Presenters who lose the audience frequently have these two issues. No pauses: Presenters never pause and stop for silence at the end of a point or at the end of a sentence. This one behavior makes it very hard for an audience to digest what you are saying. You’ll give the appearance that you are hurried, lack confidence, and do not want any questions. Filler words: Filler words are the byproduct of a speaker never pausing. The speaker keeps going and uses “um” to breathe. Many speakers are shocked when they see the number of “um’s” they say. They were completely unaware of them while presenting.

My Dare to You

I dare you to tape yourself when presenting, giving a webinar, speaking at a meeting, or talking on the phone. Notice when you pause. If you don’t, are these your justified reasons? “I came from a big family and if I did not keep talking someone else took over.” (You are not talking to your family. You’re in business.) “I have so much to tell people that I need every second.” (But because you’re going so fast, most people stop listening to you. Maybe, if you told them less and paused to give them a moment to digest what you are saying, they would keep listening.) Here’s the quick way to fix an “um” problem. This solution enables you to start hearing your “um’s” so you can stop them. Get help: This is a particular kind of help. Practice your presentation or just start talking and ask someone to make a noise every time you say “um.” You won’t like it, but this is the fastest way I’ve seen people get over this habit. Do this with someone 30 minutes a week and you’ll kick this habit. Or ten minutes a day for two weeks. Why? You will start to hear your “um’s” and, once you hear them, you can stop them. What you will love once you stop your “um’s” is that you will have more time to relax between thoughts. You will be better at categorizing and talking about what’s important. Your brain will slow down and you can be more present to your audience. If you just have an issue with pausing, you can have your partner raise a hand every time you could pause at the end of the sentence. Count to three in your head and then start again.