Picture this: You’ve spent many hours preparing for your presentation, making sure that every idea, talking point, and presentation deck are on point. You even take the extra measure of rehearsing a few times before your speaking engagement.
Fast forward to your presentation, you finally take to the stage, confident in your presentation and hopeful that you’ll be able to deliver a killer talk.
Unfortunately, a few lines in, you lose your train of thought and end up forgetting what you were supposed to say. You bounce back, but after a while, you end up mispronouncing a technical term.
… and after making those mistakes, you start to lose confidence and begin feeling anxious.
While committing a mistake or forgetting a line may feel like the end of the world, it doesn’t mean your presentation is ruined and you’ve failed as a speaker.
In fact, mishaps during a presentation happen all the time, even to the best speakers.
So, what should you do and how can you bounce back when a mistake is made or a line is forgotten?
We’re going to answer those questions and more in today’s “Speak on the Shoulders of Giants!”
Making Mistakes Isn’t the End of the World
Making mistakes during a talk is unavoidable, as even the most seasoned presenters make mistakes, forget their lines, or even mispronounce words.
Simply said, no matter how prepared you are, mistakes or mishaps can and will happen.
… and you know what?
That doesn’t mean you’ve failed as a speaker.
What will define you instead, is your ability to recover when mishaps happen during your talk.
So, what should you do when something doesn’t go your way or a mistake is made?
Make sure to stay calm and slow down.
Showing composure in the face of a mishap is the most important step you can take when something goes wrong during your talk. This is because when you’re rattled and anxious, you’re prone to making more mistakes.
When you mispronounce a word, take a deep breath then restate the word or phrase you weren’t able to enunciate properly.
If you happen to forget your line, take a quick pause so you can slow down and recall what you were supposed to say.
Should you happen to have a hard time remembering the exact word or term, use an identical phrase instead.
On the other hand, if you unintentionally skipped over a crucial part of your talk, you can always go back to it after you’ve finished talking about the point you’re currently discussing.
… but what if the mishap is a technical difficulty?
The same principle applies: Slow down and take a deep breath.
Once you’ve slowed down, you can follow it up immediately by continuing your talk. If you want to break the ice, you can even acknowledge the technical mishap by referring to it humorously.
This leads us to another step you can take: Aside from staying calm and slowing down, you can use mishaps to break the ice.
Humorously addressing a mishap or a mistake helps you become more relatable to your listeners because it shows that you’re willing to own up to your mistakes.
An admission, when delivered with a humorous undertone, is one of the best ways to capture your audience’s hearts and minds.
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Ultimately, thorough preparation is key to a successful talk or presentation. By being thoroughly prepared, you minimize the risk of forgetting a line, leaving out a key detail, or making any other form of mistake.
However, preparation can only get you so far. Sometimes, things can and will go wrong during a talk… and when that happens, the best thing you can do as a speaker is to be calm and collected and then carry on with your presentation.
Remember: Your ability as a speaker won’t be measured in how many mistakes you avoid but in how you bounce back when things go wrong.
Making an impact as a speaker isn’t about perfect deliveries; it’s about how well you can get your listeners to buy into what you’re telling them… and the best way to do that sometimes, is by being brave enough to keep going even if you made a mistake.
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Thursdays: Speak on the Shoulders of Giants”
In a meeting with one person…
… a boardroom with five people…
… or a huge venue with hundreds of people…
—whatever the situation or setting, it’s very important to learn and eventually master the art of public speaking.
No matter what, you always need to effectively get your message across.
What good is a presentation with awesome content if you don’t deliver it properly?
Every Thursday, we publish different tips, insights, and secrets on how you can improve your presentation skills to captivate your audience and lead interesting discussions.
The need for great presentation skills applies EVERYWHERE.
(Small meetings with your team, big meetings with your boss, an important marketing pitch, speaking engagements for events with a big audience, etc.)
Learning these skills is not just for the corporate world. Being in other industries such as the Arts, Information Technology, Medicine, and Education while knowing how to communicate and present well will definitely give you an edge.
Have that advantage.
Hope you find this week’s public speaking tip interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Thursday’s “Speak on the Shoulders of Giants!”
Cheers,
Henry Desai
Managing Director
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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