4 Common Mistakes New Speakers Make (And How to Avoid Them)
Giving your first speech can be nerve-wracking. The fear of looking inexperienced or stumbling through your presentation is enough to keep anyone up at night. But here's the good news: most of the mistakes new speakers make are surprisingly predictable — and entirely avoidable. By understanding these four common pitfalls, you can sidestep them entirely and project the confidence of someone who's been speaking for years.
1. Filling Every Pause with "Um," "Uh," and "So"
Filler words — the ums, uhs, sos, ers, and buts that pepper our everyday speech — are the single most telltale sign of an inexperienced speaker. These crutch words rush in to fill what could otherwise be powerful silence.
Consider the difference between these two openings:
- With filler words: "Hey everyone, um, my name is Wade Patterson, and, uh, I'm — um — I'm new to public speaking, and, uh, yeah, um, it's something I've, uh, been thinking of improving on for a while."
- Without filler words: "Hey everyone. My name is Wade Patterson. I'm new to public speaking, but I'm really excited to take my skills to the next level."
The second version is cleaner, more confident, and far more pleasant to listen to. The secret? Replacing those crutch words with silence. This is easier said than done — pausing in front of an audience feels uncomfortable at first. But to your listeners, those brief moments of silence sound completely natural, even commanding. It's the ums and uhs that are truly distracting.
So how do you eliminate filler words? Two strategies work exceptionally well:
- Record yourself speaking and watch it back. Most of us have no idea how many filler words we use until we hear the evidence. Awareness is the essential first step toward change.
- Attend a Toastmasters meeting. Toastmasters clubs assign an "Ah Counter" — someone whose entire job is to track every filler word used during the meeting. Hearing that you dropped 20 ums into a single speech is humbling, but it's also incredibly motivating.
2. Leaning, Swaying, and Gripping Objects
When new speakers stand in front of a group, their nervous energy has to go somewhere. More often than not, it manifests physically: gripping the back of a chair, white-knuckling a podium, leaning against a wall, or swaying from foot to foot like a pendulum.
These habits are extremely distracting for an audience. People notice movement, and when your body is rocking back and forth throughout your speech, it's hard for listeners to focus on your message.
The fix is straightforward: stand up straight with your hands relaxed at your sides. When you want to emphasise a point, bring your hands up to add purposeful body language. When you're done with the gesture, let them fall back to your sides naturally. This simple discipline — stillness as your default, movement as your choice — will make you look polished and composed, as if you've been doing this for years.
3. Burying Your Face in Your Notes
It's completely understandable to want a safety net. The fear of forgetting what you planned to say can drive new speakers to write out their entire speech word for word — and then read every single line with their eyes glued to the page.
The problem? Reading is not speaking. When you never lift your eyes to make eye contact, you lose your audience. It's the difference between having a conversation and listening to someone recite a document.
Instead of writing out your speech verbatim, try using cue cards with just a few trigger words for each section. For example, if you're telling a story about growing up, you don't need paragraphs of text — you already know that story by heart. Simply write "My childhood — [your hometown]" on a card. Those few words are enough to trigger the full narrative in your mind.
Practice linking these trigger points together until the flow feels natural. If you still want the full script as a backup, keep it on the podium for emergencies. But you'll likely be surprised at how easily the words come once you're in the zone and focused on concepts rather than trying to memorise pages of text.
4. Winging It Instead of Practising
We all love the idea of the effortlessly brilliant speaker who stands up with zero preparation and delivers a masterpiece. But here's the reality: almost nobody is that person. And even those rare individuals who can wing it convincingly would be even better if they practised.
Practice serves multiple purposes. It builds your confidence. It helps you remember every point you want to make. And when you layer in additional elements — like recording yourself or presenting to a friend or family member — you gain invaluable feedback.
Maybe you didn't realise your hand keeps drifting into your pocket. Maybe you tap your foot when you're nervous. Maybe you repeat a phrase that doesn't add anything to your message. We all have these unconscious habits, and the only way to catch them is through practice and honest feedback. Each rehearsal is an opportunity to sand down the rough edges and get one step closer to a polished delivery.
Your Goal: Make Them Think You've Done This a Hundred Times
As a brand-new speaker, your goal isn't perfection — it's perception. You want every person in that audience to walk away believing you've given many presentations before. And the remarkable thing is that achieving this doesn't require years of experience. It requires awareness. Replace filler words with confident pauses. Stand still and use purposeful gestures. Reduce your notes to simple cue cards. And practise until your delivery feels natural rather than rehearsed. Avoid these four common mistakes, and you won't just survive your first speech — you'll genuinely impress.