9 stupid things speakers do on stage
TRANSCRIPT
STUPID THINGS SPEAKERS DO ON STAGE.
9
We’ve all been there, listening to a speaker and thinking…
“Will this ever end?”
YES! It’s the…
Speaker from hell!
Maybe they’ve got great content, maybe even lessons we need.
But their delivery is so finger-nails-on-chalkboard bad we’re missing it all.
STUPID THINGS SPEAKERS DO ON STAGE.
Welcome to:
THE (NOT SO) OFFICIAL LIST OF
Making it all about you
1
Making it all about you
Standing in front of an audience, automatically makes you different - don’t make it worse by making your speech all about you.
When you’re on stage, you’re getting more per minute than most people earn per hour, per day or per week. That’s their time, not yours.
Connie Podesta
“
What NOT to do…
Re-introducing yourself: ‘As he said, I'm Fred Jones and…' - UGH! - don't do that.
Carrie Owensby Wilkerson
“
Over selling
2
Over selling
The fastest way to turn off any audience is to make your time in the spotlight all about pitching your product.
I've seen so many sponsors get five minutes on the main stage and they spend it on a hard sell.
Rob Cottingham
“
What NOT to do…
Saying: ‘If I had more time, I'd go into detail, but you can stop by booth X and I'll tell you more’.
Christopher Penn
“
Worn out stories
3
Worn out stories
Don’t treat your audience like idiots. When you used a thread-bare story (like the Ziglar-era Starfish Story) you confirm their worst nightmare:
you don’t respect them.
Every time I hear the "goldfish have a larger attention span" statistic I just throw up in my mouth a little.
Neen James
“
Download my free guide and discover what the pro’s know about delivering a world-class speech and what to avoid.
https://
hughculver.leadpages.co/slideshare-opt-in-15-
mistakes/
click!
Invented truth
4
Invented truth
When working on your speech, it may be tempting to elaborate - just a little - with ‘invented truth’.
(don’t)
Fake premises, like: ‘I was at the store the other day and…’
Judson Laipply
“What NOT to do…
Scott Berkun
Using lazy/empty claims like: ‘Studies say…’, 'Science says…’, ‘Research has shown…’ without a single reference or mention on the slide.
“
What NOT to do…
Mark Bowden
Including any stats on the importance of body language in your talk will just be plain 93% inaccurate! Take it from an expert.
“
Making excuses
5
Making excuses
Nobody will miss what isn’t there. So, when you screw up, forget something or don’t have all the time you’d like - shutupaboutit!
Telling me they only have an hour and that there's so much more they could teach me if they only had all day... or days…
What NOT to do…
Andrew Davis
“
C
Slideawful
6
Slideawful
If you want to use slides they need to ADD to the value of your speech, NOT be a distraction.
Reading your own slides - or - staring at them too long, admiringly.
Jason Hewlett
What NOT to do…
“
And the winner of Slideawful is…
What NOT to do…
Pointing the remote at the screen when advancing slides!
Tamsen Snyder Webster
“
Verbal vomit
7
Verbal vomit
Everything you say, each minute, should have impact - whether you’re a leadership expert, helping us delegate better, or a juggler promoting life balance.
What NOT to do…
Saying ‘Am I right or am I right?’.John Michael Morgan
“
Saying ‘OKAY?’ as they turn and read what's on the next slide... That leads us to the other word... ‘AGAIN'... Because they've accidentally already made the next point on the previous slide - so they say ‘AGAIN’, the point is to…
What NOT to do…
Robert Rose
“
And the Verbal Vomit winner is…
Speaking with no point, just rambling or assembling random data points, and generating essentially verbal diarrhea from stage.
Christopher Penn
What NOT to do…
“
8
Call ’N ResponseCall ’N Response
The call and response audience technique has been around since the invention of the microphone. And it’s failed for just about as long.
There’s nothing wrong with audience interaction - except when the audience feels manipulated, or talked down to, as though they’re a bunch of idiots.
Marc A. Pitman
“
My all-time pet peeve is the speaker who gets the audience to say something back at him/her and then says, ‘I can't hear you!’ and them say it again louder.
Nick Morgan
What NOT to do…
“
What NOT to do…
When a speaker asks a question like, ‘What's the biggest reasons businesses fail?’ As the audiences raises their hand and answers, the speaker repeatedly says, ‘NO. Who else?’ As if there is ONE answer to that question!
Ian Altman
“
And the Call ’N response winner is…
Asking the audience to repeat something aloud, or repeat some crap line or word while punching their fist in the air in unison.Bob Gray
“
9
ShowmanslipsShowmanslips
there are the random stupid things speakers do on stage, ranging from being rude, to going overtime to inappropriate humour.
Finally,
Three taps on the microphone... ‘can everyone hear me?
Mark Bowden
“
Mispronounce a vendor's name (mangling it badly, twice) causing three of their reps to walk out.Clay Hebert
What NOT to do…
“
What NOT to do…
Sexist and/or inappropriate jokes (blonde and wife jokes being popular.)Lynette Young
“
And the winner of showmanslips is:
You might have 3 more points to make, but your audience is thinking: bathroom, email, text message, bathroom, and bathroom.
Going overtime!
Ron Tite
It’s not only bad, it’s unprofessional“
So, if you want to inspire people with your next speech…
Avoid these 9 Stupid Things Speakers do on Stage
1. Making it all about you 2. Over selling 3. Worn out stories 4. Invented truth 5. Making excuses 6. Slideawful 7. Verbal vomit 8. Call ’N Response 9. Showmanslips
Download my free guide and discover what the pro’s know about delivering a world-class speech and what to avoid.
https://
hughculver.leadpages.co/slideshare-opt-in-15-
mistakes/
click!