presentation mistakes definition

[email protected]

Click to copy

Email copied!

18 presentation mistakes you probably make (and how to avoid them)

July 11, 2017

Almost exactly one year ago I was in Paris with a colleague and his team of presentation coaches. We were gonna hold a presentation workshop for an international company and their senior managers. What unfolded in that workshop was eye-opening. We asked the attendees to reflect on what makes a presentation great versus awful, and the consensus was clear - bad slides can ruin even the most brilliant presenter's performance.

As we delved into the workshop, it became evident that the common pitfalls were "bad slides," "too much text on slides," and "ugly PowerPoint slides." Aha! The attendees understood the significance of clean design in business presentations. This was great news for me who was growing my presentation design agency.

Bad slides can make the greatest presenter fail

One might argue that as long as you're a captivating speaker, the slides are secondary. However, reality struck us during a 5-minute presentation exercise. One of the senior managers, let’s call him John, had great stage presence and his outgoing and fun personality caught my attention straight away. John was not talking about a super exciting topic, but his impressive way of presenting it made me actually want to listen and see if I could learn anything.

The issue was that John's slides kept pulling my attention away from him and what he was saying, and my focus was instead on reading his bullet points. And it didn't take long before I had lost him and what he was talking about. This happened over and over again with several of the other managers. It became clear that the details crammed into his slides were working against him, not for him.

Most of the senior managers were good at communicating their ideas but they didn't need all the content that they had stuffed in their slides. The details in their presentation slides worked against the speaker rather than supporting them. And this is a fact that most speakers neglect: do my slides enhance or detract from my message?

When you are preparing a presentation, try asking yourself these three questions:

Do I really need all these points on my slide? Embrace simplicity and let your speech fill in the gaps.

What can I delete from my slides and convey through my words? Less is often more when it comes to impactful presentations.

Do my slides support me, or are they stealing the spotlight? Ensure your slides complement your narrative, not compete with it.

The 18 most common presentation mistakes people do, and how to avoid them

On the second day of the workshop we worked together with the participants, did some role plays, critiqued their slides and how they gave their presentations. From these exercises we developed a big list of the most common mistakes people make when giving presentations. We also gave suggestions on how to stop making those mistakes. Here are the top 18 from that list.

1. Ignoring the Power of Design

Mistake : Underestimating the impact of presentation design.

Solution : Embrace clean, visually appealing slides that complement your message. Consider color psychology, visual hierarchy, and maintain consistency throughout. It's hard to tell stories with bullet points.

2. Overlooking the Psychology of Colors

Mistake : Neglecting the influence of colors on audience perception.

Solution : Choose colors wisely to evoke the right emotions. Warm tones for passion, cool tones for trust. Align your color palette with the mood and message of your presentation.

3. Neglecting Visual Hierarchy

Mistake : Failing to guide the audience's attention through visual hierarchy.

Solution : Use larger fonts, bold colors, and strategic layouts to highlight key points. Guide your audiences' attention with visual hierarchy.

4. Inconsistency in Design

Mistake : Not maintaining a consistent design throughout the presentation.

Solution : From fonts to color schemes, consistency breeds professionalism. Create a cohesive narrative by ensuring all design elements align with your brand.

5. Underestimating the Power of Storytelling

Mistake : Overlooking the impact of a compelling narrative.

Solution : Tailor your story to resonate with your audience. Craft a narrative arc with a captivating introduction, core content, and a memorable takeaway. Humanize your presentation with real-life anecdotes.

6. Not Knowing Your Audience

Mistake : Failing to tailor your presentation to your audience.

Solution : Understand their needs, challenges, and aspirations. Make your message more relatable by addressing their specific interests.

7. Neglecting Virtual Presentation Skills

Mistake : Ignoring the nuances of virtual presentations.

Solution : Master the art of virtual communication. Leverage tools, optimize visuals for screens, and maintain an engaging tone to keep your audience actively participating.

8. Avoiding Interaction in Presentations

Mistake : Sticking to a one-way communication approach.

Solution : Break away from monotone presentations with interactive elements. Incorporate polls, Q&A sessions, and multimedia to keep your audience engaged and participating actively.

9. Underestimating the Impact of Presentation Design Agencies

Mistake : Overlooking the expertise of presentation design agencies.

Solution : Collaborate with specialized presentation and/or PowerPoint agencies for visually stunning presentations. They understand the nuances of effective design and can transform your ideas into captivating visuals.

10. DIY Design Mistakes

Mistake : Thinking effective design requires a hefty budget.

Solution : Explore user-friendly design tools like Canva. Invest in online courses to enhance your skills and gather feedback from peers to uncover areas for improvement.

11. Ignoring Rehearsals

Mistake : Neglecting the importance of rehearsing your presentation.

Solution : Practice your delivery to enhance confidence and identify areas for improvement. Record yourself and watch it back. Seek feedback from a colleague.

12. Overloading Slides with Information

Mistake : Cramming too much information onto slides.

Solution : Embrace simplicity. Focus on key points and let your speech fill in the details. A clutter-free slide enhances audience understanding.

13. Disregarding Body Language

Mistake : Ignoring the impact of body language during presentations.

Solution : Be mindful of your gestures, posture, and facial expressions. Positive body language enhances your credibility and engages the audience.

14. Neglecting the Opening Hook

Mistake : Starting your presentation with a weak or generic opening.

Solution : Capture your audience's attention from the start. Begin with a compelling question, quote, or anecdote to hook your audience and set the tone.

15. Poor Time Management

Mistake : Overrunning or rushing through your presentation.

Solution : Practice pacing to ensure your presentation fits the allotted time. Be mindful of your audience's attention span and adjust your content accordingly.

16. Ignoring Feedback Loops

Mistake : Disregarding the importance of feedback.

Solution : Seek feedback from peers, mentors, or the audience. Constructive criticism helps refine your presentation skills and address blind spots.

17. Using Overly Complex Jargon

Mistake : Assuming your audience understands complex industry jargon.

Solution : Simplify your language to ensure universal understanding. Clear communication enhances engagement and relatability.

18. Lack of Adaptability

Mistake : Failing to adapt your presentation style to different audiences or settings.

Solution : Understand the context and preferences of your audience. Tailor your delivery to resonate with diverse groups, whether in a boardroom or a virtual setting.

Mastering the art of presentation goes beyond being a captivating speaker. It involves understanding the marriage of design and storytelling, navigating the technological landscape, and adapting to evolving presentation styles. Whether you collaborate with a presentation design agency or take the DIY route, the goal remains the same - to captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression. Embrace the power of design, craft compelling narratives, and watch as your presentations become not just informative sessions but memorable experiences.

Recent articles

View all articles

Our founder Damon is speaking at Present to Succeed 2024 in Bulgaria

Why bad slides kill good ideas - and how to avoid it

Presentation design

The 15 Most Common Presentation Mistakes You Should Avoid

Becoming a better presenter should be in your bucket list. With so many real-life benefits to improving your presentation skills, you’re seriously missing out if you think being an ‘okay’ presenter is good enough. Avoid these common presentation mistakes, and be on your way to becoming a popular and highly sought-after speaker in your industry!

Perfection Isn’t Key To A Successful Presentation

Photo by Jonathan Hoxmark on Unsplash

There is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ presentation. We’re all bound to make mistakes – rookies and expert presenters alike. And that’s alright. Why? Because we’re not robots. We’re humans. As such, we are inherently error-prone.

Think about the last time you had a ‘perfect’ presentation. Can you remember? No? Maybe that’s because it never happened. No matter how well-prepared you are, you may still occasionally stumble, mispronounce something, or forget to mention some meaningful examples you’ve rehearsed during practice.

Perfection isn’t something that you should aspire to, anyway. You’re just setting yourself up for failure that way. When you’re aiming for perfection, you’re setting the bar far too high and putting a ton of pressure on yourself. The more you make mistakes, the more frustrated you become. Even if you achieve the impossible and do a ‘perfect’ presentation, what’s next for you? What’s comes after ‘perfection,’ anyway?

Perfection is never the right approach. Instead, strive to continuously improve and become a better version of yourself. Even the most successful presenters constantly look for ways to improve themselves. They read up on presentation techniques, observe their competitors in action, and are relentless in their pursuit of knowledge.

Wouldn’t you love to be like these ‘experts’? They’re already at the pinnacle of success, and yet they continue to seek knowledge and growth. Complacency just isn’t part of their vocabulary – and it shouldn’t be in yours, too!

Stop Committing These 15 Most Common Presentation Mistakes

In the beginning, you may find yourself committing these mistakes over and over again. That’s okay. Don’t be frustrated. Take it as a challenge to continue improving. These mistakes are called ‘common’ for a reason. Presenters of all levels make these from time to time. So, don’t be too harsh on yourself if you don’t succeed right away.

1. Not defining your presentation goal

Presenters who don’t define their presentation goal are prone to making a lot of mistakes which translates to a higher risk of failure. Sure, you can try to ‘wing’ it, but what would you say your chances of success are?

Before you even plan out your content, you should know what your presentation’s goal is. Are you looking to inform, educate, persuade, activate, inspire or entertain the audience?

Now, it doesn’t have to be one or the other. One would expect an informative or educational presentation to be a bit more serious than an entertaining one would be. But, if it’s not against the rules, try to liven things up as well. You can say you want to educate and, at the same time, entertain people. Or, you can persuade and inspire your audience simultaneously.

Whatever your goals may be, always have the audience in mind. Meet people’s expectations and plan your presentation in such a way that they will not be disappointed.

2. Not preparing enough for the presentation

It’s so easy to put off preparing for a presentation when you know the topic like the back of your hand. In your mind’s eye, you can see yourself finishing the outline, the speech, and the slides – all in just a few hours.

But, of course, when it comes right down to it, you find yourself panicking because you underestimated the task at hand. So, when you get to your presentation, you’re sweating nervously. And your slides are nothing but a bunch of copied-and-pasted text from the Internet.

Procrastination has destroyed so many reputations and so many careers. Leaving stuff up to the very last minute may give you a rush of adrenaline. It makes you feel powerful when you get lucky and pull a successful presentation off. However, it also makes you think you can pull the same stunt every time you have a presentation coming up. You get complacent and don’t prepare until the very last minute.

The only excuse you can have for not preparing is when you’re not given enough time in the first place. Say you’re doing a client presentation. But your boss only assigned that task at the very last minute, leaving you with literally zero time to prepare. You certainly can’t be blamed in this situation, unless your boss is deliberately trying to get you fired.

3. Not knowing who your audience is

You’re doing your presentation to benefit your audience. So, spending a fair amount of time researching your topic is the right thing to do. But don’t stop there. Learn more about your audience, too.

How can your presentation add value to people’s lives? Why should they listen to you? And why should they care about your presentation?

Getting to know your audience can mean the difference between success and failure. If your message resonates with them, they’re going to pay attention to you. Otherwise, they’ll tune you out – they simply have no reason to listen to you.

Let’s say, for example, you’re giving a presentation on a new product your company is launching. If you know your audience, you can tell stories that they can relate to. You can cite real-life examples that are relevant to your audience.

If you’re presenting in front of a culturally diverse group of people, you don’t want to make an off-putting joke that people will hate you for. Offending your audience is the last thing you want to happen during your presentation.

Getting to know your audience isn’t really as hard as it sounds. This article will give you ideas you can follow to learn more about your listeners.

4. Not checking if the presentation file is working

In most cases, you won’t have a technical team on standby. Whether you’re doing a one-on-one presentation, or presenting in front of a group, it’s important to personally make sure you can access the presentation file.

It doesn’t matter if you’re using PowerPoint, Keynote or Google Slides, or whatever your preferred presentation app is. You may have designed a bunch of impressive-looking slides, but if you can’t access it on presentation day, then your work is all for naught.

This is especially important when the stakes are high. If you’re trying to get people to invest a considerable sum in your business, you need them to trust you. And the thing is, they’re not going to trust you if they witness you panicking because the presentation file is corrupted, or worse, missing!

How can people trust you with their money when you can’t even be bothered to check beforehand if your file is working? Think about it. So, don’t throw a tantrum if people give you negative feedback on your company website or on social media. Own up to your mistakes and do a better job next time.

5. Not scoping out the presentation venue ahead of time

Here’s another very common presentation mistake. You don’t just waltz in to your presentation venue without visiting it earlier in the week (or day), and making sure everything’s in good working condition.

Check the sound system, the projector, the podium, the stage, etc. Go to the very back of the room, and see if you can still read the text on your presentation slides. If not, well, at least you still have time to make the necessary adjustments. Ideally, however, this should have been factored in before you even started working on your slides.

Make sure your voice carries across the room, and everyone can hear you loud and clear. You’ve got an important message and you want it to be heard.

If you’re presenting in a cozy cafe or renting a small meeting room in a very busy establishment like a restaurant, then check the noise levels in the area. Can your guests hear you? Perhaps you can request to be moved to a better, quieter spot.

Scoping out your presentation venue may sound unnecessary, but really, it’s the small things that count. After all, you want your audience to be as comfortable as possible, so they’d be more receptive to your presentation.

6. Too many animations

Subjecting your audience to a presentation with nonstop animations and transitions is akin to torture. Seriously, try watching your presentation yourself and see if you can last till the end without getting dizzy, or worse, throwing up!

Animations, when used sparingly and carefully, can do a lot of good to your presentation. You can get people to re-focus their attention on you. A subtle movement every now and then can emphasize important points in your presentation. Applying animation effects to every single element on your slides is just plain overkill.

For best results, stick to simple animations. The most commonly used slide transition effect is a simple fade animation. For object animations, there are plenty of options to choose from in PowerPoint. Before you apply an animation effect, ask yourself first if it adds any value to your presentation. If the answer is ‘no,’ forget it. If ‘yes,’ then by all means, add that effect to your slide!

7. Not getting straight to the point

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Your audience is most likely composed of busy individuals. Respect them by not wasting their time. After briefly introducing yourself, tell them what they can expect to learn from your presentation. Then, go through your points one by one.

Having an outline – and sticking to it – will help prevent you from going around in circles. With an outline, you can structure your presentation, and go from introduction to body to conclusion smoothly. In short, an outline can help you plan how you can make the most impact on your audience.

Remember, people have short attention spans. If you don’t deliver on your promises, and you keep on talking about non-relevant stuff, people will tune you out. You better give them something important to chew on before they turn their attention elsewhere.

8. Too much text or information in slides

This is personally one of my pet peeves in presentations – cramming way too much info on slides. When you lay out everything on your slides, you don’t give your audience any incentive to continue listening to you. They’re just going to read your slide and play on their phones while they wait for you to move on to the next slide. They’ll just repeat this process until the end of your presentation.

The element of surprise or the unknown is important in presentations. Keep your audience’s interest by not sharing everything on your slides. Pique their curiosity by giving hints and clues on your slides. Then deliver a verbal discussion on what those hints mean.

Another benefit of not putting way too much text or information in your slides is that you avoid doing the next mistake.

9. Reading the presentation slides

Trust me when I say you’re disrespecting your audience by reading whatever is on your slides. It’s like you’re assuming they don’t know how to read for themselves!

What’s even worse is when your slides are so crammed with text that the font size becomes reduced to near-infinitesimal levels! So, you end up inadvertently insulting your audience even more. Now they’re stuck listening to you read your slides because they can’t read what’s on there. It’s the double whammy of bad presentations!

To sum up this point, people want to learn from you and they want to listen to you. But they DON’T want to listen to you read your slides.

10. ‘Death by PowerPoint’

Don’t quote me on this, but I don’t think anyone’s literally died yet just by watching a PowerPoint presentation. ‘ Death by PowerPoint’ is a phenomenon brought about by the millions of PowerPoint presenters who bore their audiences to tears, or in this case, death.

If you’ve ever attended a presentation where the presenter showed a dizzying and confusing array of slides, or droned on and on without caring if anyone’s actually listening, then you’ve personally experienced this phenomenon. I bet you – and everyone else – were thinking you’d rather be anywhere else but there.

Here’s a video from 10 years ago that’s still relevant today:

So, yeah, ‘death by PowerPoint’ is easily one of the most common PowerPoint mistakes you should avoid at all cost!

11. Not speaking clearly

Many rookie presenters are guilty of this common presentation mistake. Who wants to listen to a presenter speak gibberish? Not me. And I’m pretty sure not you, either. You’re attending a presentation because you want to learn something. When the speaker on stage doesn’t speak clearly, frustrations can quickly build up.

So, when you practice your speech, it’s important to make sure you enunciate each word clearly. Don’t use words that your audiences aren’t familiar with. If you’re speaking to a bunch of elderly people, don’t use lingo they may not understand. If you’re with a younger group, try to learn their slang so they’ll feel more comfortable with you.

Also, when using acronyms, make sure you define it first so people don’t end up confused. You want everyone to be on the same page as you, and communication is key to achieving this particular goal.

12. Not making eye contact

Making eye contact is one of the first things you should work on as a presenter. Why? Because avoiding eye contact during presentations make you look dodgy and untrustworthy. You won’t inspire confidence. So, don’t be surprised if no one takes you seriously.

With eye contact, however, you make it easy for people to see that you actually believe in what you’re saying. If you’re trying to persuade them to buy something from you, they’ll look at you for reassurance that you yourself believe in the product you’re selling.

Eye contact helps you build connections with your audience. When you make eye contact for a few seconds, you feel like you’re talking to that person one-on-one. In that moment, you make that audience member feel important and respected. In return, they will be more receptive to the message you’re sharing with them.

If you’re a naturally shy person, you’ll need to take some baby steps in the beginning. Try practicing making eye contact with the people you interact with on a daily basis. Over time, you’ll find yourself making eye contact naturally and you’ll feel your confidence levels rising.

13. Not dressing appropriately

Photo by Heather Ford on Unsplash

How would you feel if you wore formal attire to someone’s presentation and the speaker shows up wearing street clothes? You’d probably be annoyed that you took the time to dress up. Here you are listening to someone who didn’t even bother to wear a more suitable outfit for his talk.

First impressions are everything. The right clothes can make people warm up to you. You’re selling an image of being a professional, trustworthy speaker. Your clothes can definitely speak volumes on your behalf.

When in doubt, stick to the classics – gray or black business suits look good in presentations. If you’re borrowing someone else’s suit, make sure it at least fits you. You don’t want to look like you’re swimming in your clothes. For best results, invest in your own business suits. Wearing your own clothes will help you feel more comfortable and more confident.

Don’t forget about your hair, too. You want nothing sticking out unless you’re speaking to a bunch of guys with spiky hair. But even then, you’d still want to maintain an air of professionalism.

The bottom line is, make yourself look good so you’ll feel good. Carefully pick out your clothes . Let your audience see that you’re someone they can build a professional relationship with.

14. Insufficient knowledge of presentation topic

As I’ve mentioned earlier in this article, people attend your presentation because they want to learn something new from you. So, if you show up to your presentation without doing your research or your homework, then you’re essentially wasting their time.

It’s important to be prepared for your presentation. But don’t just cover the basics and then gloss over the details. Be prepared to go as in-depth as possible and cover all possible angles. Now, I don’t mean you need to know everything about the subject, but do try to be as well-informed as possible.

Don’t tell people what they already know. Figure out how you can ‘sell’ your ideas and make your presentation engaging and exciting!

15. No clear call to action

Many rookie presenters make the mistake of not adding a call to action (CTA) to their presentations. They think that their job is done just by sharing whatever their message is and that nothing else needs to be done afterwards.

To be fair, however, in informative presentations, the need for a CTA may not be as clear-cut as, say, a sales presentation. But you should definitely still add a call to action to ALL presentations.

Why? Because CTA’s motivate and encourage your audience to take action. You’re letting them know that the ball is in their court now. You’ve laid out what they need to do, so they can apply the information they’ve learned from you.

Don’t let people treat your presentation as something they can just sweep under the rug. Make an impact during your presentation so that people will be more willing to follow your CTA.

Here’s a tip: instead of using a thank you slide, put your CTA in the final slide. This way, people will be more likely to remember – and take action on – your call to action.

