From the course: Nano Tips to Prepare for Public Speaking with Nausheen I. Chen

Five mistakes that undermine your credibility when you speak

From the course: Nano Tips to Prepare for Public Speaking with Nausheen I. Chen

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Five mistakes that undermine your credibility when you speak

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You're an expert in your industry, but when you speak, are you failing to impress? It's not what you say, it's how you say it. Avoid these five toxic speaking habits so that you impress each time you speak. First, turning statements into questions. Are you saying things that are meant to be statements, but ending with an inflection in your voice that makes them sound like questions? For example, we could do this versus we could do this. 2: Forgetting to smile. Okay. I know what you're thinking. Why the heck do I need to grin like a creepy clown? When you forget to smile, you could be showing nervousness, indifference or even arrogance. A neutral expression lets the audience decide what you're feeling, but a smile takes back control. Pro-tip: Start with a smile, vary your expressions in the middle and then end with a smile. 3: Being in a hurry. When you're in a hurry, you speak too fast or you drop your words and you don't pause. The audience understands what you say quicker when you speak slower and more deliberately. You don't have to just be slow all the time. Just understand how to vary your pace. 4: Reading from the slides. If you can't talk about what you know and you have to read from the slides, you will not be perceived as credible. The audience will think this presentation could have been an email. 5: Not checking in. If you're speaking for a long time without checking in with your audience, they feel like you don't care about them and no one trusts a person that doesn't care about them. So every few minutes, take time to observe, check for understanding, and engage. Every time you speak, someone asks, "Why should I trust them?" And now you can say, because I know my stuff, and I know how to express it.

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