I often encourage people to “be themselves” when addressing a group of people. Often folk mistake this for not preparing and not evaluating their performance critically. For instance, a common trap inexperienced speakers or presenters fall into is interrupting themselves by saying something unrelated to the point they are attempting to make. This detracts from the impact of the message. Another is apologising or making excuses. The audience’s attention becomes focused on the problem rather than the point of the message. If you want to “be yourself” when making a presentation of any kind, do it properly without apology, interruption or excuses. The best way to evaluate your performance is to video yourself in action. It’s a tough thing to do, but as long as you evaluate critically and act on your findings, it will make you a better presenter.
