Wait! That title must be a mistake. Blunders, mistakes, errors-whatever, ruin your speech, sully your reputation, create terror for future presentations and are the bane of your existence. Wrong!
How could that be? Here are some examples:
* When giving a report, you announce that three million people in the company supported the proposal. You meant three thousand. Your face reddens. You can apologize. You can shake your head as though you can't believe your sudden onset of dementia...or you can joke by saying "I wish it were three million. It would be a landslide." The audience will laugh and even bond more with you than if you hadn't made a mistake.
* You've lost your place on your notes. You can fluster, beg forgiveness and generally fall apart while perusing the pages...or you can say something like "Check your text messages. I'll be there in a moment."
A basic rule for any presenter who has a problem is: If you don't get upset, your audience won't. Do get upset and the audience feels so sorry for you that it becomes difficult for them to concentrate on anything but your behavior for the rest of the speech.
Look at how your favorite entertainers handle bad jokes and flubs. You may not consider yourself an entertainer, but it comes down to poise and stage presence when you are the center of attention.
We've all seen the comedian, whether in person or on television, who starts to blame the audience if his jokes bomb. That comic loses his audience at that moment.
Now, look at the classic comedy of Johnny Carson for those who remember him on the "The Tonight Show." (If you don't, check out a couple of YourTube videos such as www.youtube.com/watch and www.youtube.com/watch.
Carson was the epitome of polish when a joke "died." His method was to take a blank-faced pause, as if to take in the silence, and then either grab the boom microphone above him to check if it was working-or else his bandleader would play "Tea for Two" while Carson did a tap dance. The result: louder laughs than if the original joke worked.
Today, commentators like Jon Stewart and Ellen Degeneres make the blunder pay off. Watch Jon Stewart when he unleashes a joke that "tanks." He stares at the camera and grins sheepishly. The result? He is more endearing. As for Ellen Degeneres, failure is not an option. Instead, a flat joke is a reason to start dancing! Whatever your method, it is all about cutting your stress - and the audience's.
Next time you make an error or misspeak, just stay calm. Keep your poise and polish, and don't look upset (even if you are). By demonstrating verbally you're comfortable not being perfect, you'll win many fans.
Steve Clements translates 40 plus years as executive trainer, Hollywood TV producer/writer and academia (Professor Emeritus from Augusta State University in TV/Cinema) into customized oral communications and media training programs for Executive Speak/Write, Inc. ( http://www.executivespeakwrite.com ). This producer of over 3,000 national TV broadcasts now trains business professionals on how to be a better "you" when speaking to audiences.
By Steve Clements
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