I’ll never forget when a European colleague started a serious Japanese business presentation with “Tsumaranai nihongo de moshiwake gozaimasen” (I apologize for my boring Japanese). It was a genuine mistake. He meant to say “tsutanai nihongo” (poor Japanese). The Japanese clients found it very funny.
Humor, especially when unintended, is a great way to grab the audience’s attention and build a connection.
An apology is not.
An apology such as, “I’m sorry about my bad English” sucks the energy out of the room in an instant.
Focusing on the language sounds like an excuse: “Well, if it wasn’t for my linguistic limitations, this would be a fabulous presentation.”
The audience thinks, “Uh-oh, this is going to be painful” and loses the will to listen.
Whether or not you refer to your ability, the audience can and will judge you. So you’re wasting your time (and theirs) by apologizing.
More important, they may think your English isn’t bad at all! It takes guts to give a presentation and it takes even more to do it in your non-native language. The ability to connect with the audience is much more important than grammar, pronunciation, or sophisticated vocabulary.
Next time you’re presenting, don’t start with a boring apology. Let the audience be the judge of how “bad” you are. They may actually think you rock!