Given that it’s mid-August, this very brief post is written for people who cannot find the time to practice, prepare for or perfect their upcoming presentation. I get it. Between last-chance vacation days, Usain Bolt and Gabby Douglas, presidential running mate announcements, and well, the hottest summer on record, trying to carve out the time to do a dry run is as challenging as trying to beat Michael Phelps in the 200 Butterfly. So here’s a really quick way to improve: avoid the words “basically” and “actually.”
These filler words – second only to “um” and “ah” – are the main reason why your audience stops listening and starts thinking about your choice of neck tie or earrings, which then reminds them that they have to buy a birthday gift, and when was the last time they got their oil changed, and so on down the rabbit hole of distracted listening.
I was in the audience for a presentation the other day with 85 people stuffed into a hot and airless conference room. The first presenter was nervous and the second one was bored. They said the words “basically” and “actually” 23 times. It could have been a higher number, but I stopped counting to wipe the sweat from the back of my neck and look around the room. I noticed that no one was paying attention. The only time the audience re-connected with the speakers was when they said “Are there any questions?” There were no questions.
