I did it today. I walked out on a speech. I left before the end because I just could not stand it anymore.
Two women were presenting. I think their slides were nicely done. I say I think because at times I am not certain what the actual point of their rambling was supposed to be. The advertised topic was fairly broad and rather than choosing a specific area to drill in to they touched briefly on multiple areas. A fine tactic if you execute well.
They had not practiced exactly what they were going to say. They stumbled over their words, threw in lots of ah’s and um’s, and used stories that illustrated a point only if you were creative.
This is a learning opportunity for all of us.
No, they were not professional speakers and I would bet they do not regularly do presentations. At a minimum, someone should be able to easily follow your speech and draw a parallel between the story you are telling and the point you are addressing.
Non-words can be forgiven; we have all been there. My point is even if you are not a professional speaker you need to approach any speech/presentation as a professional opportunity. Use the opportunity. If nothing else you may just find a customer among all of the prospects sitting in the room. If you are uncomfortable or unsure about how to write or deliver a speech or how to create slides ask someone for help and then practice. Attend a class like Delivery Skills that Sell.
A professional speaker will tell you the moment you relax, the moment you stop asking for help or think you don’t need to practice is the moment you deliver a mediocre speech. I know you don’t want to do that.
