It has been a while since I play the role of the audience. Last night was one such opportunity. The presenter was an intern from Shanghai and he flew in with his boss to States. His presentation was titled “Life in China” with the aim of sharing with us his experiences. He did relatively well but hit several boo-boo which I thought reduce the effects of his presentation. And these boo-boo weren’t really new. Speech coaches and Public Speaking books/e-books/blogs have warned us against committing these seemingly innocent crimes, at the expense of losing your audience. But you know what, people still do it. All the time. Instead of reinterating the points, I shall get you into the head of the audience (since I was one yesterday) and perhaps illustrate why you should avoid these boo-boos.

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I am back with more pointers on how to be a better speaker, straight from the CASA Acapella Summit.

4. Focus on your strengths and minimize your weaknesses
This is pretty much a reiteration of my post on the importance of awareness. Click here Know your strengths. Perfect them. Know your weaknesses. Cover them with your strengths. But I have a question: Should a speaker stick to one style (that he/she is known for) or experiment new styles? (Will tell you more when I get some answers)

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Last month, I attended the Acapella Summit with a group of music lovers. And in one of the workshops, they taught singers about stage presence. And interestingly, I found these tips very applicable to speakers too. Here’s what I have jot down. Let me share with you the first three.

1. Find the floor and ground yourself

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