We are all being told what to do when to comes to most things in life, including public speaking, which is great i.e. talking in the positive. Positive speak is good and helps the speaker focus on the right things and the things to do so as to make a good performance in delivering their speech. Public speaking is never easy for anyone. Even the most astute and experienced public speakers still get nervous before and during their speaking performance. It is important that they do, if they weren\’t, it would show that they didn\’t care. Most of us know the things you must do when public speaking, but what are things you should not to do when public speaking. You might say, the opposite to the things you should do! Well, not entirely true. Here are five of the things not to do when public speaking:
- Practice right up to the speech delivery time
- Assume you know everything
- Smile too much
- Think that you’re audience know more than you
- Feel that the audience would rather be somewhere else
Practice right up to the speech delivery time: Do not practice right up to the day / hour of the speech. Depending on the importance, duration and length of the speech, you should have your practice completed at least one day before the public speaking event. Leave at least a day to enjoy the ‘looking forward to’ part of the project. The better you have practiced, the more ‘looking forward’ you will be. Assume you know everything: Do not assume you know everything. There will be people in your audience who have better knowledge and experience than you on your chosen public speaking topic. Assuming that you do not know everything takes the pressure of you and allows you share your knowledge and expertise on the subject in a more authentic way. Smile too much: Yes smile, but do not smile too much. Too much smiling can take away your authority and make the audience ask questions of you, your speech content and your delivery. Smile authentically and when and where appropriate. Think that you’re audience know more than you: Do not think that your audience know more than you. If you do, you will not deliver your speech with authority and convincingly. It will take away from your belief and enthusiasm in your speech content and then ultimately effect how you say it. Your audience remember not what you said, they remember how you made them feel. If you think that they know more than you, they will nor remember what you said. Feel that the audience would rather be somewhere else: Do not think the audience would rather be somewhere else. Or do not think they are bored. Or do not think that you are speaking for too long. Your audience have come to hear you, they will not be bored of you if have good content and speak from the heart and you will know your speaking time. Finally and remember, you will not be able to please every member of the audience, there is always someone who does not want to be there for various reasons…