Watch for Fidgets

Anything you do repeatedly can become irritating. I worked with a speaker this week who started every few sentences with the word basically. "Basically, this is what we found works," and "So basically we had more than three tries at it," and "Basically I didn't even need to be there." The repetition of that one word was grating after a while.

Gestures or fidgeting can also be irritating. Clearing your throat, tapping a table, jingling your change in your pocket. The first time it might be okay, but repeating that same thing over and over again becomes distracting. The best way to watch for that is to have someone videotape you practicing your presentation. You don't need a professional, just a friend of a neighbor who can hold a camera pointed at you while you do your bit. Those irritating habits will be readily apparent to you when you watch the tape later.