The internet is overflowing with presentation tips designed to help professionals eliminate bad habits. You’ll find advice on avoiding filler words, stopping the fidgeting, and resisting the urge to read every bullet point on your slides.
One of the most damaging habits rarely gets the attention it deserves: waffling.
Waffling is when a presenter speaks excessively or repeatedly about something trivial, something that adds no value to the message and often distracts from it entirely.
Sound familiar?
If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a waffle‑heavy presentation, you know how painful it can be, and if you’re the speaker who knows you waffle but can’t seem to stop, it’s even worse.
The good news?
Waffling isn’t a personality flaw; it’s a presentation design flaw that can be fixed.
Here’s how to speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose.
-
Start With the End in Mind
Most presenters begin with the question:
“What am I going to say?”
That’s always the wrong place to start.
A far more powerful question is:
“Why am I speaking and what result do I want for myself and my audience?”
What exactly are you trying to influence or change? Is it their:
– mindset or perspective
– understanding or clarity
– belief or opinion
– behaviour or decision
What do you want them to do when you finish speaking?
– Approve your budget
– Sign off your proposal
– Buy your product or service
– Recommend you to their clients
– Request more information
– Ask for a proposal
If you’re not crystal clear on your purpose, you will waffle and if you include anything that doesn’t support that purpose, you will waffle.
Purpose is the antidote.
-
Craft It — Don’t Just Build It
Many presenters start by opening their laptop and “building” slides. Templates get repopulated, bullet points get rearranged, and the waffle begins before a single word is spoken.
Crafting a presentation is different; it’s designing a journey, a conversation with direction, intention, and flow.
Before you touch your laptop, imagine this scenario:
You walk into work, and your boss says:
“Don’t take your coat off, we’re all going out for the day.”
Once the shock wears off, you’d probably ask:
– Where are we going?
– Why are we going there?
– How are we getting there?
– What do we do when we get there?
Your audience is no different.
These are the first questions on their mind.
Once you can answer them clearly, use this six‑step structure to eliminate waffle:
– Open with impact
– State your key message
– Explain why it matters to them
– Show how you can help and give examples
– Tell them what you want them to do
– Close with impact
Clarity kills waffle.
-
Take a Walk
I live next to an aerodrome, a place where people walk dogs, cycle, or simply wander. Once I’ve crafted a presentation, I walk around the aerodrome with my notes.
This is my rehearsal time.
Not memorising, reading or drilling lines; I just walk and talk my way through the message, out loud.
Hearing my own thoughts helps me catch the waffle before it escapes into the real world. Yes, I get the occasional strange look from cyclists and the odd wink from a dog, but it works.
A walk may not be your thing; maybe you prefer a quiet chair, a park bench, or a café corner. Whatever it is, find the environment that helps you rehearse with focus and intention.
Why People Waffle
In our experience, most people waffle because they:
– Aren’t clear on their message
– Haven’t prepared well enough
– Haven’t rehearsed in the right way
– Have notes that are too vague
– Are nervous
– Forget to pause and breathe
– Don’t realise they’re doing it
Awareness is the first step, and purpose is the cure.
How to eliminate ‘Waffling’ for Good
– Record yourself and listen back. Identify the waffle and refocus.
– Read a few paragraphs from a book out loud, pausing for two seconds at each full stop.
– Take a deep breath before speaking and pause after key points.
– Warm up your voice, watch the TED Talk “How to Speak So That People Want to Listen.”
– Stick to one point at a time and finish it before moving on.
– Avoid unnecessary detail. If it doesn’t support your message, cut it.
– Use one idea per visual, no more.
– Practise delivering your entire presentation in 90 seconds. It sharpens focus instantly.
Follow these steps, and you’ll dramatically increase your ability to speak with clarity, confidence, and impact, leaving waffling behind for good.
If you need help ensuring with your bad public speaking habits, including ‘waffling’:
– Book yourself onto a powerful public speaking course.
– Invest in some really good one to one public speaking coaching.
– Get yourself some excellent presentation training
Image courtesy of Canva.com
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.