如何让你的演讲与众不同

避免这些十大错误

By Cathey Armillas

人的有趣之处。我们尽量避免痛苦，而不是争取利益。大多数人倾向于关注消极面而不是积极面。我相信这就是为什么当我指导客户做TED演讲时，第一个问题是：“我做错了什么？”而不是“我做对了什么？”

让我们来谈谈疼痛。很多人在公众演讲的痛苦中挣扎。这种痛苦从何而来？这是一种害怕在别人面前感到脆弱的恐惧。如果我们知道我们可以完美地执行一个演示文稿，我们会感到脆弱吗？数字我们害怕犯错误，看起来很傻。如果我们能从我们所犯的最常见、最简单的错误中吸取教训来避免这种痛苦，那会怎样呢？

作为一个TED教练和一个行政演讲教练，我花了很多时间研究，并将观众参与和互动的心理学融入到我的工作中。我教客户如何创造不糟糕的演讲、演讲和演示，因为没有人想变得糟糕。我们的目标不是要避免它，而是要震撼我们的每一次演讲、演示或演讲。

但是，我们怎么做呢？

错误我们充分利用

一个缺乏创造力的无聊演讲最快捷的方法就是让自己陷入你亲眼所见过的共同陷阱。几乎不做准备比卷起袖子，努力完成一个独特而优雅的演讲要容易得多。

让我们先从这里的“不不。”在我们的演讲中，我们会模仿很多老套的习惯，因为我们之前已经看到和听到过这些习惯。你听过多少次下面的话：“话不多说……”“首先，我要感谢主办方今天邀请我来这里。”“谢谢你的时间。我很荣幸能和你们在一起。”

并不是说这些说法中的任何一个是坏的-他们不是。他们只是被过度使用和期待。作为一个演讲者，你可以通过更加努力的原创来展现你的力量，并最终发挥你的影响力。

我教过各种各样的演讲者：从说唱歌手到二战老兵，从首席执行官到TED演讲者和国际演讲会世界冠军。我看过、分析过、逆向设计过太多的演讲。我开始整理人们最常犯的错误。当然，我不会只给你留下一张不允许的清单。我是教练。我也会告诉你你能做什么来摇滚它而代之。

以下是前十名的错误，这些错误可以让你沉默不语，从任何演讲中吸取“哇”，然后是将错误转化为胜利的方法。

1 Infowhelm

不要用太多的信息压倒你的听众。他们一次能处理的东西就这么多。他们不需要大量的数据来支持你所说的。他们需要直角的信息量。

How to rock it:

对所使用的信息要有选择性，并根据受众的需求量身定做，而不是根据自己的专业知识或舒适程度。

2 观众无知

有很多方法可以让我们忽略观众，特别是当我们呈现的信息与观众的兴趣和成熟度不匹配的时候。领导人希望看到3万英尺高的景观，而分析师则喜欢深入研究杂草。你所在领域的同事可能想看你的工作，而潜在客户可能只想听听你的结论。不要忘记你的听众关心什么。

How to rock it:

找出与观众建立联系的最佳方式，把注意力集中在他们关心的事情上。设身处地为他们想想。你和观众之间总有一堵无形的墙。这是你的工作它就在那里把它拿下来。

3 缓慢的开始

你有没有听过一个演讲开始的时候，演讲者需要一段时间才能抓住重点？缓慢的启动是可怕的。你应该总是打开强有力的，抓住你的观众的兴趣立即。

How to rock it:

一个很好的开场白是问一个耐人寻味的问题或者发表一个令人震惊的声明。做一些能立即抓住并留住观众注意力的事情。不过有一点需要注意：不要只是为了做某件事而做。确保你的开场白与你将要表达的观点、观点和行动号召紧密相连。

4 过度解释

你有没有听过一个人讲一个故事，然后讲个没完没了？当他们完成的时候，你问自己：“那有什么意义？”或者，他们解释了一个想法或概念，并给出了比所需更多的信息。

How to rock it:

