Frequently when listening to speeches and presentations, I hear the speakers making some important mistakes, and often the same again and again.
Some of these mistakes stem from choices the speaker is making – a misalignment between message and the audience, for example. While other mistakes are accidental, or could be resolved with some skill development.
Either way, many speakers make the same types of mistakes. To help you get a leg up, I’ve compiled the biggest public speaking mistakes and how you can avoid making the same.
Mistake #1: Giving the presentation they want, not the one their audience needs.
The presentation is a gift the presenter gives to the audience. The content, example, goal, and overall impact of the presentation is based on what the audience thinks and how they respond. Everything a speaker does in the crafting and delivering of their presentation should be focused on the audience and how to support their response to the presentation and the goal.
Mistake #2: Reading slides.
Reading the slides to the audience is something speakers do when they are nervous, pressed for time, or unprepared. The audience can read and they can do much more quickly than a speaker can read it to them. It is disrespectful of the audience’s time and attention to simply read slides. Instead, use the slides are a tool to supplement the verbal message – they should highlight the key words and phrases of the speaker’s point and the speaker should use their own notes to jog their memory while speaking.
Mistake #3: Using distracting or uninteresting delivery.
A presentation is a bit like a performance. The audience is there to consider the speaker’s content, but also, to be a bit entertained. Delivery should be appropriate for the situation but should be engaging, somewhat lively, and natural. When the speaker does distracting things, like swaying back and forth or fidgeting with items, the audience tends to turn their attention to these actions and miss a lot of the speaker’s message. Uninteresting speakers are difficult to listen to, especially in virtual meetings.
Mistake #4: Fearing silence.
Silence is a strategic tool at the presenter’s disposal. Silence can be used to emphasize an important point, to create a natural transition, to give the audience time to respond to a question or react to a statement. However, most speakers, afraid silence means something is going terribly wrong, often run over silences and lose the benefit these moments of pause can give both the speaker and the audience.
Mistake #5: Using too many verbal pauses.
Verbal pauses are the plague of many speaker. Um’s, ah’s, well’s, are usually peppered throughout most presentations I listen to. Sometimes speakers use these because of mistake #4 (Fearing silence) and instead they fill the space with these sounds. Sometimes speakers are working to remember parts of their presentation and the uses these sounds to jog their memory or create time for them to remember (see #4). Verbal pauses are distracting, they can make the audience feel tired listening to considerable extra sounds, and they don’t move the speaker closer to their goal. Practicing and using strong notes can eliminate the pressure to fill silence with sound.
Mistake #6: Not using time effectively.
Time management is particularly difficult for speakers who don’t practice their presentation in advance. In equal measure presenters tend to either pick up their speaking pace or start skipping content when they realize they are short of time OR they go over their allotted time. Neither alternative is ideal. Often the skipped/rushed material was actually important (sometimes more important than earlier content) and going overtime is disrespectful of the audience. Speakers should practice and cut their material to fit their time while speaking in a conversational way.
Mistake #7: Relying too much on their notes.
Sometimes speakers don’t read from their slides, but instead read from their notes. See #2 above. Speakers should practice so they don’t need to read. A speaker should be able to speak with the audience as though they were holding a conversation.
Mistake #8: Failing to use clear and deliberate structure.
When speakers don’t specifically outline their content before they start building PowerPoint slides, things can easily go awry. Once people start building slides this becomes the central structure of the presentation, regardless of whether this is ideal for the content and the audience. Ideas can easily become a jumble of content which makes it difficult for the audience to pull key ideas and takeaways out. I always, always suggest a speaker outline in a word app before they ever start building slides or developing speaking notes.
Mistake #9: Including too much content on their slides.
This goes along with #2 (reading slides). Slides are a tool to supplement the verbal content and serve as a memory aid for the audience and the speaker. There should be ample white space and minimal words. Slides should instead feature content that is too complex to describe verbally, like charts, graphs, or maps. Even when working with a structured template, don’t hesitate to break information up over multiple slides. Your audience will thank you.
Mistake #10: Failing to cite their sources.
Sources to support your content and arguments are critical to boost your credibility as a speaker and the claims you’re making. Speakers should clearly and transparently share where their information and evidence came from. Not doing so opens up a chance the audience will doubt claims or view the speaker or content as not credible.
Mistake #11: Missing opportunities to upskill
To be an effective speaker means to be continuously growing as a person and as a presenter. Most people will need to work at their public speaking – either by taking a course, or working with a qualified coach.
If you’re interested in working together, let me know! I offer a range of opportunities that can help you target exactly where you’d like to grow as a presenter.
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Updated by Andrea Hamilton, Jan 29, 2025.
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