Worried you’ll make a mistake while public speaking? Maybe you’ll stutter, lose your train of thought, trip over the rug, or maybe you’ll accidentally leave your zipper down. It doesn’t always go as you rehearsed it. Humiliation surely awaits after mistakes happen. But does it have to? What if you could turn mistakes into a victory that made you look better instead of worse?
What To Do When Mistakes Happen
Whatever you do, don’t act as if it’s a bad thing. This would lower your status as well as tell the audience to feel awkward or embarrassed. If a mistake happens and you get flustered by it, then that occurrence has power over you. So, if it’s noticeable, point to it and own it. That way, you are the master of the outcome of said mistake. Here are some ways to achieve that.
1. Poke fun at yourself
Self-deprecating humor can be great, just don’t make it too severe. If you mumble some words, tease yourself about it. “Sorry, I was storing nuts in my cheeks for the winter”. Drop the clicker? “I was massaging some butter before the speech…” Whatever. Have fun with it.
2. Make a Joke About The Situation
You’re power-point goes down? “I’m going to write Microsoft a strongly worded letter about this”. How about, “Their motto should be ‘Apple, it only crashes when it REALLY counts’”. People can relate to technical problems and won’t think much of it happening. If you make a joke at it, everyone will feel okay about it.
3. Ignore it outright
Most “mistakes” are so small, the audience wouldn’t even notice they happened. Because of this, bringing attention to small mistakes makes an issue out of something that wasn’t an issue in the first place. Things like dropping a pencil, miss-clicking to the wrong slide, or a brief stutter are typically not big enough to even acknowledge. Think of it this way; after the speech is over, will people walk away thinking of that small mistake? Probably not.
Remember; YOU are leading the emotional tone of the room when you’re presenting. Make sure to take the audience on a ride you would like to be on yourself.