Final Words

You don’t need to aim for a perfect presentation. But avoiding these common presentation mistakes will definitely help you become a better presenter. Define your presentation goal and plan out your content before you do anything else. When designing your slides, make your audience’s visual experience a positive one. Create a strong first impression and engage with your audience throughout your presentation. Help them learn from you, and they’ll help you achieve your presentation goals!

You might also find this interesting:

• Here are the best resources to improve your presentation techniques
• The seven worst presentations of all time and why they went wrong
• Bad PowerPoint Examples You Should Avoid at All Costs

Create professional presentations online

Other people also read

6 Presentation Styles of Famous Presenters

How to create and deliver a powerful presentation introducti...

The seven worst presentations of all time and why they went ...

Common presentation mistakes: How to avoid these common mistakes every presenter makes

Explore the most common presentation mistakes that every presenter makes, and learn how to enhance your presentation skills.

Bharti Jain

Delivering presentations

Presentations are a critical tool for communication in the modern professional world, whether in academia, business, or any other field. However, even the most seasoned presenters with great presentation skills can fall prey to common pitfalls that diminish the impact of their presentations. By understanding these common mistakes and learning how to avoid them, presenters can significantly enhance their effectiveness. This article explores these frequent errors and provides practical advice on how to sidestep them.

Mistakes a presenter makes while CREATING a presentation

Creating a presentation is much more than assembling slides and graphics. It involves thorough planning and understanding of the content, the audience, and the context in which the presentation will be delivered. Many presenters, however, overlook these foundational aspects, leading to presentations that are less engaging or effective. Here are some common missteps during the creation of presentation slides and key points on how to avoid them.

Lack of research on the concerned topic

When tasked with delivering a presentation, your initial step should be thorough research. This is the cornerstone of any effective presentation as it not only adds depth to your content but also instills a layer of confidence in your delivery. Skimping on research can lead to a superficial presentation, which might result in losing your audience's interest due to the lack of substantive content.

Tips to research a concerned topic - Start by clearly defining the objective of your presentation and understanding your audience. Utilize credible sources such as academic journals, reputable news outlets, and expert interviews to gather accurate and relevant information. Keep your notes well-organized, possibly using digital tools for ease of access and modification. Incorporate a variety of media formats, including videos, infographics, and podcasts, to enrich your presentation. Always verify your facts with multiple sources to maintain reliability.

Starting directly with the designs

Many people instinctively open PowerPoint when they begin preparing a presentation. They start creating slide designs, either by repurposing old ones or designing new ones, and might feel a sense of accomplishment as they see visible progress—something that can be printed and shared.

However, this approach can be like trying to write a book by starting with individual chapters before having a plot. This often leads to a collection of disjointed sections that are challenging to weave into a compelling narrative. This method not only squanders time but also resources.

Instead , it's more effective to develop a robust talk that minimizes reliance on visual aids. You may discover that your message can stand strong on its own without the need for slides. If visual aids turn out to be necessary, they should ideally be crafted towards the final stages of your preparation process, ensuring they support and enhance your presentation, rather than steering it.

Including too much text on slides

When crafting individual slides, it's crucial to find the right balance between text and visuals. Too much visual content can overpower what might be a strong presentation otherwise. While you aim to deliver substantial content to your audience, it's important to avoid overwhelming them.

Here are some tips : If your slides still appear text-heavy after condensing the content, consider these strategies:

• Use bullet points, headers, and other formatting techniques to enhance readability.
• Switching up the font can be a simple yet effective method to make the text more visually appealing.
• Black is generally the safest choice for font color, but occasionally, using a different color can highlight critical information effectively.

Using colors that distract

Often, presenters underestimate the impact of colors and choose their slide-deck palettes only at the last moment, which can significantly detract from the effectiveness of a presentation. Certain color combinations, like red and green, might inadvertently bring up seasonal associations, such as Christmas, which may not align with the intended message.

It's essential for presenters to invest time in understanding color theory, as colors can profoundly alter the perception of the information being presented. Choosing the wrong colors can misalign with the emotions you aim to evoke in your audience.

Tips to choose the right color:

• Spend time learning how different colors can influence mood and perception, ensuring that your choices bolster the presentation's message.
• Always use your organization's color scheme to maintain brand alignment and reinforce brand identity.
• Check how your colors appear on different devices and projectors to ensure they are consistently visible.
• Limit your palette to a few complementary colors to avoid visual confusion and enhance the overall aesthetic of your presentation.

Using still images only or too much animation

When creating presentations, presenters often lean too heavily on one type of visual aid, such as relying solely on still images or overusing animations. Using only still images can make a presentation feel static and unengaging, potentially causing the audience's attention to wane. On the other hand, excessive animations can be distracting, pulling focus away from the core message and sometimes even slowing down the presentation flow on less capable systems.

To avoid these pitfalls and strike the right balance in visual aids, consider the following tips:

• Combine still images with other forms of media like videos, charts, and simple animations to keep the presentation dynamic and engaging. This variety caters to different learning styles and keeps the audience interested.
• Incorporate animations only where they add value, such as illustrating a process or highlighting changes over time. Ensure that animations are smooth and professional.
• Choose images and animations that are directly relevant to the content being discussed.
• Always preview your presentation to check the balance and flow of visual elements. Discuss it with your team, take their feedback, and integrate it.

Only data, no story

Another common mistake presenters make is overloading their slides with too much information and not enough narrative. This can lead to a presentation that feels more like a data dump rather than a compelling story. The audience may struggle to connect the dots or understand the overarching message, which can result in disengagement and confusion. Presentations that fail to tell a story often lack emotional resonance, making it harder to inspire action or change.

Tips to enhance your presentations by balancing informative content with engaging storytelling

• Allot space to real-life elements like case studies, anecdotes, or testimonials. These elements can humanize your data and connect emotionally with the audience, making complex information more relatable and memorable.
• Utilize storytelling tools designed to help structure your presentation's narrative more effectively. Explore tools like Prezent, which has a unique storybuilder feature recommended for large enterprises, or Microsoft Sway, which offers easy-to-use templates and visuals, helping you organize your points around a central theme.

Creating the same presentation for different audiences

Knowing your audience is crucial for tailoring a presentation that resonates and engages effectively. Different audience members have varying expectations, backgrounds, and interests, which should guide how you structure and deliver your presentation. It’s best to customize a presentation for different audiences. This helps keep your audience's interest alive.

For example, when presenting a financial forecast to executives, they will typically want an executive summary of the financial forecast first, focusing on key figures, growth projections, and strategic implications. They prefer a concise overview that allows them to quickly grasp the financial health and future direction of the company before deciding if a deeper dive is necessary.

In contrast, the finance department would require a detailed breakdown of the same forecast. They would be interested in the specific assumptions made, variance analyses, and detailed financial models. For them, complex terms and extensive data are essential and expected.

Tips to build presentations according to your audience's style

• Explore and utilize tools that can help you understand audience strengths , preferences, and areas for growth, while also providing personalized insights to enhance your communication skills.
• Create flexible content that includes both high-level summaries and detailed appendices or technical sections. This allows you to adjust the content dynamically, depending on who is in the audience.
• Before the presentation, ask attendees about their expectations and any specific topics they want covered. This feedback can refine your focus and ensure the presentation addresses the audience’s needs.

Using the wrong presentation maker

No matter how confident you are in your body language, public speaking abilities, or how well you've prepared and researched your topic, choosing the right tool for building your presentation is crucial. The market offers a variety of tools, each tailored to specific needs, so selecting the appropriate one can significantly enhance your presentation's impact.

Here are a few options:

• Canva - Known for leveling the design playing field, Canva provides a vast array of customizable templates and innovative features like Magic Design. This tool is ideal for users of all skill levels who want to produce sleek, professional designs effortlessly.
• Beautiful.ai - The platform is designed for users who want to create presentations efficiently, with a focus on design and layout optimization only.
• Templafy - Best suited for people aiming to maintain brand consistency across their documents, Templafy integrates with PowerPoint to provide users with easy access to corporate-branded templates.
• Prezent - This tool adopts a comprehensive approach to presentation creation. It not only helps in crafting slides but also focuses on developing engaging narratives. With its vast slide libraries and educational modules on business communication, Prezent is particularly favored by large and mid-market organizations for its ability to streamline complex business storytelling.

Explore the capabilities of Prezent and discover how it can transform your business communications by scheduling a demo . Alternatively, you can embark on your journey of discovery by exploring its features firsthand by opting for a free trial.

Mistakes a presenter makes BEFORE giving a presentation

Before diving into specific pitfalls, it's essential to recognize that the preparation phase is as crucial as the delivery of your presentation. Many presenters focus extensively on the content of their slides and the delivery techniques but overlook critical preparatory steps that can make or break their presentation. Ensuring everything is in order before you step in front of an audience is key to delivering a successful presentation. Avoiding these common mistakes will not only boost your confidence but also enhance the effectiveness of your communication.

Not checking if the presentation files are working

When presenting, whether to a small group or a large audience, ensure that you can access and run your presentation smoothly. Regardless of the software you use—PowerPoint, Keynote, or Google Slides—it's crucial to confirm that your slides are ready to go. Problems accessing your presentation can quickly undermine the confidence of potential investors or important stakeholders.

Tips to avoid this common presentation mistake:

• Test your presentation files on the actual equipment you'll be using, well before your presentation starts.
• Always have multiple backups of your presentation, including on a USB drive and in the cloud.
• Run through your presentation in the actual setting to catch any potential issues ahead of time.

Not scoping the presentation venue

Failing to familiarize yourself with the venue can lead to unexpected issues that could affect the delivery of your presentation. Issues can range from not knowing how to adjust the room lighting, to being unaware of the acoustic challenges a room might pose.

Tip: Visit the venue beforehand if possible, or at least arrive early to assess the setup. Check the seating arrangements, the visibility of the screen, the sound system, and other environmental factors. This allows you to adjust your presentation logistics well before your audience arrives.

Non-functioning equipment and accessories

Arriving to find that the projector or microphone doesn't work can throw even the best presenters off balance. Such issues can detract from the professionalism of the presentation and diminish the audience's experience. The accessories also play a major role in elevating your presentations , and their pre-testing is important.

Tip: Always test every piece of equipment you plan to use as soon as you arrive at the venue. Know how to quickly troubleshoot common issues, or ensure that a technical staff member from the venue is on hand to assist. Additionally, prepare for the worst-case scenario by having a plan that allows you to deliver your content effectively even without the expected AV setup.

Common mistakes presenters make while DELIVERING a presentation

When delivering a presentation, it's not just what you say that matters, but how you connect with your audience. Many presenters focus purely on the content and overlook the importance of interpersonal dynamics, which can greatly influence the reception and impact of their message. Effective delivery requires a balance of preparation, personal engagement, and the ability to adapt based on the audience's response. Get aware of some common delivery mistakes and how to avoid them.

Not establishing an initial rapport

Often, presenters get caught up in last-minute rehearsals as soon as they enter the presentation room, overlooking the opportunity to connect with their audience from the moment they arrive. While being well-prepared is crucial, establishing a personal rapport with attendees before the presentation begins can be just as important for its success.

Tips to build early rapport with your audience: Always arrive early to set up and be prepared before attendees start arriving. Stand by the door to warmly greet each person as they enter—offer a handshake, maintain eye contact, smile, and nod to show genuine interest. If time allows after greeting everyone, continue engaging in small talk with audience members, inquiring about their expectations or interests related to the presentation. These efforts can help create a welcoming atmosphere and make the audience more receptive to your message once the presentation begins.

Being too serious and monotonous

When trying to appear 'professional,' many of us become overly serious. However, being too serious can make it harder for your audience to feel connected to you. Professional doesn't have to mean serious; it's really about communicating well.

To truly come across as professional, make your presentation enjoyable by adding a bit of lightness. This doesn't mean you have to tell jokes, but a few light-hearted comments can make your audience smile and feel more connected to what you're saying. Here's an example

Too Serious: "We must consider the effects of not following our quarterly projections. Ignoring them could really set us back."

With Levity: "Think of our quarterly projections like a weather forecast. If we ignore the rain forecast, it's like forgetting an umbrella on a stormy day – we're all going to get soaked!"

This way, the presentation feels more engaging and the information sticks better because it’s shared in a relatable way.

Using written language while talking

It's important to recognize the difference between how we write and how we speak. Written language often includes complex sentences and specialized vocabulary that work well on paper but can sound overly formal and difficult to follow when spoken aloud. Spoken language, on the other hand, tends to be more direct, conversational, and engaging when heard.

To deliver a perfect presentation, you should aim to speak in a way that feels natural and relatable, rather than simply reading written content off a page. This example will help you understand better:

Written Language: "The subjects were administered a quantitative measure subsequent to the intervention to ascertain the efficacy thereof."

Spoken Language: "After the program, we gave participants a quick survey to see how well it worked."

By adapting your language from the formal style often found in written documents to a more conversational tone, you can improve understanding and connection with your audience, making your presentation more effective and memorable.

Keeping yourself, your ideas, or your product as the focus point

To deliver an impactful presentation, shift the focus from your product or business directly to your audience. A common misstep is starting a presentation like it's merely a rundown of what's to come, which often fails to engage or offer immediate value to your listeners.

Effective communication involves reframing your message to emphasize its relevance to the audience. By focusing on their needs and interests, you make your presentation more relatable and engaging, increasing the likelihood that they will listen attentively.

Example of a less effective opening: "Today, I will discuss our company’s history, our product lines, and our market strategy."

Example of a more effective opening: "Imagine being able to accomplish your tasks twice as fast as before, with half the effort. Today, I'm excited to show you a tool that can make that happen."

By starting with a focus on the benefits to the audience rather than a simple overview of topics, you draw your listeners in and directly connect your presentation to their interests and needs.

Loose at public speaking

Public speaking thrives on flexibility and adaptability, allowing speakers to connect with diverse audiences effectively. However, the following mistakes can hinder this connection, making the presentation less effective.

• Meta speaking: Avoid focusing on the mechanics of your presentation, such as announcing each slide or section. This can distract from the main content. Keep transitions smooth and integrated to maintain audience engagement.

• Not speaking clearly : Clear articulation is essential. Mumbling or speaking too quickly without pause can confuse listeners. Practice speaking at a moderate pace and enunciate your words to ensure clarity.

• Inappropriate humor: While humor can be a powerful tool to connect with the audience, using humor that is inappropriate, offensive, or out of context can backfire. It’s important to understand the cultural and demographic background of your audience to avoid jokes that may be inappropriate.

• Not making eye contact: Avoiding eye contact can make you seem unsure or disconnected. If making direct eye contact is challenging, try looking at the forehead or nose bridge of audience members, which can feel more comfortable while still appearing as though you are making eye contact.

Death by PowerPoint

"Death by PowerPoint" is a common critique of presentations where the speaker overly relies on slides. This typically happens when presenters simply read off the slides instead of using them as a tool to enhance their narrative. The key issue is that the presentation lacks a human connection, as the speaker does not effectively communicate the significance of the content but merely narrates the visible information. Here’s an example of how to avoid this scenario and instead, deliver the best presentation:

What not to do situation

The presenter clicks through slides filled with dense text and complex diagrams while reading them word for word. "As you can see here on slide 14, we increased our network capacity by 20% last quarter through the integration of new routing protocols, detailed in the graph..." This forces the audience to split their focus between reading and listening, which can be very challenging and often leads to disengagement.

What to do situation

Instead of reading the slides, the presenter uses them as a backdrop to a story that highlights the importance and impact of the information. "Last quarter, our team faced a major challenge: our customer base was growing exponentially, and our network was struggling to keep up. So, we took bold steps. By integrating innovative routing protocols, which you can see in this graph, we boosted our network capacity by an impressive 20%. This improvement means faster, more reliable service for our customers, directly contributing to a better user experience and higher customer satisfaction." In this improved approach, the speaker uses the slide as a support tool while focusing on explaining why the changes were necessary and what the outcomes mean for the audience.

Not dressing appropriately

Dressing appropriately for a presentation is crucial as it sets the tone for the interaction and can significantly influence how the audience perceives the speaker. Inappropriate attire can distract the audience or undermine the speaker’s credibility. For instance , wearing casual clothes to a formal business presentation may convey a lack of professionalism or seriousness about the subject matter.

Missing a strong CTA at the end

A compelling presentation usually ends with a strong call to action (CTA), guiding the audience on what to do next with the information they have received. Missing a strong CTA can result in an unfocused conclusion, leaving the audience uncertain about the steps to follow or the message's relevance.

What not to do - Ending the presentation with a vague or generic statement like "Thank you for listening, I hope you found this informative," without directing the audience on the next steps.

What to do - Conclude with a clear, actionable CTA that relates directly to the presentation's objective. For example, "To start improving your process today, I encourage you to visit our website and download our step-by-step guide. Let's make a difference together!"

Mistakes to be avoided AFTER a successful presentation

After delivering a successful presentation, it’s important to maintain the momentum and professionalism displayed during the event. There are several common mistakes that presenters can make post-presentation that may undermine their efforts or miss opportunities for further engagement. Here are a few key areas to be mindful of:

Not following up

One of the most common oversights is failing to follow up with the audience. A follow-up not only shows your appreciation for their time and attention but also reinforces the key messages from your presentation and provides an opportunity to continue the dialogue.

Tip: Send a thank-you email to attendees, include a copy of the presentation, or offer additional resources related to the topic. For key contacts or leads, personalize the follow-up with specific points of discussion from the event.

Ignoring feedback

Feedback is invaluable for growth and improvement. Neglecting to gather or address feedback from your presentation can prevent you from enhancing your skills and understanding your audience's needs better.

Tip: Encourage feedback through post-presentation surveys or direct conversations. Take the time to review responses carefully and consider how you can apply this feedback to improve future presentations.

Overlooking networking opportunities

Post-presentation interactions can be pivotal for networking and building professional relationships. Not engaging with the audience after the presentation can result in missed opportunities to connect with potential collaborators, clients, or mentors.

Tip: Stay available after the presentation to answer questions and interact with participants. Bring business cards and be ready to discuss potential collaboration or further conversations.

Avoiding these common mistakes before, during, and after your presentation can significantly enhance your effectiveness as a speaker and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

If you're looking to further hone your presentation skills or need tailored guidance to avoid these pitfalls, we invite you to connect with our experts. We offer personalized demos of Prezent , which can transform your presentations, making them more engaging and effective. This tool helps solve many of the common mistakes presenters make. Reach out today for a free trial and take your presentation skills to the next level.

More zenpedia articles

Best practices to create and deliver effective presentations

Sales pitch presentation: A comprehensive guide

Data presentation: A comprehensive guide

Get the latest from Prezent community

Join thousands of subscribers who receive our best practices on communication, storytelling, presentation design, and more. New tips weekly. (No spam, we promise!)

• Microsoft's Promise of Easy AI
• Walmart's Killer Tech Deals This Week

The 10 Most Common Presentation Mistakes

Keep it simple, clean, and to the point to keep your audience engaged

• Brock University

Caiaimage/Paul Bradbury / Getty Images 

What presentation mistakes are sure-fire ways to put your audience to sleep or send them running for the doors? Even the best presentation can be destroyed by a bad presenter—from the person who mumbles, to the one who talks too fast, to the one who just wasn't prepared. But perhaps nothing is as irritating as the person who misuses and abuses presentation software . 

You Don't Know Your Topic

Brand New Images / Iconica / Getty Images

Know your material so well that you could easily do the presentation without an electronic enhancement such as PowerPoint. Nothing will ruin your credibility as a presenter faster than not knowing pertinent information about your topic. Use ​keywords and phrases and include only essential information to keep the audience focused and interested. Anticipate likely questions and be prepared with answers.

The Slides Are Your Spoken Script

 Hero Images / Getty Images

You are the presentation . The slideshow should only be used as an accompaniment to your talk. Simplify the content by using bullet points for key information. Keep the most important points near the top of the slide for easy reading in the back rows. Focus on a single topic area for this presentation and use no more than four bullets per slide. Speak to the audience, not to the screen.​

Too Much Information

-MG- / Getty Images

Keep the presentation simple. Stick to three or four points about your topic and expound on them. The audience will be more likely to retain the information.

