The 8 Worst Mistakes Public Speakers Can Make – Are Women Speakers More Likely to Make Them?

Do you remember being stuck in a room listening to a speech and thinking how bad the speaker was? I think we have all been there!

Based on an informal survey of my own memories of what I thought and heard other listeners say, I came up with 8 most glaring mistakes made in public speaking:

• Coming across as pompous or patronizing

• Giving the impression they’d rather be someplace else

• Sounding tentative

• Speaking in a monotone voice

• Talking on a topic that does not interest the audience

• Making the speech too long

• Reading along with PowerPoint slides

• Giving all theory with no human stories or emotions

Let me ask you; when you read that list, do you think women are more likely than men to commit those errors?Most people would say the opposite; women have an easier time being attuned to their audience, including emotions in their material, and coming across with empathy.

Yet it’s not an uncommon belief that women speakers have a harder time being successful at public presentations. Why the apparent contradiction?

The culprit is the “big mama” of public speaking sins — sounding tentative.

Giving a public speech is a form of performance; and as such, it requires having and transmitting a lot of charisma. That in turn, requires having a lot of confidence.

And what gives confidence? Experience and sometimes a bit of thick skin; both of which can be lacking in a woman speaker’s “toolkit.”

The antidote? The right kind of preparation helps. It allows you to be willing to give speeches and to do so with a greater chance of success. That in turn, will create a willingness to keep public speaking.

And the more times you give a successful speech, the easier it is to overcome the times when the audience did not respond as well as you would have liked.

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Want to know more about how to be a success and overcome any fear of public speaking especially as a woman speaker? Get the free report, the “5 Secrets to Solving Every Woman’s Nightmare on Public Speaking,” at http://PublicSpeakingTipsForWomen.com