After years of professional speaking, leading seminars, MCing corporate events, and training speakers, I have seen quite a number of speakers make terrible mistakes. In this article, I am going to share the nine most dangerous public speaking mistakes to avoid, so you can recognise them in your own delivery and clear them out before your next event.
Mistake 1: NOT BEING CLEAR IN YOUR MESSAGE
It is impossible to give a powerful presentational speech without clarity.
You will need to get clear on your message and its purpose before you create the speech. Is it to impress, to motivate, to pass on information, or to entertain your audience?
When you know the message and its purpose, you become more inspired and motivated, with increased passion for the message. And of course, when you are inspired, you will inspire your audience, motivate your audience, and get them as passionate as you are.
Lack of clarity brings confusion, and confusion makes your speech boring, bland, and weak.
How to fix it: Before writing a single word, answer three questions. What do you want your audience to know, to feel, and to do? Write the answers down. If you cannot state each one in a single sentence, you are not ready to write your speech yet. Clarity comes before creativity.
Mistake 2: NOT STRUCTURING YOUR SPEECH
An essential part of every speech is the structure. The structure helps your audience understand you, and of course, it helps you become more confident, knowing the direction you are taking.
If your speech is not structured, you will lack coherence in delivering it.
Structure should include a strong opening that attracts favourable, immediate attention from your audience.
Then you have your body, which should carry within it the evidence to substantiate your facts and your points.
Finally, you should have a closing that is both memorable and relatable.
If you lack this basic structure, you will find yourself dabbling, and the speech will not land well.
How to fix it: Use the classic structure that has always worked. Tell them what you will tell them (opening), tell them (body with supporting evidence), then tell them what you told them (memorable closing). For a 10-minute speech, spend one minute on the opening, eight minutes on the body, and one minute on the closing. That ratio keeps you focused and your audience oriented throughout.
Mistake 3: NOT PAUSING PROPERLY
You may have heard the phrase “Silence is Golden” or the other one, “pausing for effect.” Both are true.
You should pause to allow your audience to reflect on what you have said, from time to time. A lot of speakers are just ranting, instead of delivering structured speeches with adequate pauses.
You should never appear to be babbling on stage.
Always remember, silence is golden, and pause for effect.
How to fix it: Mark your script with pause points. Use a slash (/) to indicate a one-second pause and a double slash (//) for a two-second pause. Practise reading with these marks until pausing becomes second nature. Record yourself and listen back. If you sound breathless, you need more pauses, not fewer.
Mistake 4: MOVING WITHOUT PURPOSE
This is one of the funniest of them all, because for some reason, when we were growing up, people told us, “When you are delivering a speech, move around the stage.” I do not know where that came from, but lots of speakers keep falling into this trap, a deathtrap for speaking.
So many speakers move without purpose.
Your hands, your feet, and your body should support what you are saying. Where they do not support what you are saying, please do not move.
Try as much as possible to stay within the centre of your stage, so that it is easy for the audience to find you whenever they look up. Never again move without purpose. Only move to substantiate your points.
How to fix it: Stand still for your opening. Let the audience settle their eyes on you. Move only when transitioning between major points or when demonstrating something physical. Return to the centre for your closing.
That discipline makes your movement meaningful instead of distracting.
Mistake 5: STEALING OTHER PEOPLE’S MATERIAL (Plagiarism)
This is a serious matter. If you must use somebody else’s material, mention the source. Let us know what was once said by this or that person.
Avoid being a copycat without giving proper acknowledgement to the source of your material.
Of course, you can always do the hard work of finding your own voice, finding your own style, and developing your own content.
If you do not have your own content, you can hire a professional to help you develop your own unique content, so that you can shine, grow, and never have to worry about being caught as a copycat.
How to fix it: Keep a story journal. Write down experiences from your life weekly. Before long, you will have a library of original material no one else can claim.
When you hear a quote you love, write it down with the source. Cite the source when you use it. Attribution builds credibility; it does not weaken you.
Mistake 6: USING INSINCERE GESTURES
Your words should always align with your gestures. If you are sounding happy and alive and passionate, then there should be a smile on your face, with upbeat body language.
You cannot say you are happy and then carry a flat tone of voice with sluggish or sloppy body language. Nobody would believe you. So your gestures should be sincere.
What you say and what you do should be in sync.
How to fix it: Practise your speech in front of a mirror or camera. Watch for gestures that do not match your words. Remove them. Keep only gestures that match what you are saying.