Poorly Chosen Design Template or Design Theme

Choose a design that is appropriate for the audience. A clean, straightforward layout is best for business presentations. Young children respond to presentations that are full of color and contain a variety of shapes. Ensure that thematic elements match your target audience—for example, a medical or nature theme probably isn't ideal for a finance presentation.

Electrifying Color Choices

Dimitri Otis / Getty Images

Audiences don't like unusual color combinations. Some are unsettling. Red and green combos can't be differentiated by people with color blindness.

Good contrast with the background is essential to make your text easy to read. A dark text on a light background is best. Off-white or light beige is easier on the eyes than the typical white, and dark backgrounds are effective if the text is light for easy reading.

Patterned or textured backgrounds make text hard to read. Also, keep the color scheme consistent.

Poor Font Choices

Coyote Moon, Inc.

Stick to easy-to-read fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman. Avoid script-type fonts which are hard to read onscreen. Use no more than two different fonts —one for headings, another for content and no less than a 30 pt font so that people at the back of the room can read them easily.

And never (not even in presentations for kids) use fonts like Comic Sans, Papyrus, or the dreaded Comic Papyrus. Those typefaces are so reviled that you'll instantly lose credibility.

Extraneous Photos and Graphs

Cindy Grigg / Microsoft

No one wants to waste their time sitting through a presentation with no substance. Use photos, charts , and diagrams only to emphasize the key points of your presentation. They add a nice break to the material, and when used correctly, can only enhance your oral presentation. Illustrate, don't decorate.

In particular, learn to love white space. There's no need to fill gaps with clipart.

Too Many Slides

Cultura RM/Ghislain & Marie David de Lossy//Cultura / Getty Images

Ensure your audience stays focused by keeping the number of slides to a minimum. A good rule of thumb is to practice your presentation before you deliver it. If you run out of time before you run out of slides, or you flip through slides so rapidly that no one can really digest them, then you've got too many.

Different Animations on Every Slide

Wendy Russell

Animations and sounds, used well, can heighten interest—but don't distract the audience with too much of a good thing. Design your presentation with the "less is more” philosophy. Don't let your audience suffer from animation overload. Animations, especially random ones, emphasize the motion and not the content.

Hardware Malfunctions

GoodLifeStudio / Getty Images

Check all the equipment and rehearse your presentation, using the equipment you'll be using when your presentation starts. Carry an extra projector bulb . If possible, check the lighting in the room you will be presenting in, prior to your time in the limelight. Make sure you know how to dim the lights if the room is too bright, and who's on deck for tech support should you run into an emergent glitch.

Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day

• How to Lose an Audience and 10 Ways to Get Them Back
• 4 Parts of a Successful Presentation
• 10 Dos and Don'ts for Technical Presentations
• 9 PowerPoint Presentation Tips for Students
• 10 Tips on Becoming a Better Presenter
• 12 Tips for Delivering a Knockout Business Presentation
• Change Font Colors and Styles on PowerPoint Slides
• The Definition of a Slide (or Slides) in a PowerPoint Presentation
• Beyond the Basics in PowerPoint
• An Introduction to PowerPoint
• How to Use Google Duet in Slides
• How to Use Google Slide Animations and Transitions
• The 8 Best Google Drive Add-ons for 2024
• How to Convert Negatives to Digital Pictures
• PowerPoint Background Colors and Graphics
• What Is an Animation in Presentation Software?

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

Five Presentation Mistakes Everyone Makes

• Nancy Duarte

Learn from the most common traps.

We all know what it’s like to sit through a bad presentation. We can easily spot the flaws — too long, too boring, indecipherable, what have you — when we watch others speak. The thing is, when we take the stage ourselves, many of us fall into the same traps.

• ND Nancy Duarte is a best-selling author with thirty years of CEO-ing under her belt. She’s driven her firm, Duarte, Inc., to be the global leader behind some of the most influential messages and visuals in business and culture. Duarte, Inc., is the largest design firm in Silicon Valley, as well as one of the top woman-owned businesses in the area. Nancy has written six best-selling books, four have won awards, and her new book, DataStory: Explain Data and Inspire Action Through Story , is available now. Follow Duarte on Twitter: @nancyduarte or LinkedIn .

Partner Center

10 Common Presentation Mistakes – How to Avoid

January 02, 2024

Many of us make common mistakes in our business presentations. Often these presentation mistakes are ways of working that seem efficient (but are not) such as: (1) planning your talk with PowerPoint, (2) writing your talk without planning, (3) skipping practise sessions and (4) narrating dull slides.

So, what makes a bad presentation? And how do you avoid common presentation errors?

Each of these presenting mistakes are ‘false friends’ – where you feel as if you are making progress but in reality you are diverting from the true path and giving yourself more work than necessary.

Study these bad presentation mistakes and identify where you can improve.

• Do you avoid planning your presentation up front?
• Are you too quick to start producing presentation slides?
• Are you reluctant to try out your presentation ideas on others early in the process?
• Do you use boring safe language?
• Do you try and say too much in your presentations?
• Are you unsure how to bring your presentation to life with levity.

These are all simple, natural presenting mistakes that cause thousands of presentations every day to be less effective than they should be.

While avoiding these traps will not make you a brilliant presenter, each trap you identify will take you much nearer to being a confident and convincing presenter.

Top ten ways to avoid common presentation mistakes

• Don’t start with PowerPoint. Leave creating visual aids until the end of the process
• Don’t start writing before planning. Have a clear plan first
• Don’t be the centre of attention. Make your talk about your audience.
• Don’t use written language. Translate everything you write into compelling spoken language.
• Don’t try and say too much. Say less, but say it better.
• Don’t be boring. Say something interesting every 10 words.
• Don’t be subtle. Be big, bold, clear and compelling.
• Don’t speak too fast. Leave a pause every 5-10 words.
• Don’t lead with slides or narrate slides. Speak directly to your audience and only use visual aids when they help your audience
• Don’t avoid practising. Dedicate time perfecting your talk and perfecting your performance.

Presentation Mistakes #1 – Do you waste time with PowerPoint?

Summary: powerpoint is a poor planning tool. only open powerpoint after you have decided what you are saying..

Most people, when they start writing a presentation, they open PowerPoint. They create slides, perhaps use old slides, design new ones and feel as if they are making progress because they can see ‘progress’ – something they can print and share.

BUT: Starting with PowerPoint is the equivalent of creating a movie by filming before you have a story or a script. You end up with a lot of footage, but it is near impossible to turn this into anything usable. You waste time and you waste money.

Instead, Create a powerful talk that barely uses any visual aids. Use the planning and language tools outlined in this blog article to create a talk that can work on its own without slides. You may realise that your presentation does not need slides. If you do want visual aids, only start creating them at the end of the presentation process, not at the start.

And why not rename ‘slides’ as Visual Aids. This change of language will help you think differently. Each Visual Aid must help your audience interpret what you say. Only create Visual Aids where they are absolutely necessary. Make life easier for your audience.

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”.  – Benjamin Franklin

Avoid Presentation Mistakes – Top Tips

• Stop using PowerPoint to plan
• Only use PowerPoint to create your visual aids or handouts after you have decided what to say.

Contact us now for a free consultation

Presentation Mistakes #2 – Do you make yourself or your idea the focus of your presentation?

Summary: while your presentation might be about your product or your business, you will be more effective if you make your audience the centre of attention..

A typical bad presentation starts: “In today’s presentation I will talk about how we performed last month, what our plans are for this month and how we are changing the way numbers are reported. I’ll talk about project Pegasus and give an update on the latest company sales figures”

Why is this not good? This presentation opening is more like a table of contents than anything else – and it contains little that is useful for the audience.

The art of communication is translating what you want to say into what it means for your audience. You’ll grab your audience if you talk about them and their interests. If what you say is useful, your audience is more likely to pay attention.

Instead, start like this: “As we all know, this has been a tough month. You’ll hear more about last month’s disappointing performance and learn about our plans for this month and what that means for your departments. I’ll also share with you the changes you can expect to see in how we report our numbers. You’ll also be pleased to know that project Pegasus is on track. We can already see a positive impact on our sales numbers – which I am sure we are all very pleased to hear.”

What has changed?

• Each ‘I will talk about’ has been translated into a ‘you will….’
• By using many more personal pronouns (we/ our/your) the talk is easier to listen to.
• In the revised text you hear much more useful information (is it good news, bad news) and
• The audience is involved in the story (‘we are all very pleased to hear’).

In short, the audience is now the centre of attention of this talk.

“Nobody cares what you think until they think that you care” – Maya Angelou

• Give your audience useful information from the start.
• Talk about them and what your information means for them
• Avoid ‘tables of contents’. Say something interesting in every phrase.

Presentation Mistakes #3 – Is your presentation a data dump?

Summary – a data dump is not a presentation. the real job of a presentation is to analyse and interpret information so it means something for your audience. you must add value..

A typical bad presentation sounds like: “Sales last quarter were 3.6m, this is up 3.2% on last quarter and down 2.8% on the previous year. This is 4.6% behind budget and 4.5% better than forecast. Breaking it down by division we can see that North was 8.2% over budget while South was 1.2% behind budget…….”

What’s wrong with this?  If you compile data then it’s tempting to share your hard work. But talking through raw numbers is a waste of everyone’s time. Instead, you want to look impressive.

That means, you must add value. You should describe what those numbers are saying. For example, you might say:

“As we can see, sales at 3.2m last month were as expected. The important thing to note is that North won the new IBM contract, which was unexpected, while South had three customer delays which pushed their sales back by a month. We are still pretty confident of reaching our end of year numbers.”

By speaking in this way you are giving your audience valuable information throughout (sales: “as expected” …. North: Unexpected IBM contract….South: customer delays,… pushed sales back by a month…’confident of reaching end of year numbers”).

The real art here is doing the hard work for your audience. If you make it easy for the audience you’ll not only have a better presentation, you will also look more impressive in front of your audience.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I’ll spend the first four sharpening the axe.” – Abraham Lincoln

• When you report data, add value.
• It’s your job to do the hard work.
• Explain what the data means for your audience.
• Make it easy for your audience.

Presentation Mistakes #4 – Do you use written language in your talk?

Summary – the written word and the spoken word are two different languages. one belongs on the page, the other in the mouth..

A typical bad start: “It is a pleasure to welcome you to this symposium, which is part of our programme to mark the 75th anniversary of the Central Bank of Ireland. I am especially delighted that Francois Villeroy de Galhau is joining us today to give a keynote address. I am looking forward also to learning from the excellent lineup of speakers later in the afternoon. “The topic of financial globalisation is a natural theme for the Central Bank of Ireland. At a macroeconomic level, the global financial cycle is a primary determinant of financial stability conditions in small open economies. This lesson was painfully learned across the advanced economies during the international credit boom that occurred over 2003-2008.” Remarks by Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, to the Financial Globalisation Symposium as part of the programme to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Central Bank of Ireland, Dublin, 2 February 2018

What is wrong with this?  When you preparing words for a talk or presentation, you want to avoid planning through typing. The spoken word and the written word are like different languages.  If you type first, you’ll probably find:

• The sentences are too long,
• The words are too complicated
• The rhythm of spoken language is lost
• You miss powerful rhetorical tools that make spoken language interesting and easy to listen to.

Written language must be translated into spoken language.

So, instead, say it first then write it. Then say it out loud again. Check that you are using plenty of rhetorical tools.  Listen for the rhythm of your speech and whether it’s easy to say (and easy to listen to). For example, this might have been a speech writer’s first draft for the Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland.

“Welcome everyone to this great occasion. It’s 75 years since the Central Bank of Ireland was born. In that time we have grown up. – We were born as a new institution in a new country – and we are now standing tall alongside our brothers and sisters in Europe and around the world, a full participant in the global economy. In our busy life we’ve lived through financial cycles, a few near misses and, most recently, an international credit boom. “Financial globalisation is a topic close to our heart. What happens globally determines what happens locally. The global credit boom that ended in 2008 showed us how our financial stability is at the mercy of global forces.”

“Everything becomes a little different as soon as it is spoken out loud.” – Herman Hesse

• Always speak words before writing them down
• Use plenty of rhetorical tools
• Use an audience to test that it’s easy to understand

Presentation Mistakes #5 – Are you trying to say too much?

Summary – great talks usually say less, but use more reinforcement, illustration and examples.. the art of presenting is knowing what to take out..

Imagine an over-enthusiastic primary school teacher explaining atoms to her students.

“Atoms are the basic building blocks of everything around us. And each atom is made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. These atoms are very small – you can fit 10^19 atoms into a grain of sand. The really interesting thing about electrons is that they are both particles and waves – they have a duality. In fact all matter demonstrates duality – but it is most easily seen in electrons. Now let’s look at protons and neutrons. These are made up of more elementary particles call quarks. The Standard Model of particle physics contains 12 flavours of elementary fermions and their antiparticles……”

By now the children are very confused.

What went wrong? When you say too much you give your audience a problem. If your audience has to work hard to interpret what you say, you have failed in your job as a presenter.  Your job as a presenter is to make it easy for your audience. 

Great communication involves simplifying, reinforcing and giving examples.  Imagine this alternative start:

“Atoms are the basic building blocks of everything around us. The air we breathe is made of atoms. The ground we walk on is made of atoms and we are all made of atoms. Atoms are very small. See this grain of sand here? Guess how many atoms are in this grain of sand? It’s a big number: a one followed by nineteen zeros. That’s a lot of atoms. There are roughly as many atoms in this grain of sand as the total number of stars in the observable universe. To look at it another way. If this apple were magnified to the size of the Earth, then each atom in the apple would be approximately the size of the original apple……”

“Simplify, then exaggerate” – Geoffrey Crowther, Editor, Economist Magazi ne

• Say less, but say it better
• Cut out non-essential information from your talk
• Don’t be afraid of reinforcing, illustrating and repeating what’s important

Presentation Mistakes #6 – Are you guilty of Death by PowerPoint?

Summary – death by powerpoint happens when bad presenters let their slides lead. they ‘talk through’ what’s on the screen. instead, you want to talk directly to your audience, using visual aids as support..

Imagine this bad, and typical presentation: “As you can see on this page, we have looked at fifteen initiatives to revitalise the businesses. We examined the pros and cons of each initiative, as outlined in the table below. Following our analysis, it looks like initiatives 3, 7, and 8 are the most interesting. We’ll now look at each of the fifteen initiatives and explain why we came to our conclusions.”

That’s what death by PowerPoint feels like.

Death by PowerPoint has three causes.

• The speaker is narrating slides rather than speaking directly to the audience. i.e. the speaker expects the audience to both read and listen at the same time.
• The speaker talks about HOW they have done the work they have done rather than WHY this work matters and WHAT their work means.
• The speaker adds little value in what they say.

To Avoid Death By PowerPoint, get straight to the point.

Try this alternative start (read it out loud) “As you know, we were asked to find ways to revitalise the business. After speaking to everyone in this room, we identified the three projects that will make a real difference. We’ve chosen these because they deliver the greatest return on effort, they have the lowest risk and they can be implemented fastest. By the end of this meeting, we want all of us to agree that these are the right projects and to get your full support for rolling these out over the next 6 weeks. Is that OK?”

“I hate the way people use slide presentations instead of thinking. People confront a problem by creating a presentation. I wanted them to engage, to hash things out at the table, rather than show a bunch of slides” – Steve Jobs

• Get to the point immediately.
• Don’t rely on your audience reading. Tell them directly what’s important.
• WHY is more important than WHAT is more important than HOW

Presentation Mistakes #7 – Do you use meta-speak?

Summary – meta-speak is talking about talking. avoid it. speak directly to your audience..

Imagine this bad presentation: “I was asked today to talk about our new factory. In putting together this talk I wanted to tell you how we designed it and went about planning it. I also wanted to cover the process we used to get it delivered on time and on budget.”

What wrong with this? It’s as if the speaker is narrating their thought processes about planning this talk. While that might be interesting to the speaker, it is of little value to the audience. Avoid.

Instead, get right to the point, Speak directly.

“We have just opened our new factory. And we did this in just 12 months from board approval to the cutting of the ribbon in the loading bay. How did we achieve this? And how did we deliver it on time and on budget? Today I’ll share some of the lessons we leaned over the last 12 months. And I’ll reveal some of the mistakes we nearly made. And I’m doing this because it just might help you when you are faced with what seems like an impossible problem…”

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein

• If you see meta-speak creeping in, cut it out
• Make your language direct.
• Get right to the point.

Presenting Mistakes #8 – Do you gabble or speak too fast?

Summary – speaking too fast helps nobody. you should learn how to incorporate pauses – many pauses – long pauses – throughout your talk..

Try saying this out loud:  “A-typical-speaker-will-speak-in-long-sentences-and-keep-speaking-linking-phrases-together-so-that-there-is-no-gap-and-no-time-for-the-audience-to-absorb-what-the-speaker-has-said-and-no-time-to-plan-what-to-say-next-this-causes-the-speaker-to-feel-more-nervous-so-they-speed-up-and-it-frustrates-the-audience-because-they-have-no-time-to-process-what-they-have-heard-before-the-speaker-is-onto-their-next-point…”

This typically happens when a speaker is nervous. So they rush. And it is then hard for the audience to listen.

Instead, try speaking this out loud:  “Good speakers use short phrases — They share one thought at a time — — By leaving gaps — it’s easier for the audience. — The good news is — it’s also easier for the speaker. — When a speaker uses pauses — they have time to compose their next sentence. — This helps the speaker look more thoughtful — and more convincing. — It also helps the speaker feel more confident.

“The most precious things in speech are….. the pause.” – Ralph Richardson

• Pausing takes practice. Few people do it instinctively.
• Use shorter phrases – one idea at a time.
• Aim for a pause at least every ten words
• Record yourself, listen to your pauses and hear how they add gravitas
• Keep practising until your pauses feel natural and sound natural.

Presentation Mistakes #9 – Are you too serious?

Summary – levity can help you look more professional and will help your audience pay attention to what you say..

Too many presentations overly serious, dull and un-engaging.

Why? When we have something important to say we want to look ‘professional.’ But professional and serious are not the same. When you are too serious it’s harder for your audience to connect with you.

If you really want to look professional, bring the audience into your world. Levity and humour helps you achieve this. This does not mean you should tell jokes, but you should help the audience smile and feel clever for understanding what you say.

See how you can do it differently.  This is the third paragraph of Apple CEO Tim Cook’s EU Privacy speech . He uses humour followed by flattery to get his audience open and receptive to what he is about to say.

“Now Italy has produced more than its share of great leaders and public servants. Machiavelli taught us how leaders can get away with evil deeds…And Dante showed us what happens when they get caught.

“Giovanni has done something very different. Through his values, his dedication, his thoughtful work, Giovanni, his predecessor Peter Hustinx—and all of you—have set an example for the world. We are deeply grateful.”

“Inform, Educate & Entertain”. – Sir John Reith, BBC

• Have a smile on your face when preparing your talk
• Look for opportunities to introduce humour and lighten the tone
• Play with ideas.

Presenting Mistakes #10 – Do you avoid practising?

Summary – it’s tempting to avoid practise and to wing it on the day. this is the amateur approach..

The best presenters, like great athletes, do all their practising in advance , so that their performance on the day  looks effortless.

People make excuses to avoid essential practise:

• “I’m always better without practice”
• “I don’t want to over-prepare”
• “I sound wooden when I over-rehearse”
• “I’m more natural on the day”
•  “This is an artificial environment. I’m much better in front of a real audience.”

But many people are deluded. They believe themselves to be good speakers.

So, instead, think of yourself as a professional athlete, actor, pilot or dentist. These professionals make their work appear effortless only because of hours of preparation. A great presenter should think the same.

