LACK OF PREPARATION
When a speaker is not fully prepared, he will feel very nervous and will not be in full control – and the audience can somehow sense it. This is the worst situation any speaker can encounter because it means wasting the audience’s time.
I always remind speakers that the length of time required to prepare depends on the number of spectators or listeners. The bigger the group, the more time we need to prepare.
LACK OF STRUCTURE
Some speakers create confusion in the minds of the listeners when they are presenting their message because their speech is not properly structured and is presented in an unorganized manner. They may be talking about point A but before ending it properly they start to talk about point B.
Using a structure will not only enable you to convey your message in a better way but also help the audience to understand your message clearly. Below is a simple, yet effective guideline on how to structure your speech.
- Preview : Tell them what you want to tell them
- Tell them
- Review : Tell them again what you have told them
LACK OF DESIRE TO SHARE
I believe we should not be taking any speaking task if we are not eager or do not have the desire to share our thoughts willingly. That explains why some speakers are so boring and non-cognitive when they speak in public. How can a person’s speech be interesting when the speaker is not personally excited about it?
LACK OF CREDIBILITY
Most people relate credibility with degrees and qualifications, meaning the more paper qualifications a person has, the more credible he is. Although in some ways it is ways it is true, it is not always the case. In fact, real credibility comes not from paper qualifications alone but through firsthand experience and achieved success.
You can listen to a very highly-qualified professor teaching you how to succeed in a business, but mind you, if he has never run at least one successful business himself, his advice is only speculation or hypothetical.
It is a better idea to listen to a multimillionaire – with or without any paper qualifications – who runs may successful someone like the late Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong who founded the Genting Group than to listen to a 65-year-old professor who teaches business with no personal experience and success.
Likewise, I would not be writing this book if I had never won any speech competition or conducted training for different groups of audiences. Having gone and done the things I write about and have succeeded more than once, I have the benefit and added credibility real experience and proven success.
LACK OF CONFIDENCE
Confidence is primary in sharing a powerful message. If you lack confidence, you are not ready. Perhaps, you need to do more research and preparation or even have more rehearsals to feel more confident. Confidence comes from ability and a strong belief in yourself. When you know you can do something, naturally, you are confident. When you lack the skills, you will lack the confidence.
My advice to new speakers is to start with smaller, non-paying audiences. As you go along, you will acquire more skills and enhance your speaking ability. Never say no to any public speaking opportunity when it arises. Grab it, prepare well and give of your best! Remember that there is no such thing as “a perfect presentation.” All you can do is to do your best while delivering it.
LACK OF CONNECTION WITH THE AUDIENCE
When you speak without connecting with the audience it is like watching television. You cannot speak and will not speak to the television. It is impossible to acquire results if one is not connected with the audience while speaking. There are a hundred things you can do to connect with your audience.
LACK OF EYE CONTACT
Eye contact is a common problem amongst most Asian speakers. It may be due to our culture which says that is rude to stare at people in the eye, especially when the person you are talking to is older (or more senior) than you.
In a presentation, I am sure you would feel neglected if the speaker does not look at you even once. You will feel unimportant and ignored. Eye contact is the most effective way to connect with your audience, and thus your eyes are your most powerful tool. In fact, it is a must to look at your audience when you speak.
In a presentation, I am sure you would feel neglected if the speaker does not look at you even once. You will feel unimportant and ignored. Eye contact is the most effective way to connect with your audience, and thus your eyes are your most powerful tool. In fact, it is a must to look at your audience when you speak.
Speakers who look at their surroundings rather than the audience while delivering a speech, show a lack of confidence and will lose the connection with the audience.
As you develop as a speaker, learn to pay attention to eye contact.
LACK OF TIME MANAGEMENT
In my first speech competition, all the contestants were given five to seven minutes to present their speech on Entrepreneurs in Action. I was surprised that I won the competition. I knew I was not really prepared and felt that one of the contestants was a better speaker on the topic. There were only three contestants, one of them underperformed because he spoke less or than four minutes. The other speaker, on the other hand, spoke too much and took about ten minutes. I was the only one who finished on time, taking about six minutes and a few seconds. From this, I learnt how important it is to manage time in s speech contest. In a real presentation, people take time off to come and listen. They have already set their minds on how long they will stay in the room attentively. Once the speaker speaks more than the given time, he will bore and lose the audience. It is the saddest thing to see people walking out of the room when a speaker is still speaking. The secret is to stop on time. If you must continue, do not get beyond the extra 10 minutes. Use it wisely and finish on time. Time is the most sensitive issue for participants in a speech contest. Professional speakers know when to cut short when to expand their speech and most importantly, how to conclude on time.
LACK OF APPROPRIATE PACING
Many speakers, especially newly-trained or untrained speakers use body language meaninglessly. It can be very confusing to note that a speaker is talking and distracting you at the same time. How then do we know whether we are presenting our talk appropriately? Videotape your presentation, watch yourself and evaluate your performance. You will find out whether it was appropriate or up to the mark. As a professional speaker, you must always remember that every movement we make must carry a purpose. Our expressions should be related to what we are saying.
In my first speech competition, all the contestants were given five to seven minutes to present their speech on Entrepreneurs in Action. I was surprised that I won the competition. I knew I was not really prepared and felt that one of the contestants was a better speaker on the topic. There were only three contestants, one of them underperformed because he spoke less or than four minutes. The other speaker, on the other hand, spoke too much and took about ten minutes. I was the only one who finished on time, taking about six minutes and a few seconds. From this, I learnt how important it is to manage time in s speech contest.
In a real presentation, people take time off to come and listen. They have already set their minds on how long they will stay in the room attentively. Once the speaker speaks more than the given time, he will bore and lose the audience. It is the saddest thing to see people walking out of the room when a speaker is still speaking. The secret is to stop on time. If you must continue, do not get beyond the extra 10 minutes. Use it wisely and finish on time. Time is the most sensitive issue for participants in a speech contest. Professional speakers know when to cut short when to expand their speech and most importantly, how to conclude on time.
LACK OF INTEREST
Presenters must always remember that the audience comes for a purpose. If you do not prepare well, you are wasting for a purpose. If you do not prepare well, you are wasting everyone’s time, including your and this is an unforgivable sin in public speaking. If you are guilty of this, the members if the audience will remember it for the rest their lives. Example, if you are speaking to fifty people, you need to spend two hours to rehearse your speech. Then when you are going to speak to a crowd of five hundred people, you need to prepare and rehearse for eight hours. If you have a chance to speak to five thousand, you had better do a few rounds of rehearsals and give yourself a long time for preparation. Remember, the bigger the crowd, the more time is required for preparation.
If you have a 100 people in the audience listening to your two-hour speech, the time they spend with you is not only two hours but 100 x 2 hours, or two hundred hours in total! Remember – you are taking two hours of their lives away from each of them! Hence, value their presence and make their time worthwhile.
