Correct your mistakes

Effective communication skills are essential in any presentation, whether in a professional, academic or social setting. However, it is natural to make mistakes in public speaking, and knowing how to handle them without interrupting the flow of the presentation is key to maintaining a connection with the audience.

In this session, we will explore strategies and tips for correcting mistakes discreetly and without drastically changing the way you speak.

It is natural to make mistakes during a presentation. Rather than abruptly changing your delivery to correct each mistake, which could turn off the audience, it is preferable to address them more subtly.

Continue speaking in your usual tone and pace, and if possible, make corrections quickly and discreetly, without overemphasizing the error. For example, if you make a mistake in a word, simply repeat the sentence correcting the incorrect word and continue your presentation.

Consider these strategies for correcting some errors:

• Repeat and correct: If you make a mistake in a word or phrase, simply repeat the sentence correcting the error in a smooth and natural way. For example, if you say "the project was a fiasco success," you can correct it by saying "the project was a success, I mean, a total success."

• Natural pauses: If the error is more noticeable and requires a correction, you can take advantage of a natural pause in your speech to make the correction in an unobtrusive manner. Avoid stopping completely, but use the pause to adjust the sentence and continue.

• Use gestures or facial expressions: Sometimes a simple gesture or facial expression can indicate to the audience that you recognize the error and are making a correction. This can be a less intrusive way to address small errors.

• Retracing your steps: In some cases, you can retrace your words and subtly correct the error as you continue to move forward. For example, if you said "the project had a large negative impact," you can go back and say "sorry, I meant to say a large positive impact."

• Gentle modification: Instead of stopping to correct an error, simply rephrase the sentence correctly without highlighting the previous error. For example, if you say "the result was very great," you can correct it by saying "the result was excellent."

• Using synonyms: If you find yourself at a point where you can't remember a specific word or you get stuck pronouncing it, you can replace it with a synonym that is easier to say at that moment. For example, instead of saying "complicated", you could use "complex".

Instant paraphrasing gives the speaker the ability to clarify convoluted explanations and ensure that your message is c