Why Speech Fails?

Why speech fails?


Picture this.

You are at a marketing seminar. You are in a hall with 300 other people. You are listening to this speaker (a marketing expert) who is delivering a presentation on how to promote your product. It is 10.15 am. Your eyes are getting heavier. Your stomach is growling. There are voices in your head saying,” When is he going to stop talking? What is he talking about?” You are trying so hard to stay awake.


Have you ever been in this situation before? I know. I’ve been there too. Please don’t feel bad. It’s just a case where a speaker lost the audience.

Honest truth, I made some mistakes myself when I gave speeches some time ago. Ha-ha! Guilty as charged! It took me a while to realise that I was responsible in putting people to sleep. That’s when I learned from my mistakes and eventually improved myself.

So why some speeches fail? Here are some reasons why some speeches fail. I hope by sharing this with you, you will not make the same mistakes that I did.


Why Speech fails?

1, The speech is not well organised.

When you are delivering a speech, it is very important to make sure that your audience can understand you. The speech content should be well structured and easy to understand. Otherwise you will not get the message through to them. Often a speech fails when the speaker can’t convey the message across to the listeners. For instance, a speaker who likes to run around the bush will get the audience all confused and become bored.

2. Poor speech delivery.

How well a speaker delivers a speech is equally important as a good content. It’s like singing a song. What will happen to a great song if the singer has a terrible voice? Will it still be a great performance? The same theory applies here. Why speeches fail? A speech which is poorly delivered will end up sending the audience to Dreamland. What do I mean by poorly delivered speech? Let me give you some examples:

  • The speaker's voice is not clear enough
  • The speaker's voice is too soft or too loud
  • The speaker is too serious. No sense of humour
  • The speaker does not connect with the audience
  • The speech/presentation is too long 

3. Speech with no purpose

A speech must have a purpose. What are the objectives of the speech? What is the speaker trying to point out? Some speeches fail when the speaker speaks without a real message. Sometimes a speaker chose the wrong topic. In certain cases, it can be the wrong audience. What do you think will happen if I give a speech on why everyone should learn public speaking to a group of professional public speakers? I’m sure when I tell them the title of my speech; the audience will immediately lose interest.


So how do you make it right? How to organise a speech so the audience can understand you even better? How to make your audience listen to your speech and wanting more from you? How to make certain that your audience can get your message?  Well the answer will be in my next blog.


In the future, I will share with you on how to avoid these mistakes. I will show you how to get a well-structured speech and how to deliver a speech beautifully. But before you can be a good speaker, you must first be a good audience. Observe, listen and understand.

See you soon!





Written by: Intan Salwana Anis
@2017 Public Speaking Is Cool. All Rights Reserved.
 

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