Use your rehearsal to try out every aspect of your talk and to iron out what works. Use a critical audience. Keep changing and improving it until it’s as good as it can be. If you are not a brilliant speaker, then spend time building your skills. This practice includes:

• Cut any waffle or anything boring
• Say something interesting at least every 10 words
• Use more rhetorical tools (see Chapter x)
• Keep reinforcing your key points
• Start strong, end strong

“The more I practise, the luckier I get”. – Gary Player, champion golfer

• Dedicate proper practise time – at least three sessions for an important talk.
• Use a critical audience
• Keep cutting, changing, fixing and tweaking
• Only stop when you are able to pay attention to your audience’s reaction rather than remembering what you want to say.

Summary – key presentation mistakes to avoid

When you understand the common mistakes presenters make, you will find it easier to create and give a compelling, successful presentation.

Reminder: Top ten ways to avoid common presentation mistakes

How to avoid presentation mistakes – for ever, if you really want to improve your presentation skills, then get in touch. our team of expert presentation coaches has been helping business executives polish their presentation skills for over 15 years. we are trusted by some of the world’s largest businesses. click on the link below to discuss your needs., transform your presentation skills with tailored coaching.

We can help you present brilliantly. Thousands of people have benefitted from our tailored in-house coaching and advice – and we can help you too .

“I honestly thought it was the most valuable 3 hours I’ve spent with anyone in a long time.” Mick May, CEO, Blue Sky

For 15+ years we’ve been the trusted choice of leading businesses and executives throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East to improve corporate presentations through presentation coaching, public speaking training and expert advice on pitching to investors.

Unlock your full potential and take your presentations to the next level with Benjamin Ball Associates.

Speak to Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email [email protected] to transform your speeches, pitches and presentations.

Or read another article..., how to scale your business – 8 low cost ways.

How do you scale a business?  This is one of the big questions…

How to Make A Compelling Financial Presentation

Writing financial presentations is not easy. Typically, You have a lot of information…

How to Create a Winning Elevator Pitch – Top 11 tips

If you need to give a short pitch – an elevator pitch –…

Strengthen Your Leadership: 8 Top Leadership Development Courses

If you are a leader, strong communication skills are key to your success….

Contact us for a chat about how we can help you with your presenting.

What leaders say about Benjamin Ball Associates

Ceo, plunkett uk.

"Thank you so much for an absolutely brilliant session yesterday! It was exactly what we were hoping for, and you did an incredibly job covering such a range of issues with 4 very different people in such short a session. It really was fantastic - thank you!"

James Alcock, Chief Executive, Plunkett UK

Manager, ubs.

"Essential if you are going to be a spokesperson for your business"

Senior Analyst, Sloane Robinson

"Being an effective communicator is essential to get your stock ideas across. This course is exactly what's needed to help you do just that!"

CEO, Blast! Films

“Our investment in the coaching has paid for itself many times over.”

Ed Coulthard

Corporate finance house.

“You address 95% of the issues in a quarter of the time of your competitor.”

Partner International

“Good insight and a great toolbox to improve on my presentations and delivery of messages to not only boards, analysts and shareholders but to all audiences”

CEO, Eurocamp

“We had a good story to tell, but you helped us deliver it more coherently and more positively.”

Steve Whitfield

Ceo, ipso ventures.

“Ben did a great job on our presentation. He transformed an ordinary set of slides into a great presentation with a clear message. Would definitely use him again and recommend him highly.”

Nick Rogers

“Moved our presentation into a different league and undoubtedly improved the outcome and offer we received.”

Let's talk about your presentation training needs

+44 20 7018 0922, [email protected], our bespoke presentation coaching services, investor pitch coaching, executive presentation coaching, public speaking training, executive media training, new business pitch coaching, privacy overview.

Presentation Training Institute

A division of bold new directions training, the most common presentation mistakes and how to avoid them.

At some point, most of us have sat through a boring, dull, or confusing presentation. Chances are you were doing everything but listening. You may have been scrolling through your phone, checking an email, making a grocery list, or even nodding off. The fact is, no one enjoys sitting through a bad presentation. That’s why it’s so important to spend some time perfecting your presentation skills. Regardless of how much presentation experience you have, there is always room for improvement. So, how do you go from an average presenter to a great one? Take a look at some of the most common mistakes presenters make and how you can avoid them. 

Not Preparing Enough

You may assume that since you know your topic like the back of your hand that you don’t need to spend as much time preparing for your presentation. Wrong! In your mind’s eye you may think you have the whole presentation worked out, but when it comes time to actually present it, you find yourself panicking because you underestimated the task. Pulling off a good presentation takes adequate preparation. Do your due diligence, know your topic, spend time creating a meaningful presentation, and rehearse it several times. Preparation is the key to delivering a successful presentation. 

Not Focusing on Your Audience

Oftentimes presenters get so wrapped up in their topic and the delivery of their presentation that they forget about the needs of their audience. The whole point of your presentation is to provide something beneficial for the audience, so it only makes sense that you need to learn about them before you arrive. Take some time to find out who your audience is, what their background knowledge on the topic is, and what they hope to gain from your presentation. Then, you can tailor your presentation to meet their needs. 

Too Much Text on Slides

There is nothing more annoying to an audience than having to read paragraphs on every slide. Slideshows can be a great way to enhance your presentation, but they are intended to do just that. Every piece of information should never be included on your slides. Cramming too much information on a slideshow will almost certainly guarantee you lose audience interest. Furthermore, if your audience is busy reading all of that text, they won’t be listening to you.  Keep your slideshows simple and remember that less is always more. 

Reading from a Slideshow

The only thing worse than expecting your audience to read all of your slides is for you to read it to them. Again, keep your slides simple with less text, meaningful images, and visuals that supplement what you are saying. People are there to listen to you speak, NOT to hear you read from slides. 

Rambling or Using Too Much Jargon

Most people aren’t super excited about attending a presentation, so be respectful of people’s time. Don’t spend an hour talking if you can get your point across in 20 minutes. Likewise, be mindful of your audience and avoid using too much jargon or too many technical terms. It’s difficult to pay attention to someone when you have no idea what they are talking about. 

Trying to Cram Too Much Information

Before preparing your presentation, ask yourself: “What is the main purpose of my presentation and what do I want my audience to take away from it?â€. Narrowing your presentation down to one main point can help you eliminate unnecessary information so you aren’t cramming too much information into your presentation. You don’t want to overwhelm your audience, but rather leave them with a few memorable points and a call to action. 

Not Familiarizing Yourself with the Venue and Equipment

Imagine your presentation begins in an hour and when you arrive at the venue to set up, the projector won’t work with your laptop. All of those slides that you have been preparing for weeks are useless and you only have moments to improvise. You can avoid this situation by checking out the venue and available equipment ahead of time. Familiarize yourself with the space and all of the technical equipment so you can identify potential issues and come up with a plan B if needed.

Common Presentation Mistakes to Avoid

Regardless of your industry and role, you may need to deliver in-person presentations at various points throughout your career. For example, you might have to pitch your business to investors. Or, maybe you need to update your team on a project.

Of course, for many, the idea of standing in front of others and speaking on any subject for more than a few minutes is only slightly more appealing than the idea of undergoing dental surgery without anesthetic.

In other words, you’re not alone if you feel your presentation skills leave much to be desired. Fortunately, there are ways to boost your confidence.

One is to familiarize yourself with common mistakes presenters make. By knowing what errors others fall prey to, you’ll know what to avoid when delivering your own speeches. This guide will help.

Common Mistakes Presenters Make

Not preparing.

It’s a simple mistake, but this point is so important that it deserves to be included here. For many a presenter, speaking in front of any audience can already be a somewhat stressful experience. You don’t want to add to your stress because you didn’t take the time to fully prepare.

Getting ready for a presentation involves several steps. They include:

• Conducting thorough research
• Practicing the actual delivery of the presentation
• Considering the types of questions different audience members might ask
• Testing all technology to ensure everything works properly
• Refining and editing the structure so you remain focused on the primary topic and convey your message effectively
• Potentially using a template to help you organize your presentation
• Starting with a basic storyboard (like the type of  storyboard you might create for a video ) to identify problems before creating a full presentation

Including Too Much Text on Slides

Visual overload can ruin what might otherwise be a strong presentation. Although you want to provide your audience with as much valuable content as possible, you don’t want to overwhelm them.

Your goal when designing individual slides is to strike a balance between text and visuals. When you do include text, consider the following:

• Bullet points, headers, and other formatting elements can make the text more readable
• Experimenting with a different font is often a simple but effective way to improve text’s appearance on a slide
• The ideal font color is usually black, although there may be instances when choosing a different color can help an important piece of text stand out

Only Using Still Images

Images should play a critical role in all your presentations. The right images can provide valuable information while also capturing the attention of your audience.

That said, you may no longer be limited to solely including still images in your presentations. It’s possible your presentation maker tool allows you to include video as well.

Consider doing so. Research indicates that online video content is  more engaging  than other forms of content. Odds are, videos will have the same impact in the context of a presentation, sparking interest in viewers and keeping them focused on what you’re saying.

( Tip:  A video presentation doesn’t merely need to consist of live-action footage. You can also incorporate  animation  to illustrate certain ideas. Additionally, just as you don’t necessarily need to use your own images when designing slides if you don’t have the time or funds to produce your own videos, you may be able to use stock footage instead.)

Being Monotonous

It may not come naturally to you, but the fact is, as a presenter, you need to entertain and engage with those to whom you’re delivering a presentation.

This doesn’t just mean maintaining proper eye contact and using confident body language. It may also involve changing your tone of voice when necessary.

Practice vocal variety by adjusting your tone, volume, and pace as needed to emphasize key points and maintain audience interest. Incorporate pauses for dramatic effect, allowing your audience time to absorb your message. Remember to enunciate clearly and articulate your words to ensure your message is easily understood.

Delivering the Same Presentation to Every Audience

Again, there are various circumstances in which you might deliver a presentation. This means the audiences for your presentations might change depending on the situation.

Keep this in mind when practicing. It’s often best to customize a presentation for different audiences. This helps keep audience members interested in your speech.

Too Much Information, Not Enough Story

Yes, the purpose of any speech you may deliver is to share valuable info and hit your main points. That said, too many presenters exclusively focus on facts and figures. They neglect the degree to which storytelling can engage those to whom they’re speaking.

Avoid this by reviewing your notes and determining where you can add details or elements that might give your work a greater sense of narrative depth. Such elements and details may include:

• Testimonials
• Case studies

This is another instance in which it’s wise to use video. Experts point out that video content that goes viral tends to do so because it makes some sort of  emotional connection  with an audience. Because the point of telling a story is to add emotion to what otherwise might be a dry information speech, including video is a smart idea.

Using the Wrong Presentation Maker

Even if you’re confident in your public speaking skills, you’ve brushed up on common mistakes presenters make, and you’ve done thorough research into your topic, you may be at a disadvantage if you don’t use the right tool to construct your presentation.

Luckily, Powtoon offers a tool designed specifically for both amateurs and professionals alike. Additionally, Powtoon simplifies the process of creating and editing video content, allowing you to enhance your pitch deck, onboarding session, and any other type of presentation, all without spending more than you can afford.  Get started by signing up today!

• Latest Posts

Hanna Abitbul

Latest posts by hanna abitbul ( see all ).

• The best 13+ AI video editors of the year - February 22, 2024
• 10+ best AI video generators of 2024 - February 22, 2024
• Boosting L&D ROI with Associative Learning: 5 Effective Strategies and Best Practices - November 14, 2023
• How AI-Infused Personalized Learning Content Can Enhance Employee Knowledge Retention  - November 12, 2023

Business Presentation Examples to Help You Improve Your Presentation Skills

The best 13+ AI video editors of the year

5 Skills You Need to Become a Successful Video Maker

Best Fonts for Presentations in 2023

How to Embed a Video in Powerpoint

Features to Look for in an Animation Maker

Thank you for your interest in Powtoon Enterprise!

A solution expert will be in touch with you soon via phone or email.

Request a demo

By submitting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

how to give the perfect presentation

10 most common presentation mistakes, avoid these basic presentation errors, 1. lack of preparation.

Too often a good presentation is ruined because the speaker has not taken the time to prepare. Preparation involves attention to both the personal and professional aspects of the presentation. Personal elements include body language, voice, and appearance. Professional aspects include researching the subject, organizing the content, and preparing the visuals. So, whether your presentation lasts for five minutes, five hours, or five days, you owe it to yourself and your audience to prepare thoroughly.

2. Poor Use of Visuals

Visuals should enhance your presentation, not detract from it. Most business people around the world today have learned how to use PowerPoint technically, but not professionally. Slides are overcrowded, unattractive, and inconsistent. They are loaded with lengthy, unnecessary words, written in sentences, instead of bullets. They include detailed information that should be provided to participants in the form of handouts. They underutilize the power of images. By taking the time to learn how to create powerful visuals, you will have a creative edge over the competition.

3. Inappropriate Humor

Off-color jokes could doom your presentation, because you are taking the risk of offending someone in the audience. Humor is culture-sensitive. What is considered funny in one part of the world may be considered private and taboo in another. So, avoid using humor in professional presentations, and consider other ways of breaking the ice and establishing rapport with your audience members.

4. Inappropriate Dress

The best advice is to dress conservatively so that the audience can pay attention to what you are saying, not what you are wearing. In your private life, feel free to express your individuality. In professional arenas, it can be disastrous to show your true colors. Like it or not, professionals around the world expect to see you dressed a certain way. It is best not to surprise them; otherwise they will be concentrating on your unusual appearance instead of your worthwhile message. Women in particular should be extra careful to present a professional appearance, and stay away from low necklines, short skirts, jangly jewelry, wacky hairstyles, and flashy colors.

5. Not Knowing the Audience

Custom-design your presentation to fit the needs of your audience. Find out the size and demographics of your audience beforehand. What are the ranks and positions of the people who will be attending? Who are the decision-makers? How much knowledge do they have of the subject you will be presenting? What is their native language? What other cultural expectations or protocol should you be aware of? By considering such factors beforehand, you increase the effectiveness of your presentation dramatically.

6. Non-Functioning Equipment

Since so much of our business world is dependent on technology, always check your equipment beforehand. There is nothing more frustrating than malfunctioning equipment, which can cause unnecessary delays and frustration. One solution is to have a printout of your visuals for yourself. That way, you will have the necessary information you need to deliver a presentation, even if you do not have the necessary equipment. If you solve the problem in this way, you will also gain the empathy and appreciation of the audience, who may have been in your shoes at some point in their own professional careers.

7. Starting or Ending a Presentation Late

Like you, the members of the audience have time restrictions. Respect them. In the United States and Canada, the mark of a professional is one who starts and finishes the presentation on time. However, time is viewed differently in eastern and western cultures. When traveling or presenting in an international context, consult a local partner or colleague to find out what is considered “normal”, even if it seems strange or differs from your own practices back home.

8. Using a Monotone Voice

Your voice is the primary means of communicating with your audience. No matter how interesting your material, if you speak in a monotone voice, you will lose your audience. An effective voice should be vital, audible, and clear. Of course, voice will be affected by age, gender, physiology, health, motivation, and past experience. Nevertheless, people of all kinds can learn how to make their voices more effective by learning about voice production, breathing techniques, vocal exercises and voice care. If necessary, work with a voice coach to learn how to improve your voice.

9. Too Much Material in Too Short a Time

If you have too much material, cut back or cut out. It is annoying and pointless for a speaker to try to rush through a presentation. If you have strict time restraints, be selective about what information to include. Pass on extra information in the handouts. Remove a number of detailed slides and keep only the most basic ones. Allow for the fact that you may have less time available to make your presentation due to interruptions, malfunctions, delays or other circumstances. By restricting the information flow, you will have a greater impact on your audience. They will remember more and be in a better position to speak to their superiors or take action on your recommendations.

10. Not Clarifying the Topic

Make sure you know clearly what you are expected to speak about. Second, don’t assume the audience knows what you are going to speak about. To avoid confusion, always include information about the topic of your presentation in your introduction. Get into the habit of saying, “Today, I’ll be explaining…” or ”My presentation today will show…” Do this without exception. Some members of your audience may also be global learners, who need to know the destination before they can follow along the detailed path of your presentation.

how can I custom design my presentation to an audience from another country?

By reading! There are several excellent books available that provide information about the cultural norms, habits, values and expectations of various countries. One especially useful book is When Cultures Collide by Richard Lewis, an experienced cross-cultural expert. There are also many websites that provide cross-cultural insight. You could also look for information produced by the foreign ministries of various countries, or visit a consulate / embassy and request further information. Today, depending on where you are, it may also be possible to simply talk to someone from the host culture.

I have a lot of information I need to provide in an upcoming presentation. I know I will run short on time. Is there anything I can do?

Looks like you have no choice but to reduce the amount of material. There is nothing to be gained by overloading your audience with information. Include only the most critical information on your slides and put the rest into a handout which you distribute after your presentation is over. If you hand it out beforehand, you will lose the attention of the audience as some of them will be leafing through the handout instead of paying attention to your presentation.

i am good in grammar but when i start a presentation then my voice quality is not good.means i am not a good speaker.so please tell me the best way to improve it.

About Presentation Prep

Being able to speak in public can change your life! Presentation Prep is your complete, free guide to delivering speeches, lectures, and presentations more successfully and confidently. Whether you're a native English-speaker who suffers from public speaking anxiety, or a non-native speaker who needs guidelines for presenting to international audiences, this site will give you everything you need. Presentation Prep is written by Rebecca Ezekiel, an experienced corporate trainer who specializes in the areas of communications, presentations, and cross-cultural skills. Her online English language training videos are watched by millions of students worldwide.

• Open training
• Team training

28 Common Presentation Mistakes. Which are you making?

• Articles and Resources
• > Interpersonal and Communication Skills
• > 28 Common Presentation Mistakes. Which are you making?

The best presenters and speakers continually hone their skills and test out new material. Regardless of how much presenting experience you have, don’t assume you have nothing new to learn. But don’t strive for perfection either. Instead, identify a few issues that you could improve upon and work on those first – starting with whatever will have the biggest impact on your presentations.

So how do you go from average to outstanding presenter? Have a look at our list of the  28 biggest presentation mistakes  that most presenters make. Is there anything we missed?

1. Starting poorly

Make sure to start your presentations with impact. Saying,  “Welcome, my name is ___. Today we will be talking about…”  is  boring . Do something different – be bold, creative, inspiring! And arrive early so you won’t feel flustered, which will carry over into your presentation. Most importantly, be interesting!

2. Failing to address the audience’s concerns

Before you even think about creating a presentation, know what your audience is struggling with so that you can solve their problem or address their concerns.

3. Boring your audience

If you can’t be interesting, don’t bother speaking in front of people.

4. Failing to engage emotionally

We like to think that humans make rational decisions, but   studies show  that people make decisions based on emotion, and then rationalize their decisions afterwards.

5. Using too much jargon

Your language needs to be appropriate for your audience. They can’t listen to you while they’re trying to figure out what you said. If you speak in circles around them, they may never fully catch up. If you can’t avoid the use of jargon or a technical term, be sure to explain what it means when you introduce it, and don’t introduce too many at once.

6. Being too wordy or rambling

Don’t use up an hour of time when 20 minutes will do. Respect people’s time and get to the point. Be concise and don’t ramble. But don’t rush, either. Yes, it’s a fine line.

7. Going over your allotted time

This is a simple matter of respect. If your presentation goes over your allotted time, there’s a good chance your audience will lose interest and leave anyway – or at the very least, stop listening because they’ll be focused on other commitments and trying to figure out how they will adjust.

8. Lack of focus

Your slide deck should help you stay on track. Use it as a guide to make sure you move logically from one point to another.

9. Reading slides verbatim

In all likelihood, your audience can read perfectly well without your assistance. If you’re just going to read to them, you might as well save everyone some time and just send them a copy of your slide deck. This isn’t the place for a bedtime story.

Challenge yourself to put as few words on the slides as possible, so that you can’t read from them. Could you do your entire presentation with only one word on each slide? If not, this is an indication that you may not know your materials well enough.