让你的故事和解释尽可能简短。多做一些吸引人的事情，少做一些解释。如果你密切关注你的听众的反应，你就会知道你什么时候过度解释了。

5 相同

大多数人不能接受听一个在他们的演讲中没有变化的人。换句话说，相同。如果你整个演讲的声音都是一样的，听众就会停止注意力。任何事情都会变得无聊。

How to rock it:

注意你的声音和听众的反应。给每样东西添加多样性——节奏、音域、音量，甚至是你注入的情绪。带你的观众在一个迷人的旅程，没有什么是不变的。这将使他们在整个时间调谐。

6 在问答环节结束

永远不要在观众的问题上结束。你无法控制被问到什么，所以一个从左外野冒出来的问题可能会破坏你的整个信息，并改变房间里的能量。这不是你想如何关闭，所以不要赌在别人的问题。

How to rock it:

做那个老的广播节目。当你的演讲接近尾声时，在演讲结束时，为观众准备一些让他们期待的东西，然后进入问答环节，然后换档成为一个有影响力且令人难忘的结尾。

7 随着时间的推移

公开演讲的最大罪过是久而久之。在你规定的时间内停留是不够的。调整自己的速度，这样你就不会在剩下的几分钟内滑到第七张了。让演讲脱轨的一个很好的方法是让观众在你争先恐后的时候感到焦虑。

How to rock it:

让你的演讲内在化。如果你知道它向后和向前，你可以很容易地削减了当场的东西。即兴做一个“紧急降落。” 做任何你必须做的事所以观众觉得他们得到了他们需要的东西，而不是觉得他们的时间被浪费了。

8 可怕的视觉效果

没有中立的视觉效果&amp；它要么增加价值，要么带走价值。如果一个视觉是绑在一个点或故事在一个强有力的方式，它可以是非常有效的。如果一个视觉是无聊或陈词滥调，那么你的演示文稿的一部分是以及。避免剪贴画（为各种媒介预先制作的图像）、原始照片或包含太多单词的幻灯片。

How to rock it:

找到一种视觉效果，让你的听众和你说的话产生情感上的共鸣。如果你是在讲述你奶奶以前如何自制馄饨的故事，不要展示一盘馄饨的库存照片。给我们看一张你奶奶的照片，或者更好的，一张她做馄饨的照片。

9 我在你面前

许多主持人的故事都是关于他们的。打哈欠。你想让你的听众听不下去吗？如果是这样，让你的演讲都是关于你的。如果不是，那就不要。

How to rock it:

下面是一个有用的练习：数数你说了多少次“我”这个词你在演讲中说了多少次“你”这个词，然后改变你的措辞。例如，把“我在凌晨2点去商店，因为我想吃我最喜欢的冰淇淋”改成“你有没有因为想吃你最喜欢的冰淇淋而在凌晨2点去商店？”“当你使用“你”这个词时，它会让你的观众把自己融入到你的故事中。他们宁愿为自己着想，也不愿听你絮絮叨叨地说你做了什么，想了什么。保持在I/你的平衡比你更偏向他们。

10 弱整理

你说的最后一件事是最重要的。在你的演讲结束时，你想给听众留下什么？你想让他们做些什么，改变一些事情，还是对某些事情有不同的想法？你强烈呼吁采取行动的最大机会是在最后。许多人犯的错误是软弱地结束了。我一直认为，以“谢谢”结尾只是一种懒洋洋地说：“我的演讲结束了。”找个更好的方法。

How to rock it:

把你的结局想象成一个结案陈词。无论你想让你的观众做什么，想什么，或者感觉什么，在你的结尾处让这一点变得明显。创造一个如此引人注目、如此明显的结尾，观众不需要“谢谢”的暗示就知道你已经完成了。

专注于有效的

有没有人能够彻底根除他们演讲中的错误呢？数字但你可以专注于有效的方法。有时候对一个观众有用的东西对另一个观众就不管用了。的认识这些错误这只是一个开始，最终，观众希望听到你独特的内容，感受到你的自信。找到你所了解的知识和适合你的听众的知识之间的交叉点。记住，每次你说话都是为了他们，而不是为了你。

任何不起作用的事情都是错误。磨练你的手艺，意识到什么是行不通的，可以帮助你找到什么做工作吧。

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How to Rock Your Presentation

Avoid these top 10 mistakes.

