what common mistakes do you see in most public speakers today?

Answer 1

failing to interact with and keep the attention of the audience - poor, boring delivery - droning on about technicalities without breaking it up and waking up the audience - at least in a lot of the seminars I have to go to

Answer 2

Overuse of hand gestures which they think is effective body language when it's really just a distraction. An example of this is the case of the speaker who frequently moves his hands around, especially above head level. This can be very distracting and is infact poor use of body language.
Also, overtly apologizing for unpreparedness or nervousness. Really, you shouldn't apologize because you shouldn't HAVE to. What I mean is, make sure you know your speach very well, and then, don't apologize. It's that simple.
Also, avoid talking in circles. Don't beat around the bush like some public speakers.
Another common mistake I see is the tendancy to use bombastic words and overly verbose or wordy sentences which leaves the audience clueless about the message the speaker is trying to convey. Remember that when you are speaking publicly, you are not trying to impress the audience with the power of your english or your command of the language. Though it is important to use good english and spice up your speech with a few interesting words here and there, avoid using superfluos words that the audience are not likely to understand.
Also, many speakers are unflexible in the choice of their diction. You must know as a speaker what type of audience you will have and you must adjust your text accordingly so that you can get your message accross to them. Remember that the main idea of speaking to an audience is to convey your idea and maybe impress them with it or convince them about how true what you're saying is. Efficient use of language is just a tool to achieve this means.
Apart from that, another common error prevalent in amateur public speakers is the monotny or colourlessness of their speeches. It is simply bland and boring for the audience to listen to a speaker who speaks as if he were a robot, as if the whole thing was scripted from start to finish. Of course you have a script or text, but be sure never to say it as if it's been rehearsed. It has to be or at least look natural in order to capture the audience's attention.
Many public speakers also fail to build a raport with their audience. A good speaker engages the audience by using suitable body language and eye contact which is not distracting. A good speaker also avoids speaking impersonaly. There must be emotion and conviction in your voice when you speak.
Also, the speaker must effuse confidence if he/she is to be liked by the audience. Insert a few anecdotes into your speech to show just how personal the subject is to you and how deeply you feel about the topic you are speaking of.
Many speakers also tend to not know when to stop. Generally, a speech should not go on for more than 8 minutes.
Overuse of a certain speech pattern or style of speech is also a mistake many public speakers are guilty of. Never let your speech sound too sarcastic, satirical, comic, or serious. You must vary your speech style to make your speech more interesting. A speech can be made more interesting by inserting a a little bit of humour or sarcasm here and there, but overdoing it is just not professional.
I don't know if this happens elsewhere, but where I come from (Malaysia), a lot of people tend to speak as if they were singing, which is just terrible.
Another common mistake is the overuse of materials such as specimens, charts or pictures which are really meant to help clarify a point, but end up distracting the audience. If you are going to use aids, make sure that you only bring them out when necessary and put them away once you are done with them. If not, the audience will be distracted from what you are saying. Also, make sure that you do not stand directly in fromt of the aid, if not the audience will not be able to see it. Make sure the aids are clearly printed and are easily visible to all the audience.
Many public speakers tend to dress rather gaudily and this is not what an effective speaker should do. On the other extreme there are those who do not dress smartly. Both of these syles of dress are certainly unacceptable as they are distracting. Apart from that, dressing gaudily or messily will cause the audience to loose confidence in you and they might not take what you are saying seriously. They will also be distracted from you are saying and you cannot get your message accross clearly. A good public speaker will dress neatly and plainly so that the audience will focus on what he/she has to say instead of what he/she is wearing.
Lastly, the mistake of using too many quotations and quoting too many statistics. Don't bore the audience with too many statistics. Include one or two important statistics which will get the audience thinking but don't overdo it. One or two statistics will be great for effect and will leave an impression in the minds of hte audience, and the audience will remember it, but too many and the audience will quickly be bored.

Answer 3

Two main mistakes I usually see:

1. Lack of self-confidence which leads to a less commanding voice and the 'uhs n umms' within the speech.

2. Mumbling of words so that phrases and sentences aren't distinct and understandable.

Answer 4

George W. Bush does it and Jimmy Carter did it (he improved though). Also, the Florida Judge that decided the election of 2000 in Florida did it.

It is speaking in phrases, not in complete sentences. I call it ratchet speaking. They speak four or five words, pause a bit, and then say the next phrase, I don't think that Bush can say a complete sentence without stopping.

Answer 5

My pet hate is when someone speaking in public (usually inexperienced or extremely nervous) speaks really quickly and then ends with some awful phrase like "And that's all."

I also hate how people assume that imagining their audience members in their underwear is a great strategy for speaking in public. I know from experience that it's not!

Answer 6

i think it wud have to be the inability of the speaker to connect with the audience, not being able to capture the attention of the listeners. also i have sometimes experienced very long and boring lectures. it wud be ideal for the speaker to be precise and not go around speaking abt in circles.

Answer 7

I dislike hearing "absolutely" when asked a question. It is over-used.

Not enough eye contact.

Drawing attention to self-consciousness by saying something derogatory about themselves that has nothing to do with the topic being discussed.

Answer 8

Poor usage and poor pronunciation. Just think of Bush saying "nookular" instead of "nookleear" (nuclear).

Answer 9

Do you mean in pronunciation of words?

Particuly for particularly
Vunrable for vulnerable
Pleece for police

Saying "at the end of the day"

Answer 10

the "um" sticks out most in my mind. Everyone does it to a certain extent.... watch the president and count how many time he does it.