1.
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Not knowing the audience |
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Big mistake! Do you homework!
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Who is the audience? What do I know – or need to know – about them? |
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What do they want or need to know? |
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What are their expectations? |
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2.
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Reading the speech! |
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Boring! Boring! Boring! Your audience will forgive many things – but
they will not forgive being bored. |
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3.
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Getting off to a bad start |
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“Ladies and Gentlemen, it’s a pleasure to be here this evening.” Weak! |
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“Good Morning.” (pause for audience response) “I didn’t hear you.
Good Morning.”
This is a sure way to make the audience want to run for their lives! |
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Tapping the microphone and saying, “Can you hear me?”
After that comment, the audience probably doesn’t want to hear you! |
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“When Jim first called and invited me to be your speaker…” Blah! |
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“I’d like to start my speech with a joke.” Don’t!
Warning: Jokes can be dangerous – and disastrous to your speech.
If you
heard it on TV or read it on the internet, beware. Your audience watches TV
and has internet access, too.
Tip: If you want to open with humor, tell an original humorous story and do that
only if you’re a good story-teller. How do you know if the story is good or if you tell it
well? Try it out several times – at the office, with your friends, at church, with your family – before
using it in a speech – and pay attention to the response.
One more tip: Never, never, never tell a story that might be offensive.
A good rule to remember: When in doubt, don’t. |
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4.
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Thinking that you’re the star. WRONG! |
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This isn’t about you. It’s about them – the people in
the audience – and the value that you bring to them.
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5.
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Ending poorly. |
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“ Well, I guess that’s all I have to say.” Thank goodness! |