10. Poor slide design

PowerPoint gets a bad rap because 99% of slides are very poorly designed, but it’s not Bill Gates’ fault that the world lacks design skills! Just because a feature is available in PowerPoint, doesn’t mean you need to use it.

In fact, when you start designing a presentation, it’s best if you don’t even open PowerPoint. Use Microsoft Word to create an outline first. Focus on the content and structure, and only when that is outstanding, move to PowerPoint and start designing your slides.

If you don’t know how to design good slides, find someone who does or learn. While poor slide design probably won’t make or break your presentation, it can undermine your credibility and distract your audience – or worse – help put them to sleep.

Depending on the type of presentation, you may want to consider the   10/20/30 rule from Guy Kawasaki . Ten slides for a 20-minute presentation with fonts no smaller than 30 points. It’s not appropriate for all types of presentations, but it’s a nice guideline and slide-to-duration ratio.

Be careful when buying PowerPoint templates – while they may look pretty, more often than not, the design is not conducive to great presentations. The fonts are almost always too light and/or small to be read at the back of a room and the designers often cram too much on one slide. Buying presentation templates only works if you understand good design. Don’t trust that just because a “professional” designed it, that it’s any good. It can take longer to fix a poorly designed slide than to just build one from scratch.

11. Cramming in too much information

If the audience can’t make sense of the data, or if they have to stop listening to you so they can read, you’re doing it wrong. Simplicity and white space are your friends. Think, “How would Apple design a slide deck?”

12. Incorporating too much data

Ask yourself, “Why am I including this data?”, “What action do I want to inspire?”, and “If I removed this, could I still make my point?” to help determine if the data relevant enough to include.

“We have met the Devil of Information Overload and his impish underlings, the computer virus, the busy signal, the dead link, and the PowerPoint presentation.” – James Gleick

13. Relying on PowerPoint as your only presentation tool

Even when used correctly, PowerPoint should not be your only tool. Use flip charts, white boards, post-it notes, and other tools to engage your audience. Try to break up the amount of time the audience spends staring at a screen.

14. Making it about you

As the presenter, you are the least important person in the room. When you understand that and focus on the goal of helping your audience, you can eliminate a lot of the nervousness that comes with presenting.

15. Being a Diva

To be a great presenter, one could argue that you have to have a slightly inflated sense of ego and tough skin. It’s not easy standing in front of a room full of people (often complete strangers) who will critique your performance without knowing anything about you or the kind of day you’ve had. That inflated ego can be useful in protecting you when things don’t go well.

But your ego doesn’t give you permission to act like you’re more important than everyone else. You’re the least important person in the room, remember?

The best presenters are those who are authentic and who truly want to help people. Try to accommodate the organizers and see things from their perspective when they need you to adapt. Make it easy for people to work with you and they will ask you to come back.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

16. Not practicing enough (or at all!)

“Winging it” works well for very few people. The people who successfully speak without much practice are those who are fantastic natural speakers  and   who know their material inside out and upside down. Even if you’re one of the lucky few, you need to get the timing right – so practice anyway!

17. Apologizing or drawing attention to your fears or shortcomings

When you’re having an “off day” it’s natural to want to say something like, “I didn’t sleep well last night so forgive me if I seem tired.” But when you do that, you’re undermining your own credibility because your audience might not have even noticed you were tired. But now that you’ve drawn attention to it, they will focus on it, look for clues, and may even include a comment on your feedback form. Don’t give them reasons to complain!

18. Technical difficulties

There are no excuses for not preparing technology ahead of time. Make sure you’ve tested everything before your presentation. Always carry extra batteries for your presenter remote (if you use one).

If you arrive late, you’re setting yourself up for failure and run the risk of starting off stressed, which can have a domino effect on the rest of your presentation.

19. Overusing animations and transitions

Many people struggle with vertigo, motion sickness, and nausea. Out of respect for those people, never  move   text; if you must animate it, the text should remain static on the screen as it fades or wipes in. This allows people to fix their eyes on a focal point and start reading before the animation finishes. Don’t make your audience follow bouncing, flying, zooming, spinning, growing, or floating text… or anything else for that matter!

Transitions are quite unnecessary, but if you must use them, only use a quick fade. If your transitions are too slow, they’ll interfere with your normal speech pattern.

Remember – no one will leave your presentation and think, “Wow, those animations were great!”. They will comment on the content and your ability to present it. And the food… or lack thereof.

20. Not using enough relevant stories

Connect with people on a personal level to build rapport and trust. People will remember your stories much more easily than they will remember any facts you present. Just make sure the stories are relevant to your presentation or you’ll risk annoying people for wasting their time.

21. Making your stories too long

Don’t drag out your stories with useless details. The worst stories begin something like this:

“So last Tuesday I was walking the dog and… or wait, was it Wednesday? No, it must have been Tuesday. Hmm, now I’m not sure. Oh, wait. I was wrong. Actually, it was Monday and I know that because I had just come back from the gym. Right. So, last Monday, I was walking the dog and…”.

By now your audience is ready to pull their hair out. To make your stories more interesting, keep them succinct and only include relevant information. If you mess up unimportant details that don’t affect the outcome of the story, don’t correct it – just keep going.

End strong with a punch line, a twist, a lesson, or a call to action.

22. Lack of eye contact

Obviously, you want to be sensitive to different cultures, but In North America, lack of eye-contact can make people distrust you. If making eye contact adds to your nerves, pick three main focal points around the room (one on the left, one in the centre, and one on the right). Move from one focal point to the other as you speak, making eye contact with a few people from each area.

23. Failing to pause

A pause is like the mount on a diamond ring. The diamond is the message, but the mount is what presents it to the world and helps it shine! Help your message shine with a well-placed pause.

24. Poor use of humour

Humour can enrich any presentation, as long as it’s appropriate. Self-deprecating humour is almost always safe. Poking fun at yourself also helps put people at ease, and when you hear laughter, it can help you relax.

25. Ending with Q&A

This is a mistake that almost everyone makes. If you end with a Question and Answer session, what happens if you can’t answer the last question? What if the answer isn’t one the audience likes or wants to hear? Ending with Q&A risks ending on a negative note. Instead, do your Q&A a few slides before finishing up so that you can end strong.

26. Summarizing the entire presentation

If you can recap your entire presentation in 5-10 minutes, why did you waste an hour of the audience’s time? Emphasize only the main ideas very briefly.

27. Not including a call to action

What was the purpose of your presentation? Were you trying to teach something? Did you wan to persuade the audience to take an action? Whatever the goal, make sure to tell people what you want them to do next.

28. Not asking for (anonymous) feedback from the audience

Feedback is useless unless it’s anonymous. If you just want people to tell you how great you are, ask them in person. You’ll rarely find anyone who won’t be willing to tell a little white lie to save face.

But if you actually want to improve your presentation skills, ask for honest, anonymous feedback in writing. This is where that tough skin comes in handy, but it’s the best way to learn.

And over time, as your presentation skills improve, so will your feedback.

“There are always three speeches for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.” – Dale Carnegie

To improve your presentation skills in a safe environment with the guidance and feedback of an experienced presenter, register for PMC’s   Skills for Effective Presentations  course. This workshop will help you gain the confidence you need to go from average to outstanding presenter – sign up today!

“The instructor was welcoming and knew how to provide feedback without intimidating or embarrassing participants.” – Anonymous participant

“This workshop was well structured. The number of students was perfect, don’t need more as small group is excellent. The instructor was well informed – very interesting and would recommend this course for sure!” – Carol B.

Let us help you create your training solution

Hello we'd love to hear from you.

Complete the form below or reach us at: [email protected] , or 613-234-2020

Contact details

To help you.

• I wish to subscribe to PMC Training content.

Welcome to our new website!

We appreciate your patience as we add the finishing touches. In the meantime, go and explore!

Cookie Usage Disclaimer: This website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience. By continuing to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies. For more information, please review our Privacy Policy .

10 Most Common Presentation Mistakes You Can’t Afford To Make

Whispers, yawns and zero interaction from the audience besides checking their smartphones…do you know this scenario? Presentation mistakes happen to everyone, but there are certain situations that you can certainly avoid. Listed are 10 of the most common presentation mistakes that are an easy slip up if you aren’t careful, but that can quickly be tramped. Test yourself to see which of these 10 mistakes you could be making in order to save your audience a “death by PowerPoint”

• Boring title? Create a short and catchy title that will spark newly-found curiosity to your topic (limit to 70 characters). Try to incorporate keywords; this will give your audience a broad sense of what to expect. Know that it will take practice to create a great title, but it is worth the effort, time and exercise it will take.
• Endless bullet-point lists? Leave the forever long lists and endlessly detailed points behind and visually display the highlights of your speech. Your templates should aim to be beautiful and comprehensible at a glance. The purpose you are there is to give the full story and add the interesting details!
• No images? Did you know that 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual? Keep the text on your templates to a minimum and add visuals and pictures. Use images to reinforce what you say.
• Overkill on company logos? Your company logo is great to incorporate in your presentation, but make sure you place it discreetly in the header or footer, or it will quickly start to become an annoying visual. Sponsor logos should be shown only once either at the very beginning or on one of your very last slides.

• Content overload on any single slide? Build your templates after the motto, one thought per slide. Make the template coherent and simple, but significant. Steve Jobs style of presenting is a great example here.
• Tiny, unreadable text? Use a text size that is visible – a good size is no less than 36 pt. for titles and 18 pt. for text.
• Speaking quietly and incomprehensibly? The obvious counter would be to speak loudly and clearly, but this might not be helpful if the real problem stems from stage fright or naturally being an introvert. The simplest solution is to practice in front of a mirror and practice in front of someone standing on the opposite end of the room. Projecting your voice clearly is a simple practice and builds up confidence. A great solution here is to pick up the hobby of singing to learn how to project your voice. So why not join a choir and stop hiding behind your pc?
• Talking Impersonally? Make the point to be personal by speaking to the audience directly, just like you would in a one-on-one conversation. Deliver your thesis with specific points that are relatable and incorporate stories and humor.
• Passing your intended presentation time? Practice your speech with a stopwatch in hand, and then rehearse and optimize your presentation. So you will internalize your topic so you can freely talk, but still be within your given time.We hope these quick tips helped pinpoint some flaws. Stay tuned for specific insights to some of these points and let us know what mistakes you have problems with! We’d love to read your comments.

Share this post

• share  
• save  

Design Thinking: Problem Solving with a Difference

Why Corporate Mission Statements Are So Important

7 Tips & Learnings from the Apple Keynote

• Online Degrees
• Find your New Career
• Join for Free

What Are Effective Presentation Skills (and How to Improve Them)

Presentation skills are essential for your personal and professional life. Learn about effective presentations and how to boost your presenting techniques.

At least seven out of 10 Americans agree that presentation skills are essential for a successful career [ 1 ]. Although it might be tempting to think that these are skills reserved for people interested in public speaking roles, they're critical in a diverse range of jobs. For example, you might need to brief your supervisor on research results.

Presentation skills are also essential in other scenarios, including working with a team and explaining your thought process, walking clients through project ideas and timelines, and highlighting your strengths and achievements to your manager during performance reviews.

Whatever the scenario, you have very little time to capture your audience’s attention and get your point across when presenting information—about three seconds, according to research [ 2 ]. Effective presentation skills help you get your point across and connect with the people you’re communicating with, which is why nearly every employer requires them.

Understanding what presentation skills are is only half the battle. Honing your presenting techniques is essential for mastering presentations of all kinds and in all settings.

What are presentation skills?

Presentation skills are the abilities and qualities necessary for creating and delivering a compelling presentation that effectively communicates information and ideas. They encompass what you say, how you structure it, and the materials you include to support what you say, such as slides, videos, or images.

You'll make presentations at various times in your life. Examples include:

Making speeches at a wedding, conference, or another event

Making a toast at a dinner or event

Explaining projects to a team 

Delivering results and findings to management teams

Teaching people specific methods or information

Proposing a vote at community group meetings

Pitching a new idea or business to potential partners or investors

Why are presentation skills important? 

Delivering effective presentations is critical in your professional and personal life. You’ll need to hone your presentation skills in various areas, such as when giving a speech, convincing your partner to make a substantial purchase, and talking to friends and family about an important situation.

No matter if you’re using them in a personal or professional setting, these are the skills that make it easier and more effective to convey your ideas, convince or persuade others, and experience success. A few of the benefits that often accompany improving your presentation skills include:

Enriched written and verbal communication skills

Enhanced confidence and self-image

Boosted critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities

Better motivational techniques

Increased leadership skills

Expanded time management, negotiation, and creativity

The better your presenting techniques, the more engaging your presentations will be. You could also have greater opportunities to make positive impacts in business and other areas of your life.

Effective presentation skills

Imagine yourself in the audience at a TED Talk or sitting with your coworkers at a big meeting held by your employer. What would you be looking for in how they deliver their message? What would make you feel engaged?

These are a few questions to ask yourself as you review this list of some of the most effective presentation skills.

Verbal communication

How you use language and deliver messages play essential roles in how your audience will receive your presentation. Speak clearly and confidently, projecting your voice enough to ensure everyone can hear. Think before you speak, pausing when necessary and tailoring the way you talk to resonate with your particular audience.

Body language

Body language combines various critical elements, including posture, gestures, eye contact, expressions, and position in front of the audience. Body language is one of the elements that can instantly transform a presentation that would otherwise be dull into one that's dynamic and interesting.

Voice projection

The ability to project your voice improves your presentation by allowing your audience to hear what you're saying. It also increases your confidence to help settle any lingering nerves while also making your message more engaging. To project your voice, stand comfortably with your shoulders back. Take deep breaths to power your speaking voice and ensure you enunciate every syllable you speak.

How you present yourself plays a role in your body language and ability to project your voice. It also sets the tone for the presentation. Avoid slouching or looking overly tense. Instead, remain open, upright, and adaptable while taking the formality of the occasion into account.

Storytelling

Incorporating storytelling into a presentation is an effective strategy used by many powerful public speakers. It has the power to bring your subject to life and pique the audience’s curiosity. Don’t be afraid to tell a personal story, slowly building up suspense or adding a dramatic moment. And, of course, be sure to end with a positive takeaway to drive your point home.

Active listening

Active listening is a valuable skill all on its own. When you understand and thoughtfully respond to what you hear—whether it's in a conversation or during a presentation—you’ll likely deepen your personal relationships and actively engage audiences during a presentation. As part of your presentation skill set, it helps catch and maintain the audience’s attention, helping them remain focused while minimizing passive response, ensuring the message is delivered correctly, and encouraging a call to action.

Stage presence

During a presentation, projecting confidence can help keep your audience engaged. Stage presence can help you connect with your audience and encourage them to want to watch you. To improve your presence, try amping up your normal demeanor by infusing it with a bit of enthusiasm. Project confidence and keep your information interesting.

Watch your audience as you’re presenting. If you’re holding their attention, it likely means you’re connecting well with them.

Self-awareness

Monitoring your own emotions and reactions will allow you to react well in various situations. It helps you remain personable throughout your presentation and handle feedback well. Self-awareness can help soothe nervousness during presentations, allowing you to perform more effectively.

Writing skills

Writing is a form of presentation. Sharp writing skills can help you master your presentation’s outline to ensure you stay on message and remain clear about your objectives from the beginning until the end. It’s also helpful to have strong writing abilities for creating compelling slides and other visual aids.

Understanding an audience

When you understand your audience's needs and interests, you can design your presentation around them. In turn, you'll deliver maximum value to them and enhance your ability to make your message easy to understand.

Learn more about presentation skills from industry experts at SAP:

How to improve presentation skills

There’s an art to public speaking. Just like any other type of art, this is one that requires practice. Improving your presentation skills will help reduce miscommunications, enhance your time management capabilities, and boost your leadership skills. Here are some ways you can improve these skills:

Work on self-confidence.

When you’re confident, you naturally speak more clearly and with more authority. Taking the time to prepare your presentation with a strong opening and compelling visual aids can help you feel more confident. Other ways to improve your self-confidence include practicing positive self-talk, surrounding yourself with positive people, and avoiding comparing yourself (or your presentation) to others.

Develop strategies for overcoming fear.

Many people are nervous or fearful before giving a presentation. A bad memory of a past performance or insufficient self-confidence can contribute to fear and anxiety. Having a few go-to strategies like deep breathing, practicing your presentation, and grounding can help you transform that fear into extra energy to put into your stage presence.

Learn grounding techniques.

Grounding is any type of technique that helps you steer your focus away from distressing thoughts and keeps you connected with your present self. To ground yourself, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and imagine you’re a large, mature tree with roots extending deep into the earth—like the tree, you can become unshakable.

Learn how to use presentation tools.

Visual aids and other technical support can transform an otherwise good presentation into a wow-worthy one. A few popular presentation tools include:

Canva: Provides easy-to-design templates you can customize

Powtoon: Animation software that makes video creation fast and easy

PowerPoint: Microsoft's iconic program popular for dynamic marketing and sales presentations

Practice breathing techniques.

Breathing techniques can help quell anxiety, making it easier to shake off pre-presentation jitters and nerves. It also helps relax your muscles and get more oxygen to your brain.  For some pre-presentation calmness, you can take deep breaths, slowly inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.

While presenting, breathe in through your mouth with the back of your tongue relaxed so your audience doesn't hear a gasping sound. Speak on your exhalation, maintaining a smooth voice.

Gain experience.

The more you practice, the better you’ll become. The more you doanything, the more comfortable you’ll feel engaging in that activity. Presentations are no different. Repeatedly practicing your own presentation also offers the opportunity to get feedback from other people and tweak your style and content as needed.

Tips to help you ace your presentation

Your presentation isn’t about you; it’s about the material you’re presenting. Sometimes, reminding yourself of this ahead of taking center stage can help take you out of your head, allowing you to connect effectively with your audience. The following are some of the many actions you can take on the day of your presentation.

Arrive early.

Since you may have a bit of presentation-related anxiety, it’s important to avoid adding travel stress. Give yourself an abundance of time to arrive at your destination, and take into account heavy traffic and other unforeseen events. By arriving early, you also give yourself time to meet with any on-site technicians, test your equipment, and connect with people ahead of the presentation.

Become familiar with the layout of the room.

Arriving early also gives you time to assess the room and figure out where you want to stand. Experiment with the acoustics to determine how loudly you need to project your voice, and test your equipment to make sure everything connects and appears properly with the available setup. This is an excellent opportunity to work out any last-minute concerns and move around to familiarize yourself with the setting for improved stage presence.

Listen to presenters ahead of you.

When you watch others present, you'll get a feel for the room's acoustics and lighting. You can also listen for any data that’s relevant to your presentation and revisit it during your presentation—this can make the presentation more interactive and engaging.

Use note cards.

Writing yourself a script could provide you with more comfort. To prevent sounding too robotic or disengaged, only include talking points in your note cards in case you get off track. Using note cards can help keep your presentation organized while sounding more authentic to your audience.

Learn to deliver clear and confident presentations with Dynamic Public Speaking from the University of Washington. Build confidence, develop new delivery techniques, and practice strategies for crafting compelling presentations for different purposes, occasions, and audiences.

Article sources

Forbes. “ New Survey: 70% Say Presentation Skills are Critical for Career Success , https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2014/09/25/new-survey-70-percent-say-presentation-skills-critical-for-career-success/?sh=619f3ff78890.” Accessed December 7, 2022.

Beautiful.ai. “ 15 Presentation and Public Speaking Stats You Need to Know , https://www.beautiful.ai/blog/15-presentation-and-public-speaking-stats-you-need-to-know. Accessed December 7, 2022.

Keep reading

Coursera staff.

Editorial Team

Coursera’s editorial team is comprised of highly experienced professional editors, writers, and fact...

This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

Unsupported browser

This site was designed for modern browsers and tested with Internet Explorer version 10 and later.

It may not look or work correctly on your browser.

• Business Plans

15 Bad Business Presentation Mistakes (And How to Avoid Poor Results)

• Bahasa Indonesia
• العربية/عربي

You've got to inform and persuade those around you daily. They need to believe in your vision (and more importantly, believe in you) to get more money, notoriety, or internal resources.

