Learn from Sarah Palin’s Public Speaking Mistakes

Sarah Palin is no stranger to public speaking but she always seems to be standing on a podium with a standing microphone in her face so that she can read her speeches. Here is a rare video where she presents in a venue that is close to how you and I might be called on to give a presentation, complete with a hand-held microphone. So,let’s evaluate Sarah Palin’s public speaking technique and learn from her mistakes.

For this particular exercise, turn down the volume on your computer and just pay attention to her body language and the way she uses (or abuses) the stage. We as speakers can learn a lot of what not to do when on stage in a similar speaking venue. Here are my thoughts to kick off any potential discussion on this topic:

1. She should have had the guy introducing her remove the standing lectern. She wasn’t planning on using it and it really threw her off as she wasn’t sure where to stand to talk to the audience.

2. I don’t have to listen to the words to tell there is no particular reason she’s moving from the left to the right. With the lectern removed, she could have planted herself in the middle and address both sides of the audience allowing her to move to the left or right to make specific points.

As a result, she feels she has to move from one side of the lectern to the other and THEN shifts her focus to both sides of the audience. And, that comes off to an audience as nervousness more than anything.

3. The third mistake Sarah Palin is making in this speech is what she’s doing with her left hand. She plays with her hair and puts her hand on her hip, two no-no’s particularly for women speakers. Kudos for her that she caught herself on both of these issues and I didn’t see her do that again after the first time.

Playing with your hair during a speech is just a distraction for the audience. But, having your hands on your hips is a body language red flag that tells the audience you’re tired or bored or ready to get the heck out of there. So, do whatever you can avoid playing with your hair or putting your hands on your hips during a speech. It’s OKAY to just leave that hand at your side until you’re ready to use it for a gesture; something I’m sure Sarah Palin is learning more about as her speaking skills improve with time.

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