5 Speaking Mistakes Holding You Back from Awesome Communication

Five mistakes that you’re making when you speak that are holding you back from being truly awesome.

1. You’re clearing your throat. Don’t do it. This is actually hurting your vocal cords. Instead, get some water or grab something nice to drink and do some vocal warmups.
2. Imagining the audience naked.Don’t try to do that. You’re going to feel even more awkward. Instead, imagine that they’re your friends, your supporters, that they actually want you to win. Because guess what? They do.
3. Practicing in front of a mirror. No, this is not natural. Don’t look at yourself when you’re on Zoom. Don’t have the front view on when you’re recording your video and don’t practice in front of a mirror.

None of those things are natural. Instead, record your rehearsal using the back camera of your phone. That way you can focus on the delivery in the moment and then analyze your performance later when you watch yourself back.

4. Being loud and projecting. When you’re speaking to people, it doesn’t matter if you’re speaking at the other end of a camera.

The other end of zoom or across the table, you need to be having a conversation with them. Just like you would with a friend. Don’t try to project your voice and announce things because it’s going to come across as very unnatural.

5. And the fifth mistake that you could be making without even knowing it is trying to imitate or emulate someone else. But if you’re trying to imitate someone else, how can you be the most impactful version of yourself? So never be afraid of showing your true personality when you speak. It’s always, always going to pay off.

So tell me which one of those mistakes do you make when you speak?

Or are you perfect? I would love to know.