By Cathey Armillas, DTM

Funny thing about people. We try to avoid pain more than we strive for gain. Most people tend to focus on the negative rather than the positive. I believe that’s the reason why the number one question I get when coaching clients to give a TED Talk is: “What am I doing wrong?” rather than “What am I doing right?”

Let’s talk about pain for a minute. A lot of people struggle with the pain of public speaking. Where does that pain come from? It’s a fear of feeling vulnerable in front of other people. Would we feel as vulnerable if we knew we could execute a presentation flawlessly? No. We are afraid of making mistakes and looking silly. What if we could avoid that pain by learning from the most common and often simple mistakes that we all make.

As a TED coach and an executive speaker coach, I spend much of my time researching and incorporating the psychology of audience engagement and interaction into my work. I teach clients how to create talks, speeches, and presentations that aren’t awful, because no one wants to be awful. The goal isn’t to avoid it; it’s to rock every speech, presentation, or talk we give.

But, how do we do that?

Mistakes We Make the Most

The quickest way to a boring presentation that lacks creativity is to allow yourself to fall into the common pitfalls you have undoubtedly witnessed firsthand. It’s easier to scarcely prepare than to roll up your sleeves and work hard to deliver a unique and polished presentation.

Let’s start with the “no-no’s.” There are many cliché habits we imitate in our presentations because we’ve seen and heard them before. How many times have you heard one of the following: “And without further ado…” “Let me start by thanking the organizers for having me here today.” “Thank you for your time. I’m honored to be here with you.”

Not that any of these sayings are bad—they aren’t. They’re just overused and expected. As a speaker, you can assert your power, and ultimately influence, by working a little harder to be original.

I have coached a wide variety of speakers: from a rap singer to a World War II veteran, from CEOs to TED speakers and Toastmasters World Champions. I’ve watched, analyzed, and reverse-engineered oh-so-many presentations. I started compiling a list of the most common mistakes that people make. Of course, I won’t just leave you with a list of no-no’s. I’m a coach. I’ll also tell you what you can do to rock it instead.

Here are the top 10 mistakes that can dull down and suck the “wow” out of any presentation, followed by ways to turn the mistakes into wins.

1  Infowhelm

Don’t overwhelm your audience with too much information. There’s only so much they can process at once. They don’t need hordes of data to get behind what you’re saying. They need the right amount of information with the right angle.

How to rock it:

Be selective about the information you use and tailor it to your audience's needs, not to your own expertise or comfort level.

2 Being audience ignorant

There are many ways we can be audience ignorant, particularly when we present information that doesn’t match the interest or maturity level of our audience. Leaders want the 30,000-foot view while analysts love to get into the weeds. Colleagues in your field might want to see your work, while a potential client might want to just hear the conclusions. Don’t be oblivious to what your audience cares about.

How to rock it:

Figure out the best way to connect with your audience by focusing on what they care about. Put yourself in their place. There’s always an invisible wall between you and the audience. It’s your job to recognize it’s there and bring it down.

3 The slow start

Have you ever heard a presentation start where it takes a while before the speaker gets to the point? Slow starts are terrible. You should always open strong and grab the interest of your audience immediately.

How to rock it:

A great way to open is to ask an intriguing question or make a shocking statement. Do something that will instantly capture and retain the attention of the audience. One caveat, though: Don’t do something just to do it. Make sure that your opening ties strongly to the ideas, points, and call-to-action you will be presenting.

