When it comes to speaking, let’s look at speaker mistakes in two ways. First, from the seasoned speaker’s perspective of hating to make mistakes because… well, of course… who doesn’t hate making mistakes.
But seriously, from their business perspective, mistakes can lower the chances of people reaching out to them after they speak. And if people don’t reach out to them, they aren’t connecting, building relationships, or growing their business.
The second way to look at speaker mistakes is from the perspective of someone who’s thinking about speaking, but hears about these kinds of mistakes and thinks: I know speaking would help me grow my business, but I’m afraid of looking or sounding like an idiot on stage. In fact, it might be harder for newer speakers to read about these mistakes than it is for seasoned speakers to admit making them!
Regardless of whether you’re a new or seasoned speaker, anytime you learn about mistakes you can avoid, it’s a good thing. Take right here, right now for example. I’ll share four common mistakes experienced and seasoned speakers make. After you read about them, you’ll be less likely to make them yourself.
- Counting on your reputation to grab and hold your audience’s attention. Having a good reputation might land you more speaking opportunities. It may even help you fill the seats in your audience. This speaker mistake is expecting and relying on your reputation to make the connection between you and your audience. Your job on stage is to share your expertise, but regardless of your reputation, it’s also to engage and connect with your audiences… each time you step on stage.
- Ignoring the trends of what people expect from you when they’re sitting in your audience. It goes without saying that they want to hear something valuable and actionable. They wouldn’t be sitting in your audience if they didn’t. The speaker mistake here is sticking to delivering the same signature talk, the same way, every time. Even the best of signature talks will benefit from a little sprucing up with new information, new technology, and new ways of engaging, connecting, and communicating with an audience.
- Taking yourself and your ability to deliver your amazing talk for granted. Confidence is a great thing to have, but it’s not a replacement for preparation and practice. Every athlete knows the importance of warming up their muscles before they compete. A singer knows they need to warm up their voice before they sing. For speakers, this is about putting in the time off the stage, to make sure that when you do take the stage, you’re ready to deliver a talk that flows, informs, engages, and inspires people to reach out to you for more.
- Becoming immune to negative and/or constructive feedback. Imagine feeling really good about your presentation, and then someone leaves a comment about your handouts not working. Does this mean you need to redo your handouts… when you think they’re perfect? The speaker mistake here is ignoring feedback you don’t want to hear (unless it’s good feedback. That… no one can get enough of).
Constructive feedback from an audience might be hard to take but it’s imperative for growth. So don’t pretend it doesn’t exist. Instead, look at it as objectively as you can, and then make an informed decision about whether it was legitimate, or not. Who knows? You just might get feedback that leads you to your next-level success.
Perfection is overrated. I know, you’ve heard that before. But let’s face the fact: you’re going to make mistakes, and that’s okay. In reality, audiences tend to appreciate an imperfection or two. It means you’re human, and they’re more likely to reach out to a fellow human. Obviously, you still have to deliver, but your delivery will be better now that you know you won’t be making these four mistakes.