I asked 22 pro speakers what are the biggest mistakes speakers make on stage. This is a list of the top 9 stupid things speakers do on stage. So now you don't have to make them as well!

1. STUPID THINGS
SPEAKERS DO ON STAGE.
9

2. We’ve all
been there,
listening to
a speaker
and
thinking…
“Will this ever end?”

3. YES! It’s the…
Speaker from hell!

4. Maybe they’ve got great content,
maybe even lessons we need.
But their delivery is so finger-nails-on-
chalkboard bad we’re missing it all.

5. STUPID THINGS
SPEAKERS DO ON STAGE.
Welcome to:
THE (NOT SO) OFFICIAL LIST OF

6. Making it all about you
1
Making it all about you

7. Standing in front of an audience,
automatically makes you different -
don’t make it worse by making
your speech all about you.

8. When you’re on stage, you’re
getting more per minute than
most people earn per hour, per
day or per week. That’s their
time, not yours.
Connie Podesta
“

9. What NOT to do…
Re-introducing yourself:
‘As he said, I'm Fred
Jones and…' - UGH! -
don't do that.
Carrie Owensby Wilkerson
“

10. Over selling
2
Over selling

11. The fastest way to turn off any audience
is to make your time in the spotlight all
about pitching your product.

12. I've seen so many
sponsors get five minutes
on the main stage and they
spend it on a hard sell.
Rob Cottingham
“

13. What NOT to do…
Saying: ‘If I had more time,
I'd go into detail, but you
can stop by booth X and
I'll tell you more’.
Christopher Penn
“

14. Worn out stories
3
Worn out stories

15. Don’t treat your audience like
idiots. When you used a thread-bare
story (like the Ziglar-era Starfish Story)
you confirm their worst nightmare:
you don’t respect them.

16. Every time I hear the
"goldfish have a larger
attention span" statistic I
just throw up in my mouth
a little.
Neen James
“

17. Download my free guide and discover what the pro’s know about
delivering a world-class speech and what to avoid.
https://
hughculver.leadpages.co/
slideshare-opt-in-15-
mistakes/
click!

18. Invented truth
4
Invented truth

19. When working on your speech, it
may be tempting to elaborate - just
a little - with ‘invented truth’.
(don’t)

20. Fake premises,
like: ‘I was at the
store the other
day and…’
Judson Laipply
“
What NOT to do…

21. Scott Berkun
Using lazy/empty claims like:
‘Studies say…’, 'Science
says…’, ‘Research has
shown…’ without a single
reference or mention on the
slide.
“

22. What NOT to do…
Mark Bowden
Including any stats on the
importance of body
language in your talk will
just be plain 93%
inaccurate! Take it from
an expert.
“

23. Making excuses
5
Making excuses

24. Nobody will miss what isn’t there.
So, when you screw up, forget
something or don’t have all the time
you’d like - shutupaboutit!

25. Telling me they only have
an hour and that there's so
much more they could
teach me if they only had
all day... or days…
What NOT to do…
Andrew Davis
“

26. C
Slideawful
6
Slideawful

27. If you want to use slides they need
to ADD to the value of your speech,
NOT be a distraction.

28. Reading your own slides
- or - staring at them too
long, admiringly.
Jason Hewlett
What NOT to do…
“

29. And the winner of
Slideawful is…

30. What NOT to do…
Pointing the remote
at the screen when
advancing slides!
Tamsen Snyder Webster
“

31. Verbal vomit
7
Verbal vomit

32. Everything you say, each minute,
should have impact - whether
you’re a leadership expert, helping
us delegate better, or a juggler
promoting life balance.

33. What NOT to do…
Saying ‘Am I right
or am I right?’.
John Michael Morgan
“

34. Saying ‘OKAY?’ as they turn
and read what's on the next
slide... That leads us to the
other word... ‘AGAIN'...
Because they've accidentally
already made the next point on
the previous slide - so they say
‘AGAIN’, the point is to…
What NOT to do…
Robert Rose
“

35. And the Verbal
Vomit winner is…

36. Speaking with no point,
just rambling or
assembling random data
points, and generating
essentially verbal
diarrhea from stage.
Christopher Penn
What NOT to do…
“

37. 8
Call ’N ResponseCall ’N Response

38. The call and response
audience technique has been
around since the invention of
the microphone. And it’s failed
for just about as long.

39. There’s nothing wrong with
audience interaction - except
when the audience feels
manipulated, or talked down
to, as though they’re a bunch
of idiots.
Marc A. Pitman
“

40. My all-time pet peeve is the
speaker who gets the
audience to say something
back at him/her and then
says, ‘I can't hear you!’ and
them say it again louder.
Nick Morgan
What NOT to do…
“

41. What NOT to do…
When a speaker asks a
question like, ‘What's the
biggest reasons businesses
fail?’ As the audiences raises
their hand and answers, the
speaker repeatedly says, ‘NO.
Who else?’ As if there is ONE
answer to that question!
Ian Altman
“

42. And the Call ’N
response winner is…

43. Asking the audience to
repeat something aloud,
or repeat some crap line
or word while punching
their fist in the air in
unison.
Bob Gray
“

44. 9
ShowmanslipsShowmanslips

45. there are the random stupid things
speakers do on stage, ranging from
being rude, to going overtime to
inappropriate humour.
Finally,

46. Three taps on the
microphone... ‘can
everyone hear me?
Mark Bowden
“

47. Mispronounce a vendor's
name (mangling it badly,
twice) causing three of their
reps to walk out.
Clay Hebert
What NOT to do…
“

48. What NOT to do…
Sexist and/or
inappropriate jokes
(blonde and wife jokes
being popular.)
Lynette Young
“

49. And the winner of
showmanslips is:

50. You might have 3 more points to make, but your
audience is thinking: bathroom, email, text
message, bathroom, and bathroom.
Going overtime!

51. Ron Tite
It’s not only bad, it’s
unprofessional
“

52. So, if you want to inspire people
with your next speech…

53. Avoid these 9 Stupid Things
Speakers do on Stage
1. Making it all about you
2. Over selling
3. Worn out stories
4. Invented truth
5. Making excuses
6. Slideawful
7. Verbal vomit
8. Call ’N Response
9. Showmanslips

54. Download my free guide and discover what the pro’s know about
delivering a world-class speech and what to avoid.
https://
hughculver.leadpages.co/
slideshare-opt-in-15-
mistakes/
click!