4 Over-explaining

Have you ever heard someone tell a story and they go on and on and on and on? By the time they were done, you asked yourself, “What was the point of that?” Or, they explain an idea or concept and give more information than what was needed.

How to rock it:

Keep your stories and explanations as short as they can be. Do more engaging and less explaining. If you pay close attention to the reaction of your audience, you’ll know when you’re over-explaining.

5 Sameness

Most people can’t handle listening to someone who doesn’t have variety in their delivery of a presentation. In other words, sameness. If you sound the same throughout your speech, the audience will stop paying attention. The same of anything gets boring.

How to rock it:

Be aware of how you sound and your audience’s reaction. Add variety to everything—pace, vocal range, volume, and even the emotions you inject. Take your audience on a captivating journey where nothing stays the same. This will keep them tuned in the entire time.

6 Ending on Q&A

Never end on audience questions. You have no control over what’s being asked, so a question coming out of left field could derail your whole message and change the energy in the room. That’s not how you want to close, so don’t gamble on someone else’s question.

How to rock it:

Do the old radio show trick. When you get close to the end of your presentation, set the audience up with a teaser of something for them to look forward to at the end, then launch into the Q&A, before shifting gears into an impactful and memorable close.

7 Going over time

The cardinal sin in public speaking is going over time. It’s not enough to stay within your allotted time. Pace yourself so you don’t end up on slide seven out of 30 with a few minutes to go. A great way to derail a presentation is to make the audience feel anxious as you race to beat the clock.

How to rock it:

Internalize your presentation. If you know it backward and forward, you can easily cut something out on the spot. Improvise to make an “emergency landing.” Do whatever you have to so the audience feels they got what they needed rather than feeling their time was wasted.

8 Dreadful visuals

There is no such thing as a neutral visual—it’s either adding or taking value away. If a visual is tied to a point or story in a powerful way, it can be extremely effective. If a visual is boring or cliché, then part of your presentation is as well. Avoid clip art (pre-made images for a variety of mediums), stock photography, or slides with too many words.

How to rock it:

Find the visual that will connect your audience emotionally to what you’re saying. If you’re telling a story about how your grandma used to make homemade ravioli, don’t show a stock photo of a plate of ravioli. Show us a picture of your grandma, or even better, one of her making ravioli.

9 I before you

Many presenters make their stories all about them. Yawn. Do you want your audience to tune out? If so, make your presentation all about you. If not, then don’t.

How to rock it:

Here’s a useful exercise: Count how many times you say the word “I” and how many times you say the word “you” during your presentation, then flip your wording. For example, change “I went to the store at 2 a.m. because I was craving my favorite ice cream” to “Have you ever gone to the store at 2 a.m. because you were craving your favorite ice cream?” When you use the word “you,” it makes your audience put themselves into your story. They would rather think about themselves than hear you ramble on about what you did or what you think. Keep the I/you balance tipped more toward them than you.

10 The weak finish

The last thing that you say is the most important. At the end of your presentation, what do you want to leave your audience with? Do you want them to do something, change something, or think differently about something? Your biggest opportunity for a strong call to action is at the end. The mistake many people make is ending weak. I’ve always thought that ending with a “thank you” is just a lazy way to say, “My presentation is over.” Find a better way.

How to rock it:

Think of your ending like a closing argument. Whatever you want your audience to do, think, or feel, make that apparent in your closing. Create an ending that will be so compelling and so obvious that the audience doesn’t need the cue of “thank you” to know you are finished.

Focus on what works

Will anyone ever be able to completely eradicate mistakes out of their presentations? No. But you can focus on what works. Sometimes what works for one audience won’t work for another. Awareness of these mistakes is just the start; ultimately, the audience wants to hear your unique content and feel your confidence. Find the intersection between what you are knowledgeable about and what works for your audience. Remember, every time you speak it’s for them, not for you.

Anything is a mistake if it doesn’t work. Honing your craft and being aware of what doesn’t work can help you find what does work.

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