Stop apologising.

So many people turn their whole speech or presentation into one big apology.

I don't mean just a line or two. I mean the whole thing.

From the top, and throughout, you'll get:
'Sorry I’m late.'
'Sorry this slide is a bit busy.'
'Sorry I'm a bit nervous.'
'Sorry if this doesn’t make sense.'
'Sorry if this slide isn't clear.'
'Sorry for rushing.'
'Sorry we’ve run out of time.'

They spend the whole presentation essentially apologising for their existence. And then you lose confidence in the content.

'Sorry for existing, now please enjoy my content that I don't appear to believe in.'

That can’t be how people mean to come across. That can't have been the intention.

And yet, it's so common.


The problem with over-apologising.

Apologising too often does one thing really well: It makes people doubt you. Doubt your confidence. Doubt your content. Doubt whether they should bother listening.

You’re not doing it deliberately. You're just trying to be self-aware. Or polite, humble, or relatable.

But it does you no favours.

Nobody ever left a talk thinking, ‘Wow, I know they seemed unsure of themselves but they nailed it. Let's sign that off!’


What should you do instead?

People will remember positivity. Energy.
They’ll remember someone who spoke with purpose.

Be human, of course.
But massively cut back on the apologies.

Only apologise when it’s genuinely needed.

Your laptop crashed halfway through?
Not your fault. No apology.

Bad traffic so you missed the start?
Not your fault. You weren't late, you were delayed. No apology.

Busy slide?
Some people like the detail. It's the job of the voiceover to communicate a clear pathway through it. No apology.

And here’s a radical idea: Talk like you believe your message matters.

That mindset shift alone will transform how people respond to you. If you talk with purpose, and exude positivity, your audience is more likely to buy your message.


To sum up

The next time you're tempted to apologise, ask yourself this:

Am I being polite and self-aware? Or am I just making people doubt me?

And if it’s the latter…

Don’t say sorry.
Stop apologising.


Hate public speaking? Let’s fix that.
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