make sure you close on a big point. A lackluster ending can be awkward, as the audience may not realize you’ve finished.

Avoid These Public Speaking Quirks to Improve Your Next Speech

What do you think? Did you notice any public speaking quirks on our list that you’re guilty of?

If so, it’s not the end of the world. Keep at it and you’re sure to be a better public speaker in no time.

Looking for more tips on public speaking? I’ve given speeches around the globe and would be happy to talk with you. Get in touch with me today and I’ll return your message as soon as I can.

When the topic of public speaking comes up, it’s clear that most people aren’t comfortable talking in front of crowds. Some may even dread it! There are likely two key reasons for this.

First, people are afraid to look foolish in front of others. We may feel like if we don’t know what we’re talking about, we’ll get a bad reaction.

The second reason is a bit more subtle. We’re hesitant to speak in front of crowds because we feel they may not care.

If you’re struggling with the latter, this article is for you. Here are a few tips to help you give a speech that’s both entertaining and engaging.

Know Your Audience

The first step to giving a great speech is to read the room, i.e., understand who you’re speaking to.

Every speech has a target audience, and it’s important that you know your audience ahead of time, as your speech should ideally be tailored to the crowd.

Your audience will determine the tone, language, and even length of your speech. Therefore, get as much information on your audience or event ahead of time as possible.

The better your understanding of your audience, the likelier it is you’ll give a good speech.

Inject Your Personality When You Give a Speech

Truthfully, it doesn’t necessarily matter how well-written your speech is if you don’t have the charisma and charm to back it up.

Yes, it’s important that a speech is well-crafted. But it’s even more important that the speaker uses their personality to keep the audience engaged.

Don’t be afraid to ad lib, make last-minute adjustments, or gesture. People are social creatures by nature, so body language like smiling or gesturing may seem simple, but they’ll take you a long way.

Trim the Fat

As a general rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to revise your speech as much as possible. Think of it like drafting a paper.

Your rough draft is simply about getting your ideas on paper. Self-editing will only get in the way, so save that for the primary editing stage.

Next, you’ll refine and edit as necessary. During this stage, clear up any rough or unclear ideas. Maybe find a few sources for your information, too, to make your speech more authoritative.

By the end, you should have a short, concise speech.

Use Visuals

If you’ve ever been in a long meeting, you know that peoples’ minds tend to wander after just a few minutes. Don’t take this as a slight, it’s just how our minds work.

But that doesn’t mean your speech has to bore your audience to tears.

When you give a speech, you can combat wandering minds by incorporating visuals. Charts, graphs, really anything you can think of.

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so be sure to incorporate visuals.

Last Thoughts on How to Give a Speech That’s Engaging and Entertaining

Giving a speech is hard work, no doubt about it. But these tips should give you all the advice you need to make a great speech that your audience is sure to love.

Want to learn more about the entrepreneur lifestyle or public speaking? Be sure to check out my blog for more great tips to help you become the next big thing.

So, you’ve got your audience. How do you keep it engaged?

An important component of any business growth is holding interesting events with exciting speakers. Finding these speakers might seem tricky, but don’t worry.

The best keynote speakers don’t need to be the most famous or successful. They just need to be right for your audience.

Here’s how to find yours.

1. Imagine Your Ideal Speaker

If everything goes well, your speaker is going to get a lot of credit. But you still play the most important part: you choose the speaker.

That means you need to be thinking of the big-picture from the start. The first thing you need to do is determine a price range: how much are you willing to pay your speaker?

If you’re not willing to doll out hundreds of thousands, don’t fret. There are many other measurements of the best keynote speakers that don’t involve cost.

What goal do you want to achieve with your speaker? What knowledge or what kind of motivation do you want to instill in your audience?

The answers to those questions should be the initial filters you use when picking out your potential speakers. Once you have that list, you’re ready to dig deeper.

2. Weigh Entertainment vs. Information

Consider the different styles of the speaker options in front of you. Many will have a special flair that electrifies the crowd, but they won’t bring much substance. Others will be elbow-deep in substance but have a tendency to drone.

In all likelihood, your ideal speaker will be somewhere between the two ends of the spectrum. You’re the only person who can know for sure what’s best for your audience.

You might already know what to look for when contrasting info vs. entertainment. But if you’re stuck, think about the people hearing the speech.

3. Understand Your Audience

Put yourself in your audience’s shoes. On the one hand, consider their expectations. Would blaring music excite them, or annoy them? They might enjoy a wordy orator–or they might be bored out of their minds.

Also, think about the context of the speech. It makes a huge difference when the speech happens.

If it’s on a Tuesday at ten AM in February, a softer presentation that crescendos might do the trick. But, on a Thursday afternoon in July, your employees might sit down ready to engage with a more energetic speaker.

4. Communicate with the Speaker

Remember how the speaker will get all the credit if things go well? Well, you might take a hit if things go poorly.

That’s why it’s essential for you to make contact with the speaker before they begin speaking. Run a quick background check on the content of the speech. If it’s not up to par, let the speaker know.

Sometimes, the “best speaker” title can be given before the speech is even made.

Navigate the Best Keynote Speakers

It’s time for you to give your audience the information they need in an entertaining way. The right keynote speaker can inject your crowd with a productive boost of energy.

With these tips, you’re more ready than ever to pick from the best. Reach out for more information on getting the right influencers for your organization.

What are you waiting for?