Eleven Things to Avoid in Public Speaking

1. Doing the same thing all the time: variety is more interesting.
2. Reading the notes word by word: it stops you looking at the audience and can contribute to your nervousness if you become scared of losing your place.
3. Having too much detail - select your key messages. Make it easy for the audience to learn your primary message.
4. Using too many technical terms: use everyday words that the people in your audience will relate to and use. Technical terms, bureaucratic phrases and jargon that you might speak on a daily basis may not be familiar to your audience. Do not let technical language form a barrier between you and the audience. As a very simple example, your audience may not say "This is an employer of choice", rather they might say "I want to work here."
5. Sounding dull, disengaged or tired: have energy. If you don't have the passion and enthusiasm for your topic - how can you expect your audience to? Inspire your audience with your own passion and enthusiasm.
6. Pacing up and down: stay still sometimes, move sometimes.
7. Sounding flat: put some light and shade in your voice.
8. Mumbling: make sure you're easy to hear. An audience gets very frustrated when they can't hear a speaker. Be clear. Be audible.
9. Relying too heavily on visual aids: you are important - make sure the audience sees you and not just your power-points.
10. Standing fixed to one spot. Don't let adrenalin freeze you to the spot. Move and move early.
11. Avoiding looking at the audience: have eye contact with your audience. Give the impression that you are looking at each person - do not skim over their heads nor fix on one or two people.