Got a public speaking gig in Scotland?
It’s normal to be nervous, but those nerves can derail your presentation.
Avoid these five phrases to increase your own confidence and project that to the audience.
1. “OK, so”
The most common opening words when we see someone public speaking in Scotland.
“OK, so…right…here we go…”
We get it.
You’re transitioning from what you were doing to now giving this important presentation.
But you’ve started with two useless words.
Two words, in fact, that undermine your authority.
Why? Because as soon as you open your mouth to speak, the audience is making millions of little calculations as to whether they should listen to you.
And if you’re unprepared or sound too off the cuff, that can remove your authority.
2. “This won’t take too long”
Say this and your audience is only thinking one thing:
“This is about to take too long”.
We call this a ‘Pink Elephant’.
An unnecessary negative that conjures up the exact wrong image that you wished to create.
“No offence” translates as “I’m about to offend you”.
“Don’t worry” raises the prospect of worrying.
“Don’t look behind you” prompts a swift 180 degree turn.
So why tell your audience it won’t take too long?
You’re raising the prospect of the very thing you’re looking to avoid.
And you’re undermining the importance of your talk.
We see it all the time in Scotland, partly due to our self-deprecating nature.
3. “Hopefully that makes sense?”
You’ve come to the end of your public speaking gig and now you’ve totally undermined it.
“Hopefully” suggests doubt, or failure.
The tone suggests uncertainty, with the inflection going up at the end, like a question.
This is a common error.
You’ll likely get people nodding along, because most audience members are nice, but are they taking your point seriously?
4. “That’s me finished”
To be fair, this one is an accurate representation of how you feel as a public speaker.
You have finished, after 15 minutes of speaking.
Or have you?
5. “I’ll take questions at the end”
I see this a lot even from seasoned speakers.
The days of being lectured to are over.
Audiences far prefer interaction and discussion. It’s also a sign of confidence, being happy for others to contribute, interrupt, argue, debate.
As a speaker, that can become disruptive, so you have to manage it carefully.
For very short presentations, set out the ground rules clearly:
“I’ll talk you through everything and I’ll leave time for questions afterwards”.
But for everything else, embrace the interaction.
Someone asking a question is a great sign of engagement, even if they’re disagreeing with your point.
Where to go next with public speaking?
Looking for public speaking training in Scotland?
We’ll show you what to avoid and more importantly, how to win over your audience.
Photos in Public speaking training Scotland: Five phrases to avoid by Pink Elephant Communications.
Public speaking training Scotland: Five phrases to avoid was written by Andrew McFarlan and edited by Maxine Montgomery.
