Becoming a good public speaker is not an easy task. You not only have to overcome your own fear, but you also have to be sure that you catch the interest of your audience from the beginning up to the end of your speech. Moreover, apart from learning the basics of public speaking and coming up with fun and interesting ideas to captivate your audience, you also need to be careful not to commit public speaking blunders.

In order to really captivate your audience, it is not enough that you only learn the basics of public speaking and come up with fun and interesting ideas, you also want to make sure that you do not commit public speaking boo-boos, otherwise you will lose touch with your audience.
To get rave reviews from your audience and keep them from complaining, it is important to be aware of the things that can break your pace. Three of the most common public speaking blunders include the following:

Poor voice Quality. Perhaps nothing can get any worse than for an audience to be stuck in their seats listening to a speaker whose quality of voice and tone is good enough to put you to sleep.  No matter how well-prepared you are or great the information you have to share with the audience, your public speaking stint can still tune out if your voice is boring and monotonous, to the point of becoming lifeless.

To fight off a droning, you need to know exactly what you are talking about it. If you are well knowledgeable about your topic and deliver it with passion and conviction, then you can be able to present it without sounding like a total bore. You can also experiment with different levels of your pitch and volume while speaking. Be more emphatic in your speech’s key points to keep your audience’s interest going.

Improper speech delivery. Another public speaking blunder that the audience commonly complains about is the inability to clearly hear or understand what the speaker is talking about. Some speakers may have a soft voice, which makes it difficult for the audience to understand the discussion. On the other hand, other speakers may talk loudly, but this does not necessarily guarantee that they can be clearly understood by their listeners. There are also those, who talk fast, which can make the audience lose their pace.

To be clearly and well understood by your audience, make your voice louder if you have a naturally soft voice and moderate your pace if you have a tendency to talk faster at the same time observing proper word enunciation. Also, test the sound system prior to your speech as well.

A lack of, or no eye contact. It is important to establish a connection with your audience when delivering your speech. After all, that is the reason why you are standing in front of them in the first place. And making eye contact with your audience is the easiest and surefire way to connect with them. This can help you get their attention, thus establishing a good connection with you.

However, making eye contact can be tricky. The key here is to look at an audience member for a few seconds, then switch your gaze to another one in the crowd, repeating it as much as you can. Avoid making eye contact with an audience member in a matter of minutes, as this can be creepy. Moreover, he/she might mistake it for something else as well.

While these public speaking boo-boos are simple to correct, it is still and always best to avoid them. Knowing these blunders and how to avoid them can fast track your way to public speaking success.