Making presentations and public speaking sessions is an important part of the learning process in colleges these days, while some students seem to make a huge impact over the whole class and the teachers, there are others who seem to lack those abilities. Here are a few pointers to help realise the common mistakes students tend to make, ways to overcome it and stand out from the rest during such sessions.

The audience will listen because I have researched a lot and what I have to say is interesting

This is probably one of the most frequent mistakes made in public speaking. We all like to think that we know our stuff, and many people do. But that alone will not engage your audience. Albert Mehrabian the US Educational Psychologist’s research into public speaking demonstrated that only seven per cent of your presentation’s impact will be your words.

You could prepare for weeks, select the best words and key messages, you could have the best introduction, middle section and ending than any speaker, but your impact could be negligible.

Tip — Listen and react to feedback from others. Take suggestions from classmates who have good presentation skills and those whose verbal mannerisms people must have mentioned. You can also get help from your teachers.

Speaking too fast

Nervous and inexperienced speakers are like 100 metres sprint. They hear the gun, they’re out of the blocks fast and they can’t wait to get it over with. This is not unusual — it is the normal reaction to any potentially stressful situation. But public speaking need not be like that. However, some speakers do not even devote themselves to such minimal preparation.

Tip — For each minute of your speech, spend ten minutes of preparation on it. Watch yourself on the mirror or record yourself, listen to it and ask yourself if you’re delivering

too fast.

Keep it short and simple and always leave them wanting more

The best way to maintain the attention of an audience is to start with a gripping opening, develop a maximum of three themes or key messages, and conclude with a message that pulls the introduction and key messages together with impact. If you speak for over 10 minutes it’s almost inevitable that the structure will suffer and you will lose your audience because you haven’t signposted your structure well enough.

Tip — Keep it short and simple and use your best material at the beginning and the end of your speech. Start and end with impact.

Maintaining eye-contact with your audience

For the new or inexperienced speaker, eye-contact is one of the hardest aspects of speaking. But, as a speaker, your audience is your primary concern. Making eye-contact and engaging your audience is critical to success. It shows respect and demonstrates confidence. We listen and learn most from confident speakers.

Tip — If you find eye-contact difficult, try it out with friends and family in regular conversations. You will have a major impact on those with whom you are conversing. It’s very difficult to disengage eye-contact with somebody when you’re having a pleasant chat. Bear that in mind when you’re making a speech in class and you’ll do very well.

Speaking in a dull and monotonous voice

Tonal variety is what adds massive impact to your speech or presentation. We need some highs and lows allied to seamless changes in pitch and pace. These effective techniques help to keep your audience engaged and participating in your presentation. Mehrebian’s research demonstrated that 38 per cent of what an audience remember is down to the effective use of tonal variety. A massive 55 per cent relates to your body language. If you send a mixed message, don’t be surprised if the message is dropped.

Tip — A key factor in any speech or presentation is simply this: It’s not what you say. It’s the way that you say it.