Few situations cause as much angst as the prospect of speaking before a large crowd. Public speaking is a high-ranking fear for almost all of us.
Certainly a bit of stage fright is good—it can keep you on your toes and get your adrenalin flowing so you do your best. And you will do well if you present with both passion and preparation. With passion for your subject, your message will carry more weight. And when you are thoroughly prepared, you will speak with confidence.
Yet there are still some pitfalls that can kill your presentation. Sales presentation training experts point out 5 traps to avoid:
1. Death by fillers.
It is better to be silent for a moment than to fill the void with “ums” or “ahs.” These sentence fillers make it sound as though you are unsure of what you want to say. Instead of coming across as an expert on your subject, you sound as if you are making it up as you go. Overcome this habit and recognize that silent pauses can be powerful. They alert your audience to listen more carefully to what you will say next…a sort of silent exclamation point.
2. Death by acronyms.
Every group has its acronyms…shortened versions of long phrases. Within the group, they may be well understood and streamline the conversation. But for an audience who is not familiar with this inside lingo, acronyms can be both confusing and annoying. Don’t use these shortcuts unless you explain upfront just what they mean.
3. Death by monotone.
Be sure you modulate your tone and change your position from time to time. This will help you (and the audience) maintain a high level of energy. Use changes in your pitch and tone to signal the importance of what you have to say.
4. Death by PowerPoint.
This trap is all too common. Slides, when properly designed, can illustrate a point more effectively than mere words. But the key is that there be few of them and that they be designed, not just decorated, for visual effect. Less is more with bullets too. Don’t have so much text on your slides that you lose audience attention while they read. A good rule of thumb…think of your slide like a freeway sign and limit your words to no more than 7. That’s all you can read at 65 miles per hour.
5. Death by logo.
The simplest slides are the most effective. Certainly put your logo in a prominent place on the first and last slide. But consider carefully before inserting the logo on everything in between. It should be unobtrusive and not distract from the slide’s purpose.
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