Sometimes you're trying to win new customers. Other times, you're trying to get new investors or land press at a conference. And sometimes you're simply providing the quarterly numbers to your boss. 

One of the best ways to persuade people is through a presentation.

Presenting complex information in an easy-to-digest format isn't easy.  To make matters worse, it's rarely taught in any formal schooling either—which means you're left to fend for yourself (and mess up often).

Sure, having a good presentation design is a nice place to start. The right  PowerPoint presentation template  can give you a tremendous head start.  

However, there are a ton  of other variables that ultimately determine if your presentation will be a success or failure. It's all too easy to put in a lot of effort, only to end up with a bad presentation.

15 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Business Presentations

Here's 15 of the most important presentation ideas to avoid critical mistakes, along with a few tips to improve each issue. Learn how to address proper presentation writing, quality of design, common speech mistakes, audience engagement, and more.

But first, if you want to take these tips further, be sure to download our free eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . It'll help you master the complete presentation process.

The last thing you want to do is deliver a bad presentation, so let's make sure to avoid these poor presentation mistakes: 

Mistake 1. Not Scripting Your Presentation

All good presentations and speeches start with a tight script.

Believe it or not, there’s some method to this madness when writing out a professional presentation.

It’s somewhere between an outline and a full document that helps you lay out the foundation or groundwork, before providing supporting materials and finally transitioning into the conclusion.

Don't make the mistake of not writing out your presentation first. There's a reason why CEOs sound so polished giving keynotes and presidents craft their speeches. Learn more about the presentation writing process: 

Note: That’s especially true when you’re going to be giving a more formal, structured presentation like with a business plan .

Mistake 2. Reading, Not Speaking

The goal of the presentation, whether there’s two people you’re meeting with or 100, is to make a connection. You want each person to feel like you’re speaking directly to them; building the audience’s confidence in both you and the information you’re speaking about.

However, all that connection and credibility disappears when your head drops, your eyes look down, and you begin speaking in a monotone voice, reading directly from paper, your slides, or note cards.

First and foremost, if you've got to read the content on the slide, there’s too many words ( but we’ll come back to this in a second ).

The big sin is the disengagement that happens, as people’s eyes glaze over when they’re hit with a barrage of information. This can lead to a bad presentation that doesn't make an impact.

You should work to avoid that, though, and aim to make a  presentation that persuades . 

That being said, you’re not expected to memorize the entire thing either. Instead, highlight three to five major talking points and get comfortable speaking off the cuff to add in context and examples.

Mistake 3. Not Practicing Enough

Writing out a basic script or outline for your speech is a nice start. But it won’t come off smoothly until you actually sit down and practice it.

A speaker once told me that you should practice or rehearse around one hour for each minute of a speech. Twenty-minute speech? Twenty hours!

While that seems on the high side, running through your speech with notes (at first), and later without notes, from beginning to end, over-and-over-and-over, will drill the information into your memory and make it become second nature.

With repetition, you also start noticing the little details that can make a big difference in a presentation. For example, the transitions between different sections. The pauses to highlight key points. And even the ‘blocking,’ or getting used to how your stance, movement, and gestures will look on a stage. 

If you need more presentation practice and are having some anxiety about public speaking, you should know that's a normal feeling. Lean how to overcome it:

The other benefit of frequent practice is that you should be able to easily spot...

Mistake 4. Going Over (Or Under) Time

...your timing.

Nothing reeks of amateurism more than a speaker who fails to hit their time mark.

In a large setting, being way under time and not having enough material is one of the fastest ways to erode your credibility. And in smaller settings with a client or boss, not respecting their time by trying to hold too them long can be a deal killer.

If you’ve been practicing frequently, you should start using a timer as you get more proficient to see where your material lands.

Sometimes you might have to go in and add a few more examples or stories to illustrate your points (and drag out the time a little). While other times you might have to cut entire slides or sections, and speak a little quicker, to make sure you’ll be under.

The key isn’t to guess. You should know, before you even get to presentation day, exactly how long your presentation will take to deliver ( within a minute or two ).

Mistake 5. Boring, Unprofessional Design

It only takes people about 50 milliseconds to form a first impression, and incredibly about 94% of that comes down to your design. 

In a presentation, that means your slide deck is the obvious starting point. 

Chances are, those investors or savvy conference attendees have already seen that same default PowerPoint template hundreds of times over the past few years.

Fortunately, we’ve got you covered with a few simple, modern PowerPoint presentation templates  with premium-quality designs: 

Case-in-point: look at this creative PowerPoint presentation template, Sparrow . As you can see from the screenshot, the slides have little text and use mostly images and visual elements to illustrate the point.

Using a professionally made PowerPoint template is a great way to ensure you avoid some of the most common presentation mistakes. For example, almost all of the templates on Envato Elements use the best presentation practices and have an attractive design as well as making sure that no slide is overcrowded with text or uses clashing colors.

Another good business presentation template example that'll help you avoid giving a bad presentation is the Oriola template , which uses professional typography that'll enhance the readability of your presentation.

Mistake 6. Not Working Out the Technical Kinks

There are two things you can count on when giving a presentation.

The first, is that you’ll undoubtedly be nervous. That’s only natural, and the good news is that you can harness that nervous energy to help propel your performance.

The second is that there'll be some error or technical miscue.

Professional sports teams will commonly travel a day or two early to a location and take practice on the exact field they’re playing. They’ll even go so far as to use the locker rooms and do a ‘dress rehearsal’ in the location to work out any kinks.

If you're unfamiliar with the venue or location, try to get access to the specific location you’re speaking a day earlier if possible.

That way you can practice a few times in front of all those empty chairs to get a feel for how the audience will be laid out, along with how your positioning a movement should adjust accordingly.

You can also practice with any computer connections, microphones, and other audio/visual equipment.

Ideally, when you show up on the day of the presentation, you should only be thinking about doing a great job (and not stressing over about whether you forgot that HDMI cable).

Mistake 7. Cluttered, Text-Heavy Slides

The best presentation slides are also usually the most simple and straightforward too.

That means no flashy transitions. No overloaded bullet points. And little-to-no extras likes sounds or videos.

One trick is to try and use one slide to deliver only one message or point. That'll keep your delivery streamlined, helping the audience to focus in on your message.

And another added bonus is that it'll help you eliminate using long text paragraphs altogether.

Avoid bad presentation design. Instead, think of each slide as a visual support; aiding or showing an example of what you’re talking about for each point.

A good business presentation example includes relevant graphs or charts that instantly illustrate the key message behind whatever it is you're talking about (like using a green, up-and-to-the-right arrow to equate success).

Discover more professional PowerPoint designs, with numerous slide layout and infographics options:

Mistake 8. Neglecting the Audience’s Background

Jargon can be good or bad.

If you’re speaking to people with technical backgrounds, going on and on about GIT is great. It gives you a common bond, and immediately lets those people know that you understand exactly what they do.

However, if not, mentioning a single piece of technical jargon will make sure you lose the audience within a few minutes of opening your mouth.

In an ideal world, your content should be created (or adapted) with the audience’s background and preferences in mind. If it’s a client, ask your internal champion or whoever introduced the two of you. If it’s a larger event, ask the organizer for some details on who the audience is, what their interests and pain points are, and the type or style of content they’re interested in.

Sometimes that'll be detailed case study information, while others it'll be more surface-level actionable tips. Presenting one, to the other, is a common misstep—even if your content is still good!

Mistake 9. Failing to Hold Your Audience’s Attention

The length of your speech can have a huge bearing on whether the audience is going to pay attention to the entire thing.

Your delivery—which includes everything from your volume, pausing, pacing, body language, and more—can also help captivate or bore your audience.

For example, noticeably raising or lowering the volume of words you're saying can not only make a presentation more interesting to listen to, but also add an emphasis to certain words or phrases. 

The same goes for speeding up, slowing down, and inserting longer-than-usual pauses to give people an extra second to digest what you just said. A key difference between a good and a bad presentation is hitting your timing and delivery.

Beyond those little tricks and dramatic gestures, your content itself should emotionally hook people too. 

For example, don't just launch into the 'solution' or tips. Instead, spend some extra time at the beginning—and throughout—putting this information in a larger context that relates back to the major problems or pain points in your audience's life that can be resolved.

Discover additional techniques on how to deliver an engaging presentation: 

Mistake 10. No Takeaways or ‘Next Steps’

Chances are, your audience will hit information overload.

If you’re speaking at a conference in the afternoon or it’s day three , they’re most likely already mentally exhausted.

So, make sure your presentation is easy to follow.

Start with a simple outline of the agenda at the very beginning to give people a step-by-step overview of what you’re going to cover.

If you make a key point, repeat it. Multiple times.

When you’re about to transition into a new section, reiterate what they just learned and give them a preview of what they’re going to find out in the next section.

And last, but certainly not least, give them a key takeaway or ‘next step’ to do after you’re done speaking.

The best business presentations are meant to inspire action. And ending after reciting just the facts, without organizing that information into context or explaining how (and why) they should do something with it, will make your speech fall flat.

Learn more creative techniques on how to inspire your audience to action: 

Mistake 11. Avoiding Eye Contact

Feeling nervous before your presentation is normal. However, don’t let that be an excuse for avoiding eye contact with your audience. Avoiding eye contact is one of more common presentation mistakes that happens for a variety of reasons, which include feeling nervous as well as poor preparation.

If you spend most of your time staring at your notes or at the presentation slide, your audience will quickly lose interest not to mention they'll feel like you’re not really familiar with the topic.

Establishing eye contact with your audience, even if it’s just a quick glance, is often enough to keep your audience engaged and creating a personal connection with them.

Take a look at this recording of a presentation about code architecture in WordPress. As you can see, the presenter, Mario Peshev, is not only great at moving around the stage, but also establishes eye contact with the audience ever so often.

If you’re presenting in front of a small audience, try to establish eye contact with each person in the room. If your audience is large, focus on a few key people instead.

Mistake 12. Inappropriate Humor

Using humor is a good way to break the ice and reduce the tension for yourself during a presentation. But if you’re not careful, inappropriate humor could backfire and offend your audience, which then leads to a bad presentation overall.

When it comes to humor, it’s important to remember that humor is very culture-dependent. What's funny in some parts of the world, might be highly offensive in other countries and cultures.

That’s why it’s crucial that you know your audience well before getting on stage and use humor carefully and sparingly. If you’re not that familiar with the audience, using other methods to break the ice is recommended.

Mistake 13. Speaking Incoherently

Another common presentation mistake is speaking incoherently. While you might not have any problems when speaking to your colleagues or friends, keep in mind that speaking to an audience is a whole other ball game. Nerves can get even the best of us, which leads to mumbling or rushing through the presentation to just get it done and over with.

However, neither mumbling nor rushing will help you get more sales. In fact, they'll result in a poor presentation. To avoid this, proper preparation is key as well as remembering to breathe and slow down instead of rushing ahead. If you find yourself rushing, pause for a moment to compose yourself. Take deep breaths, focus on speaking slowly, and don’t forget to enunciate each word for better clarity.

Listen to how Matt Abrahams clearly enunciates each and every word in his presentation Think Fast, Talk Smart:

Mistake 14. Dressing Inappropriately

The star of your presentation should be your topic and your slide deck, not your dress or your suit. The best advice you can apply is to dress conservatively so your audience can focus on what you’re saying.

There's nothing wrong with expressing your individuality through fashion in private. But unless your presentation is in front of a hip, fashionable audience, it’s best to stick to a professional dress code.

Men should avoid wearing flashy shirts and shorts while women should avoid low necklines, flashy jewelry, and short skirts. And no matter what, avoid wacky hairstyles.

Mistake 15. Forgetting to Introduce the Topic

Finally, don’t forget to introduce the topic of your presentation at the beginning. Don’t assume that your audience will know what your presentation is about, even if they know the title. After all, there are so many different ways to present any given topic.

In this presentation example, speech coach and speaker Steve Bustin, clearly explains what the topic of the presentation is:

As such, jumping straight in without explaining who you are, what your presentation is about, and why the topic is important is the best way to confuse your audience. Instead, take time at the beginning to share a few words about your presentation topic. This will not only help you pique your audience’s interest, but it'll also help you have a good business presentation.

Follow These 15 Good Business Presentation Tips - For Better Results

While you may have been taught years ago how to give a basic speech or presentation, an important business presentation with real money on the line is a completely different animal.

The problem is that common mistakes, like reading your cluttered, amateurishly designed slide deck in a boring monotone completely undermines your credibility. You lose the audience the moment you open your mouth.

• Script your presentation beforehand to lay out the foundation for the presentation, which will help come up with supporting materials and decide on the key takeaway and next steps your audience should take.
• Avoid reading directly from the slides. Your presentation will flow more naturally and you'll be able to better connect with your audience.
• Don’t forget that practice makes perfect. So, allow for plenty of time before the presentation. This will help you become super familiar with your topic and your slide deck. It'll also help you be more confident the day of the presentation.
• Be mindful and respectful of your audience’s time. Avoid going over or under the allotted presentation time.
• Consider using a professional PowerPoint template to avoid having to deal with a boring and unprofessional slide design. This common presentation mistake will result in your audience losing interest and having a poor impression of your brand and business.
• Be sure to test your microphone, computer, projector, and any other technical equipment needed for your presentation. Making sure that your equipment works is the best way to avoid any technical issues during your presentation.
• Keep your slides easy to read by keeping the text to a minimum. While you’re at it, use a larger font size and a font that’s easy to read.
• Your content should be created with the audience’s background and preferences in mind. Before the presentation, familiarize yourself with some details on who the audience is, what their interests and pain points are, and the type or style of content they’re interested in.
• On top of making sure your presentation isn't too long or too short, pay attention to your intonation and your body language. Doing so will help you hold your audience’s attention throughout the presentation.
• Once you’re done with the presentation, let your audience know what’s the next logical step. This will help you accomplish the main goals of your presentation and ensure you land that pitch or sell your product.
• Maintain eye contact with your audience throughout the presentation. This will help you establish a personal relationship with the audience.
• Avoid using humor unless you’re very familiar with the audience and their culture. Inappropriate humor can offend your audience, which will have a disastrous effect on your presentation.
• Take deep breaths, pause, and enunciate words carefully and clearly in your presentation.
• Dress appropriately for the venue and the setting of your presentation.
• Always remember to introduce and explain your topic before diving into your presentation.

Fortunately, you can avoid delivering a bad presentation. Start by tackling the tips above ( and add a whole lotta practice ) to make sure your next business presentation goes off without a hitch.

If you're looking for an easy place to start, check out this guide on PowerPoint templates  to make sure you've got the design basics down before progressing on to more advanced presentation techniques.

Here are a few more resources and tutorials to help you master your presentation:

Start Making Great Presentations Today

Take the tips you learned in this article further with our new eBook:  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . Grab it now for FREE, along with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.  

Disorganized content, unclear design, and poor delivery can hinder even the best presentation ideas. Don't design a bad presentation that fails to deliver. 

Instead, learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully. This 30-page eBook with helpful PDF checklist will walk you through the complete presentation process.

Apply These Tips to Avoid Presentation Mistakes 

Now you know some of the most common presentation mistakes and how to avoid making them. The tips in this article will ensure your presentation goes smoothly and you won’t leave a bad impression on your audience.

However, before you start working your presentation, you need to make a beautiful and engaging slide deck first. Start by checking out our beautiful PowerPoint presentation templates over on Envato Elements .

This tutorial was originally published in September of 2016. It's been comprehensively revised to include new information—with special assistance from  Brenda Barron . 

What to do when you make a mistake in a presentation

Its many people’s worst nightmare – making a mistake whilst giving a presentation.

Written by Nick Smallman • 21 November 2014

Remembering points, trying to use body language, it can all get on top of you, especially if you’re an inexperienced presenter or are giving a complicated presentation. Don’t worry. Everyone makes mistakes when giving presentations , even the best. It’s how you handle it that counts. Whether you’ve said the wrong word, garbled a sentence, or lost your train of thought, the rules are the same.

Common presentation mistakes presenters make:

Presentations can be a great way to share information and ideas, but they can also be incredibly nerve-wracking. To ensure the success of your presentation, it’s important to avoid common mistakes that could harm its effectiveness. Here are some of the most frequent presentation mistakes and how you can avoid them:

Not Preparing Enough

Preparation is key when it comes to presentations , and not preparing enough will only lead to problems during delivery. Beforehand, research your topic thoroughly so you have an in-depth understanding of the material you are presenting. It is also beneficial to practice aloud several times before delivering your talk in order for yourself to become comfortable with speaking about the content confidently.

Relying Too Much on Visual Aids:

Visual aids such as slideshows or videos can help support what you are saying during a presentation; however, relying too much on them may distract from your message rather than enhance it. Make sure that any visuals add value by providing additional insight into your discussion points instead of repeating what was already said verbally—otherwise leave them out entirely if they do not contribute anything meaningful towards achieving the goal of the presentation itself!

Being Unprepared for Questions:

Asking questions is a normal part of any successful presentation; therefore, being unprepared for potential inquiries will make it difficult for you to answer effectively or provide relevant information quickly should someone ask something related but unexpected during delivery time! Practice responding to different types ahead so that when someone does pose a question at any point throughout yours–you’ll feel confident answering without hesitation or delay due diligence beforehand might just save face later down line!

Not Engaging Your Audience:

Presentations should be engaging for both speaker and audience alike; otherwise everyone loses interest quickly after just few minutes into it!. To keep people interested in what’s being said try breaking up long segments with interactive activities like polls or Q&A sessions; these tools help foster participation while giving listeners opportunity express their thoughts freely which often leads better comprehension overall purpose behind each respective topic discussed throughout duration entire session itself.

What to do when you make a mistake in a presentation:

Take a breath..

Taking a breath gives you time and can calm your nerves. Pause for as long as you need to and resist the urge to quickly start talking again; begin when you know what you’re going to say makes sense. This stops you from making more panicked mistakes, or from garbling your words, and a pause can make you look thoughtful and in control.

Don’t apologise.

Apologising can reduce your credibility, and make you feel embarrassed. Making a mistake when you’re giving a presentation isn’t going to ruin anyone’s day, and you’ll really just be apologising to yourself. You can acknowledge the mistake, and be sure to correct yourself, but do so and move on.

Own the mistake.

By taking responsibility for a mistake, you appear confident. Tripping up on a word or getting a phrase back-to-front can be quickly solved by a correction, but any informational mistakes should always be corrected. ‘I should say x instead of y,’ or a correction along those lines is effective and isn’t apologising.

Talk To The Audience.

It’s okay to talk to the audience, especially if you’ve forgotten what you just said. Asking the audience what you were saying, or the name of something you’ve forgotten, can often seem planned and inclusive. It’s often a good idea to talk to the audience during your presentation anyway, and doing so can make this trick seamless.

No matter what your mistake, or how you handle it, remain positive and don’t get hung up on it. Mistakes are made by everyone, and are part of becoming a better public speaker.

Back to all insights

Share this article

Sign up for regular updates.

Get our latest insights by subscribing to our newsletter. Each week you'll receive updates helping you to understand and respond to the challenges facing your organisation. We won't share your details with anyone and you can unsubscribe at any time.

More articles for you

High and Low Context Cultures – Intercultural Communication

Culture, Diversity & Ethics

How to Be a Good Team Player at Work

Networking & Personal Brand

How to speak with conviction

Personal Impact

Speak to us

0800 389 2639, +1 718 421 0200, +852 6025 1101.

Get in touch with our dedicated team to discuss what we can do for you.

7 PowerPoint mistakes that are killing your presentation

By Paul Moss

Join 100k+ subscribers on our YouTube channel and enjoy highly engaging lessons packed full of best practices.

A few careless powerpoint mistakes can dramatically impact both the effectiveness and professionalism of your presentation..

Over the course of my career in consulting and strategy (and as a PowerPoint instructor for those industries), I’ve seen a lot of slides – great slides, terrible slides, and everything in-between. And what I’ve come to learn is that there’s a handful of common PowerPoint mistakes that many people don’t realize are hurting their presentation.

