How to be a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Speaker
Even with a great topic and valuable content you can sabotage your presentation with bad advice and habits. Here’s how to have the best presentation ever. Step 1 – don’t be a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Speaker!
Don’t Crash & Burn
There’s no joy or satisfaction in watching someone crash and burn. It’s painful, and I (like you) suffer along with the speaker. Later, I find myself sighing in resignation because most speakers do it to themselves. No one walks out in front of a group to intentionally look like a fool.
A presentation is a business transaction. That’s one of the conclusions in my article, The Cost of a Bad Presentation – Can You Afford to Pay It? There are tangible benefits for delivering a good presentation that generates the desired results. And there is a tangible cost for missing the mark.
Are You an Alexander?
In the renowned book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Judith Viorst introduces us to Alexander. He’s a little boy, and from the moment he wakes up, nothing goes his way. Well, you don’t have to be like Alexander the next time you speak in front of a group. You can make things go your way and ensure that you have a “good, very good” presentation.
Cue the Expert
To research the worst mistakes presenters make, I contacted Darlene Price for her reactions. Darlene is the president and founder of Well Said, Inc. When Forbes magazine needs an expert in executive presentation coaching and communication skills training, they contact Darlene.
How to be a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Speaker
Darlene and I came up with Seven Disastrous Myths & Bad Habits speakers do to sabotage their presentations. In most cases, the speaker is just following some very bad advice or out-of-date habits. Do you see yourself below?
1 – It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It
Nope – it’s what you have to say, that’s why the audience is there. According to Darlene Price, “The most important element is knowing your audience. Failing to speak from the audience’s perspective is the main reason we don’t get what we’re asking for.”
Speaking skills are important, but they can’t make up for not having anything valuable to say.
2 – Pretend the Audience is Naked
This is from “The Pervert’s Guide To Public Speaking.” According to history, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously liked to imagine the members of the audience naked. I’m not sure if that helped his stage fright, but it does tell us a lot about old Winston.
If you’re worried or afraid, it’s better to simply focus on what you know. Visualize your messages and your stories. Just talk to people and forget about putting the front row in their birthday suits. If you really want to freak out, imagine that everyone in the audience is pretending that you are naked. Now that’s a confidence builder!
3 – Don’t Talk with Your Hands
I’ve battled this poor advice for years. If you are looking for a sure-fire way to look stiff and uncomfortable, this is it. Research shows that people who speak with their hands are viewed as being more intelligent and believable.
Darlene Price agreed. She told me that dynamic speakers who express their messages well and really connect with their audience use their hands quite a bit. She said, “Let your hands naturally punctuate what you’re saying, just as you would in an engaging conversation with a friend.”
4 – Force the Audience to say “Good morning” Over and Over
This happens at almost every corporate meeting or event. Take a moment and think this through. Do you really want to start your presentation by blaming the audience for not being excited over the absolute thrill of just seeing you on stage? If you want to come off like your grumpy third-grade teacher, Ms. Crabtree – keep doing this.
Audience participation and involvement are built around doing things that are important to the audience. They don’t include chanting, making the group shout buzz words or simply reading your PowerPoint images out loud.
5 – Look Over the Heads of Your Audience
Darlene Price says this is one of the biggest myths. “Eyes are the windows to the soul. For this reason, maintaining meaningful, sustained eye contact with your listeners is critical – in fact, it’s the number one way to convey your sincerity and conviction.”
You might have heard that you should speak to the back wall, constantly scan the people in the room or focus on one person’s forehead. Have you ever been to Disney World and seen those audio-animatronic figures? How much do you want to look like one of those creepy characters in the Haunted Mansion?
Eye contact means: Look at people. Stop for a moment and look at one person at a time, for about two to three seconds, and then move to another person. This is Darlene’s technique to transform a big, scary crowd into a series of powerful, personal one-on-one conversations.
6 – Don’t Move And Stand In One Place
This will work great if your event is a spelling bee. Standing at the center of the stage and never moving makes you look like a deer in the headlights. Ever wonder what the survival rate is for the deer? Even worse is planting yourself at the podium, grabbing it in a double death-grip and speaking while your knuckles pop.
Unless you want to become presentation road kill, start moving. If you’re on a stage, use it! Remember Darlene’s technique for eye contact? It works even better if you take a few steps across the stage and speak to the people on that side of the room. Then look over to another group and step over to talk to them and make eye contact. Now you’re moving naturally and making connections.
Hey, here’s an extra benefit. It’s harder to hit a moving target.
7 – Turn Off the Lights for Speaker Support & Videos
Did all those people come to the meeting or event to sit in the dark and watch TV? No … not really. If you want to literally leave your audience in the dark, then this is a great strategy. Turn down the lights and the audience can’t see you and you can’t see them.
Darlene emphasized that it doesn’t matter how good your support visuals and videos are – the audience is there to see you. She explained, “As the speaker, remember YOU are the primary visual aid. People don’t connect with slides. They connect with another human being.”
During rehearsal, set a good working level for the room lights. Make sure you have a projector that is bright enough to provide a clear image without dimming the lights. Don’t sabotage a $10,000 presentation by trying to save $50 on equipment rental.
How To Have The Best Presentation Ever
You can have the best topic, powerful content, impactful images and rehearse until you’re perfect – and still have a disastrous presentation. All you have to do is use all the bad advice and myths.
Walk out and set down roots at center stage. Keep your hands in your pockets, scream for the audience to tell you “good morning” as you stare at their foreheads and imagine that they’re naked.
Then, just like Alexander … you’ll want to move to Australia!
A Big Thanks
I’d like to thank Darlene Price for her generous time and expertise. If you’d like to learn more about her and Well Said, Inc., here’s a link to her website – www.wellsaid.com.
