You’ve heard lots of advice on improving your public speaking. But what about the bad habits you may need to break? Here’s how to know if you're guilty!

If you’re like many professionals, you’ve heard ad nauseum about the things you need to do to be a better presenter.

Know your topic. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare. Be sure to include strong eye contact. Speak to the audience not the slides.

Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Sure, you need to know the secrets of going beyond lackluster presentations, including my 5 Ways to Captivate Any Audience. But sometimes, it pays to take a good hard look at some old habits that may be getting in your way. 

7 (Common) Bad Habits of Public Speaking

Let's face it: focusing on acquiring a new skill may make you blind to the baggage you’re already carrying. Of course, it may be that you don’t have any unproductive habits as a speaker. If that's the case, go ahead and seek out those new skills. Here's how to read a speech and still be an effective speaker. How about a tip from the actor's playbook on how to use pauses effectively. And here are my 7 Tips for Overcoming Audience Resistance.

But just in case you aren't a perfect presenter, check the list below of seven ways you may be undermining your otherwise solid presentations. Here are the seven bad habits, more or less in the order in which they present themselves.

1. Not Performing an Audience Analysis. You may be familiar with your audience. But do you know them in the ways that matter for a presentation? Demographics and listener knowledge are easy variables. But what about their expectations and preferences? Is there anything about the organization's current situation you should know about? How about the emotional climate—anything going on there? Even the time of day (and whether the audience is anticipating lunch) can mess around with your otherwise carefully constructed content. Consider the variables!

2. Thinking of Yourself Instead of Your Listeners. Okay, let's call this one by its true name: narcissism. I don’t mean arrogance or self-love. I do mean worrying about how you’re doing instead of whether your listeners are getting what they need from your talk. It’s the easiest equation: Paying close attention to your audience’s engagement = a more effective encounter between you and them. Presenting like that is tapping into something you really need: understanding the performance skills of speaking as a leader. 

3. Failing to Launch Your Speech. How important is your opening? Consider a rocket analogy: If a NASA or Elon Musk rocket launches successfully, the mission has a good chance of success. But a mission that doesn't make it off the launch pad is kaput. Your introduction is vital to getting an audience interested, stimulated, and inspired—not to mention that a number of important things must be accomplished in your opening. Here's my Free cheat sheet on "How to Start a Speech — 12 Foolproof Ways To Grab Your Audience."

4. Using Weak Body Language. Who isn't interested in body language? Unfortunately, we're always thinking about how others are responding to us, without considering what we're showing and revealing! One of the best ways to succeed as a speaker is by reading my free White Paper, The Body Language Rules: 12 Ways To Be A More Powerful Speaker. You need to go beyond posture and gestures to find physical expression that supports your message!

5. Using a Non-Expressive Voice. You probably know that "mon-" or "mono-" is simply a word element that means "one" or "single."  But when we say someone speaks in a monotone, it means something entirely different, doesn't it?  We've made what should mean “single tone” equate to "boring." The human voice is a highly flexible instrument that can convey a wide range of meanings and inferences. If your voice isn’t accomplishing that, what else will? Take a look at my "5 Key Tools of Vocal Dynamics" cheat sheet to learn the tools you should be using!

6. Being Passionless. Do data points, spreadsheets, and slide deck bullets turn you on? That's fine . . . but don't expect the same from your audiences. Passion and commitment shown by a speaker—even in the absence of many other speaking skills—can compel listening and even agreement. Trying to be 100% “businesslike” and “professional,” on the other hand, is usually deadly. Who remembers a speaker who conveys content only? Who will be moved by him or her? Your information may be vital. But you need to supply blood for its veins.

7. Keeping Your Distance (Figuratively and Literally). Every audience enjoys a charismatic speaker. But presence isn’t a mystery quality in terms of public speaking. It’s simply a function of being present and mindful of the here and now. Audiences scare some speakers, who then protect themselves through the bad habit of keeping their distance. Whatever it may mean to you specifically, throw yourself into your performance. You’re sharing a very special moment of connecting with others in real time about a topic that matters. So act like it, will ya?

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