In this post I’m going to talk about the mistakes I see most often. I’ll give some basic examples of each mistake, explain why it hurts the presentation, and show you what you should be doing instead.

For the list, I’ll mostly be focusing on corporate style presentations, like what you’re likely to see day to day in the business world, but many of the lessons can be applied to other types of presentations as well.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to build your own high-quality PowerPoint slides, make sure you check our our advanced courses.

FREE Slide Design Course

Enroll in our free 5-day email course and learn how to design slides like a McKinsey consultant.

Complete hands-on exercises , review a realistic consulting case study , and get personalized feedback from your instructor!

Plus get a free copy of our Top 50 PowerPoint Shortcuts for Consultants cheat sheet.

Learn More ➔

Success! Please check your email.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.

Table of Contents

1. Complicated Visualizations

Your job as a slide creator is to make it as easy as possible for the audience to understand your message, and unnecessarily complicated visuals don’t help you do that. Instead, they just confuse the audience. 

In this slide from Muckerlab there is a simple sales funnel on the left, with various sales channels on the right. With enough time I can figure out the message, but it’s a bit challenging for my brain to map sales channels to the various stages of the funnel.

“Ecommerce & Digital Marketing” Muckerlab, 2014

You might think that your visual is easy enough to understand, but remember that the audience hasn’t had the same amount of time to look at the slide as you have, so it’s much more difficult for them to grasp the key takeaway quickly. 

In the slide below from Edelman there are four different charts, but each one is communicating the same type of information. By mixing up the chart style like this it makes the slide overly complicated. Instead of showing four simple column charts, they’ve forced the audience to understand and interpret each type independently. This just makes it harder for the audience to grasp the key takeaways of the slide.

“Global Deck” Edelman Trust Barometer, 2012

Instead, ask yourself, what’s the key takeaway of the slide, and how does my chart or graphic help support that key takeaway. Avoid trying to make yourself look smart, and instead figure out the simplest way to communicate the idea you’re trying to communicate. 

This slide from Credit Suisse is a great example of keeping the chart simple and clear. It’s just a normal-looking stacked column chart with easy to read data labels, a clear background, and a simple takeaway. The result is an effective and professional looking slide that’s easy for the audience to understand. 

“Analyst and Investor Call” Credit Suisse, 2022

2. Simple Titles

The point of a title on a slide is to get a quick summary of the slide’s main takeaway, so the audience can better read and understand the details.

In this slide from BCG for example, the title says “Rising housing costs may be driving creatives out of the city”. So naturally, the audience is going to skim through the content looking for evidence of rising housing costs and creatives leaving the city, which makes for more effective delivery. (

“Melbourne as a Global Cultural Destination” BCG. For more BCG content be sure to check out our full BCG slide breakdown

But unfortunately, many titles aren’t this descriptive. Instead what I see are titles that tell me the topic of the slide and nothing else . I get an idea of what the slide is about, but I’m forced to come up with my own takeaway.

“Fixed Income Investor presentation” Credit Suisse, 2022

You see this especially on slides with summaries of data, like this slide from Salesforce about its finances. But even on these slides it’s usually a good idea to put a takeaway in the title.

“Finance Update Q4 FY21” Salesforce

In this example from Orsted , they’ve shown some annual financial data, but they’ve also summarized what they want the audience to take away from the slide – that they are in line with expectations. 

“Investor presentation Q4 and full-year 2020” Orsted, 2021

By including a full sentence for your title, ideally one that summarizes the main takeaway of the slide, you make it much easier for the audience to understand what it is you’re trying to tell them.  

3. Default PowerPoint Designs

The third mistake I see more often than I’d like is using default PowerPoint designs. The worst case of this is using old slide themes, like in this example. Anyone who has spent any amount of time in PowerPoint recognizes this design, and aesthetics aside, it just looks like the slide was thrown together last minute. 

“First 30 Days” Markstar, 2017

You certainly don’t want to overdesign your slide, but at the very least try to avoid the out-of-the-box designs PowerPoint provides for you. Many of these designs haven’t changed in years, and usually they’re meant for a different kind of presentation (like a school project). 

And the same goes for PowerPoint shapes, graphics, and even colors. They all come across as unprofessional and overused, so it’s in your best interest to avoid them altogether.  

But where I think this is most easy to mess up is with tables. A table like this for example looks fine enough, but with just a few tweaks it can be made to look significantly better.

In this example, all I did was bold the titles, turn the negative values red, left align the first column and right align the others, make the top line extra thick, then add other lines to separate the regions. The result is a much better looking, and much easier to read table. 

When it comes to design, even just a little bit of extra effort can help you avoid cliche, unprofessional looking slides.

4. Unrelated Content

In corporate style presentations, it’s completely okay to have lots of content, so long as each piece of content has a purpose. What I see way too often is stuff that’s just there to fill space, and doesn’t have an actual purpose. 

In this Starboard Value slide , there are a lot of unnecessary distractions. For example, the box at the bottom is really just a repeat of what’s in the subtitle. Likewise, there’s a lot of text in the bullet points that could be trimmed down or eliminated without changing the message of the slide. It would help the audience focus more on the key takeaways, without getting distracted by all the fluff. 

“Transforming Darden Restaurants” Starboard Value, 2014 See our full breakdown of this slide here .

But what bothers me the most is the picture at the bottom, which really isn’t adding to the slide in any meaningful way. Yes, it’s on topic – the slide is about breadsticks after all – but it’s not giving me any useful information. We all know what breadsticks look like, and this doesn’t help me understand the key takeaway any better. 

Pictures are typically the most common culprit when it comes to unrelated content. It can be really tempting to throw a picture on a slide to fill up the extra space – especially if that picture looks professional and seems to loosely match the topic of the slide. 

Even McKinsey is guilty of this sometimes, as in this example . The picture looks great, but it doesn’t help the audience understand the main message of the slide about digital manufacturing being a high priority for a majority of companies. Instead, it just distracts the audience. 

“Moving Laggards to Early Adopters” McKinsey & Co., 2018 Learn more about how McKinsey designs data heavy PowerPoint slides.

In this example from a different presentation, they kept the slide fairly simple, with only information that supports the main takeaway of the slide, and nothing else. The result is a clear and easy to understand slide with a well-supported takeaway. 

“Capturing the full electricity potential of the U.K.” McKinsey & Co., 2012

So when you’re adding content to your slide, whether that’s a picture, chart, or anything else, make sure it contributes to the message in some way. And if it doesn’t then just leave that part blank and adjust the other parts of the slide accordingly. 

5. Distracting Backgrounds

This is related to the last mistake about unrelated content but is important in and of itself. A bad background can completely ruin a presentation. At best it’s distracting, but at worst it looks horribly unprofessional and makes the content hard to look at. 

Once again this is where PowerPoint is to blame. Some of the default backgrounds make it almost impossible to read the text, especially if that text doesn’t provide any contrast.

But even simple backgrounds can be distracting, as in our previous example from Starboard Value . Shading the background makes it difficult for my eyes to know where to focus my attention. Not to mention it makes some of the text slightly harder to read. 

Even subtle text or images in the background can be distracting, as in this BCG example . 

“Projecting US Mail volumes to 2020” BCG, 2010

The general rule of thumb with backgrounds is if you notice it, you should change it. The idea is you want to reduce the number of distractions on your slide so that the audience can focus on the insights. In that regard, you can almost never go wrong with a plain white background. This keeps the audience focused on your content, and ultimately on your message. 

This slide from Accenture is a great example of a non-distracting background that keeps the emphasis on the content. Nothing is diverting my attention and I can focus on what they’re trying to tell me. 

“Fintech New York: Partnerships, Platforms and Open Innovation” Accenture, 2015

But of course, the background doesn’t always have to be white. Sometimes darker backgrounds work better for longer, live presentations, especially when those presentations are given on a large screen. 

In another example from later in the presentation, Accenture uses a darker blue background that’s simple, clear, and professional. And most importantly, it doesn’t take my attention away from the content on the slide. 

6. Not Guiding the Audience

Most modern business presentations are full of text and data, which can make it difficult for the audience to process the information on a slide and see the key insights . In a live presentation, it is even more difficult – the audience has to simultaneously listen to the speaker, read through the content on the slide, and think critically about the information. 

The easy way to manage this challenge is to guide the audience through your slide with visual cues – things like text, callouts, and boxes. Unfortunately, it is something that many people just don’t think to do.  What this leads to is dense, difficult to read slides , as in these two examples:

“Bridging the Gap Between CIO and CMO” Isobar, 2014

“Transforming Darden Restaurants” Starboard Value, 2014

And the same thing can happen with charts . By just putting up a chart with no real commentary or guidance, you make it hard for the audience to understand what it is you’re trying to tell them. 

“Fifth Assessment Report- Synthesis Report” IPCC, 2014

In many ways, this is the counterpoint to the last mistake. Whereas you don’t want unimportant pieces like your background to be distracting, you do want the important parts of your slide to be distracting, because it helps the audience quickly grasp the key takeaways. 

Returning to our Accenture example, notice how they’ve used bolded text to help call attention to what’s important. Likewise, they’ve also used a line to put emphasis on the title of the slide. 

Check out our full breakdown of this slide here .

This BCG slide has quite a bit of information on it, but they’ve made it easy to work through by drawing the most attention to the title with green font and large text, then the next amount of attention to the subtitles with bold black text and green lines underneath, and then the least amount of attention to the bullet points. It helps the process the information on the slide in the way they want them to – starting with the highest level idea, and working their way through the details. 

“Evaluating NYC media sector development and setting the stage for future growth” BCG, 2012

This chart from McKinsey is another good example of guiding the audience.  Instead of just keeping the chart plain, they’ve added callouts that help emphasize the message in the title. 

“Jobs lost, jobs gained: Workforce transitions in a time of automation” McKinsey, 2017

Guiding the audience can be as simple as adding an arrow or bolding important text. But even small changes like this can make a big difference in your presentation. 

7. Too Many Colors

It can be tempting to use a variety of colors on your slide, but doing so just distracts the audience and takes attention away from the important parts. And not only that, it can look really unprofessional. 

On this slide for example they’ve decided to separate each of these sections by color to make it easier to distinguish between them. But instead of making it easier to read, the slide is difficult to understand and hard to look at. The sections are already naturally separated, with lines, titles, and even icons. But by adding bright colors, in addition to the orange and green that’s already on the slide, they’ve reduced the slide’s readability considerably. 

“Harnessing the Power of Entrepreneurs to Open Innovation” Accenture, 2015

The best slides use color strategically, to help highlight key points and ideas.

In this Bain slide for example, they’ve decided to highlight the important columns in red, while keeping the less important columns in grey. It provides a nice contrasting effect that helps emphasize the message. 

“2011 China Luxury Market Study” Bain, 2011

Likewise, this Deloitte slide contains a minimal amount of color, making it easy to sift through the data and focus on only what’s important. Not to mention it keeps the visuals of the slide clean and professional. 

“Consumer privacy in retail” Deloitte, 2019

It’s a bit counterintuitive, but when it comes to color, sometimes less is more.

Final Thoughts

A few simple tweaks to your presentation can really make a difference in both its quality and overall professionalism. Above all, be sure to focus on your main message, and avoid any distractions that might take away from that message. If you can keep an eye out for cliché, unprofessional, and meaningless content, you’ll be well on your way to creating high-quality, insight-rich presentations.

P.S. – If you’re really looking to up your PowerPoint game, be sure to check out our full courses: Advanced PowerPoint for Consultants and Advanced Presentations for Consultants .

You can watch a video version of this article on YouTube .

• Print Friendly

• Latest Articles
• Career Development
• Communication Skills
• Company Culture
• Effective Leadership
• Goal Achievement
• Health & Fitness
• Personal Growth
• Team Building

8 Presentation Mistakes to Avoid

Updated Over a Week Ago

Minute Read

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

Do you want to be the one whose presentation stands out and gets the interest of your client?

Do you work hard at your PowerPoint deck but find the presentation falls flat?

Or perhaps you send PowerPoint decks out to be read by your client but get no response, and your proposal goes to the bottom of the pile?

Chances are you’re making mistakes in putting together your presentation.

When you want to convince the board to invest in your project or need them to sign off more resources, you have to make it easy for them.  When you are pitching for a new business or presenting as part of an interview process, you need to communicate your idea to be convincing. Your future depends on it.

Yet, too often, people approach presentations as simply a requirement to dump all they’re doing on a slide deck and hope that it hits the mark.

Check out these eight common mistakes and how to avoid them.

1.     You Don’t Have a Clear Goal

If you’ve been asked to put together a presentation, you may not be clear on what the purpose is. Or maybe you are not sure what you want from the opportunity to present.

Solution : The request to present or even to send a presentation to key stakeholders is an opportunity to influence. It’s never about just giving them some facts.

Always take the opportunity to influence your audience and be clear on what you want from this opportunity. What do you need them to decide to do?

2.     You Don’t Understand Their Agenda – What’s In It For Me? (WIIFM)

If you haven’t done your research and found out what their situation is and what their priorities are, you can’t position your presentation to attract their attention. If you’re talking about a topic that is not aligned with their agenda, they will hardly listen or only skim-read the presentation. There is no chance of achieving your goal .

Solution: You need to understand the audience’s perspective: what are they worried about, and how does your idea help solve their problem?  If your message is not yet on their agenda, how can you raise their awareness and help them understand the issue in their own context?

3.     Your Presentation Lacks Structure

If you put every single detail down, nothing will stand out. People want the most important and relevant information to make a decision. It’s well known that our attention span is getting shorter, and as we multitask, we start to lose focus. Without logical structure, the audience is unlikely to want to work hard to understand your message.

You need to decide what information is necessary to achieve your goal and be in tune with the audience’s needs and interests. Work out where the audience is now (A) and where you want them to be at the end of the presentation (B).

Identify the steps they must take to get there.  Keep it simple!  You might be working on lots of interesting stuff. But if it doesn’t help them get from A to B fast, then ditch it.  Make sure your presentation has a logical flow that moves the audience smoothly along that path.

4.     Not Establishing a Motive

If you’re assuming they are interested, you’re wrong.  If your audience isn’t clear on why they should listen to you or read your presentation pack, they probably won’t.

Solution: Tune into their situation and identify the ‘pain’ or problem they are facing that your presentation addresses.  Then, paint a vivid picture of what life would be like with your solution /idea to enhance their desire and motivation .

When they can recognize their problem and you are offering a desirable solution, they will be motivated to pay attention.

5.      A Lack of Narrative

If you just present the facts, you are not offering anything to engage the audience.  You might provide all the relevant information, but you are leaving the audience to do all the work to decipher any meaning from the presentation.

Solution:   Use a structure that tells a story and takes the listener or reader with you. Stories have long been established as a great way to create meaning and share learning.

For example, Situation, Complication, Question, and Solution.

Introduce the situation. Then, an anecdote can illustrate the complication and provide evidence on why this is a problem that needs resolving. The question then sets up the solution required, and you go on to address the proposed solution at the end.

By asking a question for each stage in the argument, you evoke curiosity and keep the audience’s attention.

6.     No Call to Action

If you just present the data and don’t make it clear what you want your audience to do with this information, you have just lost your opportunity to influence any action.  Don’t assume they will come to the same conclusion as you.

Solution: You are giving this presentation because you want the audience to do something – that should be clear from your goal.  You know ‘WIIFM’ for the audience, so make your request in terms that will motivate them to take the action you’re seeking.

You might make this request during the presentation and ensure you make it again at the end.  Asking a number of times will not harm your cause, as not asking at all could mean nothing happens.

7.     Assuming Without Engaging

When you are making a face-to-face presentation, you waste an outstanding opportunity if you just stand before your audience and deliver what is on the slides.  If you don’t add value through your presence, why are you there?

Why have all these people been brought together when they could simply read your presentation when it suits them?  When you show a lack of confidence in presenting, your audience will assume a lack of confidence in the information.

Try : Engage with your audience and make your presentation personal.  Make eye contact with individuals and be sure to include the whole audience, not just the key decision-makers.  Use your delivery skills (voice, body language) to bring meaning to your message, emphasize key points, and lead the audience’s interpretation of the information.

If your presentation is only read, you need to work hard with the structure, language, and visuals to engage your reader.

Remember the mnemonic AIDA – this stands for Attract attention, raise Interest, stimulate Desire, and motivate Action.

Make sure your presentation is visually appealing and leads the reader along your desired path. The technique of putting the key message for each slide in the header is a good way of focusing the reader’s attention.

8.     No Follow-Up

The presentation is one opportunity to communicate. Rarely is once enough to convince people to take action.  Sales research indicates that 80% of decisions come after the fifth time of   communication. If you assume this one exposure was enough, it is unlikely you will get the decisions and action you are looking for.

Try: When you make a face-to-face presentation, there will be questions. You can follow up with the audience afterward with more detailed responses or answers to questions you couldn’t or didn’t have time to answer on the day.

Look for opportunities to engage with your audience on other occasions. Send them new information that will help them in their decision-making (make sure you present it well; don’t just throw a lengthy article or report at them).

With a written presentation, you could follow up with an email asking if the reader wanted any further clarification or offering supplementary information. Offer to meet to talk it through or to have a telephone conversation if necessary.

This presentation is an important step in your project or pitch, and you will show your enthusiasm and conviction by following up.

Bring energy to your delivery to motivate the audience to pay attention and to want to take action.  If you lack confidence in speaking skills, I recommend Toastmasters International’s communication and leadership club. There are clubs all over the world, so you may find a club near you.

Using these eight tactics in crafting your presentation will help ensure your message stands out. The skills of powerful presenting and speaking are essential to ensure you are heard in a world where there is too much ‘noise.’

Related Articles

• 5 Reasons Why Presentations Matter
• The Fear of Public Speaking: 8 Tips to Overcome It
• 7 Presentation Tips for Building Confidence
• Presentation Skills Training in One Day
• 5 Lessons on Presentation Skills from TED Talks

How Do You Create a Convincing Presentation?

If you have ideas that you feel like sharing that might be helpful to readers, share them in the comments section below. Thanks!

Would you like to contribute a post ?

Improve Yourself & Your Team

Get the training proven by 40,000+ leaders.

Session expired

Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.

More From Forbes

Here’s how to avoid 5 tragic presentation mistakes.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

Presentation skills are often critical for career advancement.

This article is part of an ongoing series Presentation Skills: The Secret Weapon of Career Success .

Like it or not, presentation skills can dramatically impact the trajectory of one’s career. Indeed, presentation skills are really leadership skills. National Speakers Association CEO, Mary Lue Peck insists, “When leaders invest in their presentation skills, they become more effective at working and interacting with others. Perfecting presentation skills help ensure that their message is not just being heard but understood.”

Unfortunately, that lack of investment can have dire consequences. A dreadful performance in front of the wrong audience may not just result in immediate negative impact for that particular project or task, but maybe more importantly it can undercut an employee’s confidence and credibility in the organization long term. Let’s face it - organizations are mesmerized by those who seem comfortable speaking to a group, are persuasive in front of the client, or prove themselves to be an effective, charismatic representative of the product or the organization, and once you’ve developed a reputation as someone who isn’t, career advancement options may be limited.

Unfortunately, many professionals make these five very common presentation mistakes that can yield disastrous consequences. Learn the mistakes and how to avoid them!

Mistake #1 – Not Practicing Enough

The best speakers often seem like they just glided on the stage and gave the presentation of their lives without much effort, but the truth is that the best speakers practice, practice, practice! When you try to “wing it,” you’re much more prone to stumble through the material, default to reading slides or get rattled by questions. Also, when you’ve not practiced much, you’re just not as confident and that lack of confidence comes across big time!

