1.    Give a loose message

Have you ever made your point with reasons only and move on the next point?  If you want to be an effective speaker, you should make the audience remember your point. How can you make your points more memorable?  That’s simple. One point, one anchor. An anchor can be a story, activity, analogy or acronym.  Anchor your point every time.

2.    Present with words, words and more words

The most powerful weapon to bore your audience to death is words, words and more words! If you really want to connect with your audience, please… paint pictures in your audience’s mind. After all, your audience believes what they see.

3.    Give an “average” opening

“Good morning, everyone. My name is A-v-e-r-a-g-e.  Today, my topic is…” This is the average opening of average speakers. Do you want to be an average speaker or a speaking star? Start like a star.  You can open with a story, ask a powerful question or use callbacks.

4.     Share successes ONLY

Ever heard a speaker bragging himself or herself as the most successful person in the world? I hate them. Do you? The last thing you want your audience to feel is that you are special. Be human. One of the easiest ways is to share your failures. Your audience then feels that you are not special but similar, and will pay attention to your whole speech.

5.    Give too much information in too little time

50 powerpoint slides for a 15-minute presentation? Seriously? I used to be one of these powerpoint geeks. But I learned one thing, “Less is more.” Do you want your audience understand and remember all your points, even 1 month after your presentation? Then follow this 10 to 1 rule: Use 10 minutes to illustrate 1 point.

6.    Read notes all the time

Many presenters only look at their best friends, the pile of A4 size notes, and avoid eye contact with their audience.  Only when you make consistent eye contact with your audience, they will believe your message.

7.    I, I, I

One of the biggest crimes in public speaking is using “I, I, I” in every sentence. As a presenter, your goal is to serve your audience the best. What you can consider is asking soft you-focused questions. Remember, it’s not about you, it’s about your audience.

What is the biggest public speaking mistake you’ve seen? I’m excited to know. Please share your comments here.

Go to Jonathan’s blog for videos, answering your questions. You will pick up tools on how to express your message with FUN! CLICK TO PLAY VIDEO:

Express your speech,

Jonathan Li, FUN Speaker

Express your speech,

Jonathan Li, FUN Speaker

Express your speech,
Jonathan Li, FUN Speaker

Express your speech,
Jonathan Li, FUN Speaker