3 phrases to ban from speech intros

If you want to ruin your presentation fast, utter these phrases in your introduction:

“I’m not feeling great.” To the audience, this is nothing more than an excuse for the shoddy speech you are about to give. Even if you feel awful, keep it to yourself and focus on executing a great presentation.

“I promise I’ll keep this short.” This essentially tells people that your presentation isn’t worth their time. Quality is more important than quantity, so don’t be long-winded or stretch the time for the sake of it, but do cover your topic thoroughly.

“Please put away your phones.” People could be using them to take notes, snap pictures of your slides or live tweet your presentation. Others may have an urgent email coming in. Others simply don’t want to be told what to do. Instead, ask them to “silence their phones” to prevent disruptions.

— Adapted from “7 Statements Successful Speakers Never Say,” Dianna Booher, www.booherresearch.com.