Instead, Do This – On a macro level, invest in honing your presentation skills on an ongoing basis by joining Toastmasters International , National Speakers Association or another speaking organization. On a micro level practice your presentation – over and over. Remember that writing the report and presenting the findings are two entirely different things. Practice – for real – stand up, speak to the slides, use a timer, etc. to try to simulate the actual event. Clicking through the slides on your laptop as you just think about what you’ll say isn’t true practice. For a major presentation you probably want to visit the room (even practice there if possible). Keynote Speaker Heather Monahan shares, “Going to the venue or meeting location days or weeks ahead of time helps too. When you run through what it will be like in real time and you envision yourself doing amazing, you will deliver on that.” K.V. Scott, President of Kossen Communications LLC also recommends conducting a dry run because it provides an opportunity to test out videos and slide animations to work out kinks in advance if needed. We’ve all witnessed a presenter being horribly embarrassed by technology failures - don’t be that presenter!

‘Squad’ Rep. Jamaal Bowman Unseated By Latimer In Pricey New York Primary

Sha’carri richardson, cole hocker, and anna hall dominate u.s. track & field olympic trials, the 11 best mattresses of 2024, according to testing.

Mistake #2 – Reading Presentation Slides

There’s nothing worse than watching a speaker stand with their back to the group (mostly) reading slides projected on a screen. Of course, if the speaker is just reading the slides, they’re not really necessary, right? That’s about the time most people start rolling their eyes wondering what they could be getting accomplished if only they hadn’t come to this presentation. Remember that slides should be a point of reference - they’re an accessory, but you’re the main event. If you’ve avoided mistake #1 by practicing, you know the content – don’t read it! It’s there. It’s not going anywhere. Avoid the temptation to talk to the screen and robotically read bullet points.

Instead, Do This – Review the content enough in advance so you know what’s there and don’t need to read it as a crutch. Instead, for each slide focus on answering these two primary questions:

-       What is the big idea on this slide?

-       Why should they care?

Also remember that reading slide content often complicates the overall message. Certified Speaking Professional and Founder of MotionFirst, a speaking and consulting company, Meridith Elliott Powell insists, “It’s a mistake to over complicate the message and share too much information. Presentations should be simple and focused.” It’s also important to intersperse a variety of techniques – asking questions, sharing anecdotes, using descriptive examples – to engage the audience and make the presentation more dynamic and interesting. (More on this in a future post in this series.)

Mistake #3 – Talking Too Fast

This is such a common mistake so don’t be surprised to realize that you might be talking 100 mph and leaving your audience in the dust. Remember that the best presentation becomes a train wreck if the speaker speaks too fast. The more familiar the content is for you, the more tempted you will be to speed through it so slow down!

Instead, Do This – First, trim your content so you’re not trying to fit a 30 minute presentation into a 10 minute time slot. A general rule of thumb for pacing is 1-2 minutes per slide so if you’ve got 30 slides for a 30 minute presentation, you may be setting yourself up for failure. Also, remember that reviewing data heavy, dense slides, responding to questions or interjecting stories will take more time so plan for that. If you’re staying on one slide for more than 4-5 minutes, you might want to consider breaking the content into two slides. Also, don’t be too proud to use a post it reminder on your practice podium or your mirror to remind you to slow down! You’ll be glad you did!

Mistake #4 – Relying on Filler Words Unconsciously

Virtually all speakers rely on “filler words” (e.g. um, uh, ok, etc.) unconsciously during their presentations. When I practiced a presentation in high school in front of my dad, he told me I’d said “you know” more than ten times, and I didn’t even remember saying it once. Once I started recording myself, I was horrified to hear myself say it over and over without even realizing I was saying it.

Instead, Do This - Don’t beat yourself up – just try to figure out what your filler word/phrase is so you can begin to remove it. Record yourself so you can identify your fillers, then consciously work to minimize them. Another approach is presenting in front of a friend and asking them ring a bell or hit a buzzer every time you use your filler word/phrase. Speaking more slowly should make it easier for you to remove the filler words so this is yet another reason why speaking slower is usually a smart move.

Mistake #5 – Getting Overwhelmed/Psyched Out

I’ve always heard that the average person is more afraid of public speaking than death. I’m not sure how true that is, but I definitely understand the anxiety created by the thought of speaking in front of a group. Anxiety and nerves can create a career limiting event, and no one wants that.

Public speaking can create anxiety for many professionals.

Instead, Do This – Find a technique that helps reduce your anxiety – taking deep breaths, repeating a reaffirming phrase, etc. Monahan suggests using lavender to kill the nerves right before you speak. I also find that the best defense is a good offense. By that, I mean be prepared! I find that the more rehearsed and confident I am with the content, the less nervous and anxious I feel. In fact, if I’m truly well versed and interested in the content, I’m usually just looking forward to engaging with the group and not as focused on the mechanics of the presentation. Also remember that people are typically more anxious the less comfortable they are with the topic so avoid presenting on topics that aren’t your area of expertise. One of the worst feelings is presenting on a topic where you don’t feel like you have the necessary expertise and competence to speak so just avoid putting yourself in that position and stick to what you know!

Stay tuned for the rest of the series which will explore how professionals can move their presentations from good to great.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Which of these four major presentation mistakes are you making?

The biggest mistake sales professionals make in presentations – according to sales professionals themselves, in a survey – is to wing it rather than properly prepare. Not far behind are two other classic boo-boos: Being informative rather than persuasive and failing to close the sale.

The fourth unsettling mistake, which comes from survey participants watching others present is that the presentation was boring, boring, boring.

Many of us are less trained than sales professionals and may make far fewer presentations, but the results should help guide even those who are in other fields.

“If a pivotal presentation doesn’t move you forward, you’ve got to figure out why and change it,” consultant Terri Sjodin writes in Presentation Ready . A good place to start is with those four common mistakes, which could be hindering you.

Everyone is busy these days and often there doesn’t seem to be sufficient time to prepare for a presentation. Add to that the procrastination factor: Salespeople put off preparing and then there isn’t enough time to fully think through all aspects of the presentation. Besides, they are pros – they can improvise or ad lib, winging it through the presentation.

“The solution is to prepare, practice and channel your energy and effort into every task before you,” says Ms. Sjodin. That’s obvious of course. But you need to make it happen.

Sometimes, there may be legitimate reasons for not preparing, such as when the opportunity arises suddenly. She advises you to prepare in advance for spontaneous situations. Build a collection of go-to statements, phrases and pieces of evidence that you can memorize so you will be better prepared for out-of-the-blue opportunities as well as handling objections in pre-planned presentations. She compares it to a women’s professional basketball player who can sink a three-point shot consistently in critical moments because she has put in the time beforehand.

Data dumping is the second customary mistake. The presentation becomes overloaded with an excessive amount of information, often without proper context and explanation, and any argument gets lost. She warns that ironically listeners may love such presentations because they can use all your intel to negotiate another deal somewhere else. If you are getting lots of compliments on your presentations but not much subsequent action, that may be a sign you are falling into this trap.

The solution is to get clear on your role. “It is a teacher’s job to be informative. It is a sales professional’s job to be persuasive,” she advises. Understand the difference. Don’t linger in what she calls “the information zone.” You are not supposed to be unbiased. Your goal is to present a specific point of view, opportunity or way of thinking.

Many survey respondents told her they conclude a presentation – wrapping up what they want to say – but do not close it, offering a specific call to action. They fear rejection so they stay clear of asking for the sale or some next step toward it.

“It doesn’t need to be scary. All you are doing is inviting your listener to choose to move forward in some regard,” she writes. When people are being asked to part with money, she says it’s almost guaranteed they won’t do anything unless they are asked to do so. You need to decide on a specific goal with a clear call to action for the listeners at each meeting.

Too many presentations are dull and tedious. You may have attended some yourself. But when presenting, most of us, if accused of that offence, would say we were being informative.

“It’s the presenter’s responsibility to build and deliver an interesting message. You might think your data is interesting, but that doesn’t mean the audience will,” she states. Use analogies, anecdotes and rhetorical devices like alliteration and energizing words repeated regularly through your statements, as Martin Luther King Jr. did in his I Have a Dream speech.

The takeaway: Prepare. But don’t stuff your presentation with so much data and information that you are boring, boring, boring … or helpfully arming the listener with material that will assist them with another seller. And ask for the sale, or at least a next step toward that sale.

• In all, consultant Terri Sjodin found 12 presentation mistakes commonly cited in her survey. The others were: Verbal missteps, failure to create connections with listeners, misusing the allotted time, technology or demonstration failures, distracting gestures and body language, providing inadequate support to substantiate arguments and claims, ineffectively using visual aids and dressing inappropriately or unprofessionally.
• If you would like to be appointed to a board, you need a board bio. That summary is quite different from your resume. Northwestern University professor Victoria Medvec stresses it doesn’t list everything you have ever done or embellish executive skills like leading large teams, but instead focuses on your ability to interact well, listen carefully and give advice.
• Unspoken boundaries often cause frustration, so Atomic Habits author James Clear asks : “What is one area of your life where you would benefit from having clearer boundaries, but haven’t voiced them yet?”

Harvey Schachter is a Kingston-based writer specializing in management issues. He, along with Sheelagh Whittaker, former CEO of both EDS Canada and Cancom, are the authors of When Harvey Didn’t Meet Sheelagh: Emails on Leadership.

Report an editorial error

Report a technical issue

Editorial code of conduct

Follow related authors and topics

Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following .

Interact with The Globe

What Is Public Speaking? Why Is It Important? (Definition + Tips)

What is public speaking? In this article, you'll learn what speaking in public is about and the importance of public speaking in business.

If you’ve been asked to give a public speech, you may wonder: what is public speaking and why is public speaking important? Those questions are quite logical if you’ve never thought much about public speaking before.

Public speaking is important in business, education, and the public arena. There are many benefits to speaking in public, whether you’re an individual or a business.

In this article, we’ll define public speaking for you. We’ll discuss the importance of public speaking in general. We’ll also cover the importance of public speaking in business. Plus, we’ll share some resources to help you become a better public speaker. This includes some public speaking examples.

Also, if you want to pursue speaking in public yourself, download our free eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . It’ll help you master the complete presentation process.

What Is Public Speaking & Why It’s Important (Quickstart Video)

If you’re reading this, you’re probably asking the question “ what is public speaking “? You may even be faced with the prospect of creating a public speech yourself.

Or maybe you just want to know “ why is public speaking important “? Whatever your situation, we’ve got you covered with this short video that gives a public speaking definition and provides you with some tips to make a better public speech.

To learn even more about public speaking and why it’s important, study the written tutorial below.

A Public Speaking Definition

So what exactly is public speaking? Basically, it’s a presentation that’s given live before an audience. Public speeches can cover a wide variety of different topics. The goal of the speech may be to educate, entertain, or influence the listeners. Often, visual aids in the form of an electronic slideshow are used to supplement the speech. This makes it more interesting to the listeners.

A quality public communication definition should explain how it’s different from an online presentation, which is why we’ll cover it here. Here’s a description of some of the differences:

• A public speaking presentation is different from an online presentation because an online presentation is available any time. A public speech is typically limited to a specific time or place.
• Online presentations often use slideshows or pre-recorded videos of a speaker. (This includes recordings of a live public speaking presentation).

Because speaking in public is done before a live audience, you need to consider some special factors. We’ll touch on those shortly.

Now that you’ve got an understanding of the meaning of public speaking, let’s take a quick look at the history of (and the importance of) public speaking.

A History of Public Speaking

What is the history of public speaking? And why is public speaking important?

There’s a good chance that there’s been public speech, in one form or another, as long as there’ve been people. But most public speaking experts involved with public speaking in business communication trace the origins of modern public speaking back to ancient Greece and Rome.

Of course, those societies didn’t have slideshows, but they did have a need for speaking in public. As a result, they developed public speaking methods that are still studied today.

The ancient Greeks used public speech primarily to praise or persuade others. At one point, all Greek citizens had the right to suggest or oppose laws during their assemblies. This resulted in a need for skilled public speakers. Speaking in public became a desirable skill and was taught. Public speaking in the time of the Greeks was called rhetoric. Later, when Rome came to power, speaking in public was used during the Roman senate sessions. The Romans adopted the public speaking rhetoric methods of the Greeks. In fact, most public speaking teachers of the time were Greek.

The Latin style of public speaking was popular in the U.S. and Europe until the mid-20th century . After World War II, a less formal and more conversational speaking style of speaking became popular. Also, electronic tools became available to enhance public presentations.

Towards the end of the 20th century, electronic tools migrated to the computer. They evolved into the computer software tools, like PowerPoint , that we know and use today.

Don’t be fooled, though. Even though today’s public speeches are less formal, they still need to be well organized. More on that later. Now, let’s take a look at the importance of public speaking.

The Importance of Public Speaking

If you ask most people, they’ll probably say they don’t like public speech. They may even admit to being afraid of it since fear of public speaking is very common. Or they may just be shy or introverted. For those reasons, many people avoid speaking in public if they can. If you’re one of those people who avoid speaking in public, you’re missing out.

You may be wondering, “What is public communication and how can it benefit me?” Over the years, public speaking in communication has played a major role in education, government, and business. Words have the power to inform, persuade, educate, and even entertain. And the spoken word can be even more powerful than the written word in the hands of the right speaker.

Whether you’re a small business owner or a student, you’ll benefit from improving your public speaking skills. Some benefits of speaking in public include:

• improves confidence
• better research skills
• stronger deductive skills
• ability to advocate for causes

Speaking in public is especially important for businesses to market their offers. This allows them to get their message in front of potential customers. Salespeople and executives are often expected to have good public speaking skills. To learn more about some of the benefits of speaking in public, review this article .

Next, let’s explore the methods you can use to become better at speaking in public.

How to Become Better at Public Speaking (5 Quick Tips)

Okay, so now you understand the benefits of public speaking. You might be a little more interested in the topic. Still, you might think it’s not for you. Maybe you gave a speech once and it didn’t go well. Maybe you’re afraid of speaking in public. Or maybe you think you don’t have a natural ability for giving speeches.

The truth is that speaking in public is a skill. And you can learn any skill. While some people may have more natural speaking ability than others, anyone can learn to be a better public speaker. It just takes some know-how and some effort.

To help you become better at giving public speeches, we’ll take a look at these five areas:

• writing the speech
• overcoming a fear of speaking
• practicing the speech
• preparing your presentation slide designs
• giving the speech

We’ll start with writing the speech.

1. Write an Effective Speech

The first thing you’ll want to do is work on writing a well-organized, engaging speech. Even a great speaking voice or a great deal of charisma isn’t enough if your material isn’t any good.

Specifically, it’s crucial to research your audience beforehand so that you can target your speech directly to them as much as possible. Become familiar with their wants and needs, as well as any problems you can solve for them. This will drive the actual topic that you actually select for your speech, as well as how you research it.

The more research you do, the easier writing your speech will be.

2. Overcome the Fear of Speaking

Fear of public speaking is very real and can hold you back if you let it. If you don’t feel confident when giving your speech, your listeners may pick up on that. This can make your presentation less effective.

Fortunately, there are some techniques to help manage the fear of speaking in public. They also help you become more confident.

First, let’s tackle fear of public speaking. If you’ve already written an effective speech, then you’ve already taken an important first step. The more familiar you are with your speech, the less worried you’ll be on presentation day.

Besides knowing your topic well, be sure to practice, practice, practice! And remember that if you do make any mistakes on presentation day, it’ll be less obvious to your audience than you think.

Next, let’s work on improving your confidence.

3. Practice the Speech

Even if you’re not afraid of speaking in public, practice helps you give a more effective speech. If you’re in a rush, you may be tempted to skip practicing your speech to save time. While skipping practice may seem like a good idea, it’s really not.

Practicing your speech improves your public presentation skills. It also increases your familiarity with the presentation. As a result, your speech will go smoothly. You can go over this handy checklist to help you practice your speech.

4. Prepare Your Presentation Slide Designs

Your slide design needs to be on point. You’ll want to make sure it looks professional and is easy to read. Luckily, you can find plenty of modern and professional presentation templates on Envato Elements.

You’ll also want to download The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations eBook now. Download it for FREE with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter. Learn how to get your ideas formed into a powerful presentation that’ll move your audience.

Don’t forget to make good use of tools like PowerPoint , Google Slides , or Keynote . The right template for your slide deck can make a huge difference in your presentation.

5. Give the Speech

You’ve written a good speech. You feel more confident about giving a speech in public, and you’ve practiced. You’re ready to actually give the speech. There are some tips and tricks you can use on the day of your speech to make it go more smoothly, though.

Remember, you’re giving a presentation before a live audience at a specific place and time. So, you’ve got some concerns about the speaking venue that those who give online presentations don’t have to worry about.

Some common concerns for public speakers include:

• Will the audience be able to hear me?
• Does the venue have the equipment I need?
• Are there enough seats for all my listeners?

Public Speaking Examples

Public speaking examples are great for learning or improving a new skill. That applies to speaking in public as well. If you get the chance to listen to some top-rated public speakers, you should do it. You can observe how other speakers go about giving their speech. In the process, you’ll improve your own speaking skills.

One great source of recorded public speeches is Ted Talks , which is a series of short presentations on a wide variety of topics. Ted Talks are known for attracting world-class and celebrity speakers. You can find my favorite Ted Talks in this article .

The Best Source for Simple PowerPoint Templates (With Unlimited Use)

Envato Elements is the perfect place to find modern PowerPoint templates . For a single monthly fee, access unlimited downloads of PowerPoint themes, photos, fonts, and other resources to use in your next presentation.

Elements gives you the best bang for your buck. And thanks to the unlimited downloads, you can try out a variety of slide designs as you build out your public speaking PowerPoint presentation.

PowerPoint templates from Envato Elements have plenty of features to help you create a stunning presentation, such as:

• bold text and title slides to capture audience attention
• rich image placeholders to show off photos and videos
• many infographic elements and charts to visualize data
• plenty of customization options to make the template your own

Thanks to these templates, you’ll be able to create a modern, standout presentation to go with your public speech.

5 Modern PowerPoint Templates From Envato Elements

1. minimalism clean powerpoint presentation.

Try this template if you’re looking for a clean and simple PowerPoint slide design. The template features a versatile layout. Use it for any type of presentation or topic. It includes 50+ unique slide designs, tons of customization options, and vector elements. The template was designed in widescreen format.

2. Kaspa PowerPoint Presentation

The Kaspa PowerPoint template has a modern and trendy design. It’s best suited for presentations that need a lot of photos to share information. The template can be customized completely. It comes with slide animations and transitions. The template also includes vector icons.

3. Guava PowerPoint

The Guava PowerPoint has a dramatic, yet elegant design. You’ll notice dark image overlays and elegant typography that makes your message stand out. The template comes with 50+ unique designs, image placeholders, and master slides. It was designed in widescreen resolution.

4. Dauna Minimalist PowerPoint

The Dauna template is another minimalist PowerPoint design. It works well for any type of business presentation. You’ll find 30 unique slides and two color variations. The template comes with image placeholders and plenty of customization options.

5. Pastelize Colorful Business PowerPoint Presentation

If you’re looking for a colorful and bold PowerPoint, the Pastelize template is the perfect choice. The template includes many slide designs, three color variations and color themes, and image placeholders.

Make Great Presentations ( Free PDF eBook Download )

We also have the perfect complement to this tutorial, which will walk you through the complete presentation process. Learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully.

Download our new eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . It’s available for free with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.

What Is Public Speaking? Now You Know! Time to Get Work on Your Next Speech

So what is public communication in terms of what it can do for you, your career, or your business?

In a nutshell, a world of potential! In this article, we defined public speaking and why it’s so important in your business. Hopefully, the public speaking meaning we explored will help dispel any fear you may have.

We discussed a thorough public communication definition so that you can be adequately prepared for your next speech. Besides the public speaking definition, you learned a bit about the history of public speaking and how it evolved to modern standards today.

We also shared some helpful tools to help you learn how to give a public speech and provided you with a source for good public speaking examples that you can learn from.

You should now be ready to grow as a public speaker. Be sure to check out the sleek PowerPoint templates on Envato Elements as you prepare for your next speech. You’ll find a ton of inspiration for your next presentation!

So go ahead. Write that public speech and give it. You’ll be glad you did!

Related Articles