If you are saying, “I am thrilled to be here,” your face and body should show genuine warmth. If you cannot produce sincere emotion for a line, change the words to something you can deliver with conviction.
Mistake 7: USING 3RD PARTY STORIES INSTEAD OF PERSONAL STORIES
A lot of speakers undervalue their own experiences. They do not see the power of relatable stories drawn from their own lives.
Everyone has a story. You have to find your own personal stories to use in your speeches. This way, you share a bit of yourself, people learn more about you, you bond better with your audience, and they see you as one of them, as relatable and down to earth, not some strange being from another planet.
One of the challenges of using somebody else’s story is that somebody in your audience may know the story better than you. You may misplace the facts, you may make errors, you may punch holes in the story, and you may lose credibility along the way.
So I highly recommend finding your own story, and by all means, tell it.
How to fix it: Mine your own history for material. That embarrassing moment from school. The lesson you learned from a failed project. The conversation that changed your perspective. Your life contains dozens of stories already. Start listing them. Even ordinary experiences become powerful when you draw out the lesson and tell them with honesty.
Mistake 8: BEING VAGUE
Specificity builds credibility. It also creates a more vivid image in the mind of your listeners, which helps you tell better stories while connecting with your audience.
What do I mean? Rather than say, “The other day, we were travelling into a city. We stopped somewhere to have lunch,” say, “The other day, we were travelling from Lagos to Enugu, and when we got into Enugu, we stopped at Kilimanjaro Restaurant for lunch. We had a whole bowl of Oha soup.”
You see, the details in the story make it more believable, build your credibility, and make it more enjoyable for you and your audience.
How to fix it: Replace general statements with specific details. Instead of “many people,” say “73% of Nigerian professionals.”
Instead of “a nice restaurant,” say “the yellow-walled corner table at Kilimanjaro in Enugu.” Specificity requires research and observation. Do the work. Your audience will trust you more.
Mistake 9: NOT SPEAKING UP
Nobody wants to strain to hear a mousy speaker stumble over their words.
You need external awareness to raise your voice to the point where everybody in your room can hear you.
Be the kind of speaker that everyone can hear without straining, even without a microphone.
Do not confuse yelling with projecting. You do not have to shout. But raise your voice and make it strong enough for your audience to hear you.
As a speaker, you are expected to stand up and speak up, not mumble your words.
Deliver your speech with boldness and with punch.
How to fix it: Practise projecting to the back of the room. Stand up straight. Breathe from your diaphragm, not your chest. Open your mouth wider when you form words. Record yourself speaking at different volumes until you find the level that fills the space without straining your voice.
If the room is large, always use a microphone, properly positioned at jaw level rather than chin level.
How to Practise These Fixes
Knowing the public speaking mistakes to avoid is not enough. You must practise the solutions. Here is the approach I recommend:
- Pick one mistake to fix at a time. Do not try to eliminate all nine in your next speech. Choose the one that most undermines your credibility and focus on it for a month.
- Record every practice session. Your phone is enough. Watch for your target mistake. Count how many times it shows up. Aim to reduce that number with each practice.
- Get feedback from someone you trust. Ask them to watch specifically for the mistake you are working on. General feedback helps. Targeted feedback changes behaviour faster.
- Perform in low-stakes environments first. Test your improvements at team meetings, community gatherings, or small events before you take them to high-pressure stages.
Want to Speak More Effectively?
Would you like to learn more about speaking effectively? I have arranged the experiences I have gathered, the lessons I have learned, and the skills I have built over 18 years as a professional speaker into structured courses and coaching programmes. Whether you want to clear these mistakes out of your next presentation or build a full speaking career, I can help.
See my speaking programs: https://joycedaniels.net/speaking-coach/
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to eliminate these common public speaking mistakes?
It depends on the mistake and how often you practise. With deliberate practice, you can significantly reduce most of these errors within three to six months. Some, like proper pausing or speaking up, can improve in weeks. Others, like building your own story library, take years to master. Consistency beats intensity.
Can I fix these speaking mistakes without a coach?
Yes, but coaching accelerates the process. Self-recording and honest self-assessment go a long way. However, a coach sees the blind spots you cannot see yourself, catches habits you have already normalised, and provides accountability you would otherwise have to manufacture. If you are serious about speaking professionally, consider investing in coaching once you have addressed the basics yourself.