For many people, setting goals means adding things to busy lives. If a cup is already full to the brim, there is no room to add more water. If you want to freshen up the water, some needs to be emptied out first. So it is with your life. Consider emptying out some of the stale things from your life before making your plans and goals. Doing this involves self-reflection and can often mean making some difficult choices.

Have you ever had a speaking engagement in which the members of the audience just stared at you while you talked and didn’t even smile at your jokes? Or have you ever had a speaking engagement in which you sent out waves of positive, enthusiastic energy into the audience only to watch them crash upon silent, straightfaced listeners? If either of these scenarios have happened to you, don’t worry, it’s probably not you — in all likelihood you have probably spoken to a group of people who simply have a preference for introversion.

Making a connection with your audience is vital in delivering a successful presentation. And in order to make a connection, it's important to get into the habit of doing your homework before each speech. The following are three common reasons that presentations don't have the outcome you may expect, along with the remedies that can easily be applied.