25 Common Presentation Mistakes and Tips

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25 Common Presentation Mistakes and Tips

Some people have a natural talent for public speaking. But of course, those without such innate abilities can improve their presentation skills as well.
Here's a list of frequently made presentation mistakes and pitfalls (most of them I made myself 😃). Hopefully this will help you to avoid the most common presentation pitfalls:

BEFORE

1. Not considering the PURPOSE for this presentation (what is your aim, what are you trying to achieve, when is it successful)
2. Insufficient PREPARATION (subject, content, invitation, travel directions)
3. Insufficient REHEARSING (practice for some friends)
4. Not considering your AUDIENCE beforehand (who are they, what are they interested in, what's in it for them. In small groups, you can also ask for their expectations at the beginning of your presentation)
5. Not considering PRE-READING HAND OUT (allow your audience to prepare)
6. Not checking the EQUIPMENT (projector, microphone, connection with your laptop, sound, batteries, flip chart, markers)
7. Not checking the VENUE (lighting conditions, capacity of meeting room, airco, signage, parking space, catering)
8. Not considering your INTRODUCTION (by who and how)
9. Not preparing SPEAKING CARDS with bullet points (memory aid)

DURING

1. Presentation STRUCTURE not mentioned at START (like: agenda, main content, break?, when time for questions)
2. CONTENT is not fitting to the audience (too difficult, too simple, language, jargon)
3. Presentation is TOO LONG (be concise, only tell what your audience wants/needs to know, finish in time)
4. TOO MANY SLIDES (do you really need slides? Stick to around one slide for every 3 minutes of your presentation)
5. Poor VISUALS or none (too complex, too flashy, no consistent style, only text, keep your examples up to date)
6. TOO MUCH TEXT on visuals (too much information, too much details, font size too small, entire sentences rather than bullets points)
7. Being NERVOUS (prepare, practice and if needed do a breathing exercise, be brave)
8. Being too STATIC, staying in 1 place all the time (moving around brings change & variety)
9. No/POOR EYE CONTACT (only looking at the script or the screen).
10. Ignoring or missing FEEDBACK from your audience, for example if there is a need for a break, something is not clear or there is any other inconvenience. You might ask somebody to perform this role for you.
11. No INTERACTIVITY (ask questions now and then, split up in groups for an exercise/case - one person presents the results, engage your audience)
12. GETTING STUCK in a discussion / argument with one questioner (continue afterwards).
13. POOR QUESTION HANDLING: Bluffing (handling a question you don't know the answer to). Or not repeating and verifying a question before answering it.
14. Being BORING (enjoy what you do and show it, be enthusiastic, touch peoples' hearts, try using a metaphore, telling an anecdote, a joke or a story, use a recent news heading, give practical examples, use body language, do not read aloud what is already on the screen)
15. No SUMMARY at the end (conclusions, main points, stimulate curiosity for more information)

AFTER

1. Not asking if there are QUESTIONS (ambiguities)
2. Not asking for FEEDBACK and suggestions (verbally, via email, or using some kind of form)
3. Not considering POST PRESENTATION HANDOUT (1-page, memory aid)

As is the case with so many other things, in giving presentations, practice makes perfect… So if you don't get a standing ovation after your first one, don't worry. To gain inspiration, here's an example of a perfect speech (Premium).

A final tip is to record your presentation and afterwards review yourself using above list of common presentation mistakes and tips.

⇒ Did I cover all? Probably not… Please help to further complete our list….

		Comments by date▼ Comments by rating Rating
		11 Amarnath Krishnaswamy Professor, India
	25 Common Presentation Errors On D and G. It is indeed useful to come to the venue earlier and meet the audience members individually, also to get a possible fix on who could be "friendly" or "hostile" to the topic and you. (Editor: added) On 1. Also announce at the start if and when questions will be taken - during / after a section / after the presentation. (Editor: added) - GETTING STUCK in a discussion / argument with one questioner. (Editor: inserted as #11) - BLUFFING: Handling a question you don't know the answer to. (Editor: inserted as #12).

		4 Ronald Ainsbury Coach, New Zealand
	Common Mistakes in Presenting Nice list. Some amplifications: REHEARSE, rehearse, rehearse - until your presentation doesn't sound like you rehearsed at all. (Editor: added) On 4. Do you really need slides? I often make my students do a presentation using pre-drawn flip charts. They can be really creative. Powerpoint makes people lazy. (Editor: added) On 1. I'd add one more about structure - avoid words like "and" and "also" when making a list. Tell the audience "there are four attributes - first..." rather than one of the attributes is... And then there is... And also...

		5 MJ Stombaugh Professor, United States
	Who Should Introduce the Presenter? Not considering your INTRODUCTION. Who introduces you and how? Editor: added. By the way, what is the best way to introduce speakers anyhow? 1. One person introduces all at the beginning. 2. Each speaker introduces the one that follows. 3. Each speaker introduces her/himself.

		1 carol Career Consultant, Uganda
	Enjoy Presenting Yourself and Show It On 13: Enjoy what you do and show it. Editor: added. 1. One should enjoy the subject in your mind before presenting it to others. 2. While presenting be mindful of your audience, especially the dull ones and engage them because they tend to make the whole process drag.

		4 MUNI DAVE Business Consultant, India
	Layout and Font Size of your Presentation On 5 and 6. - Restrict every slide to 4 to 5 lines only. Don't try to stuff much more in single slide. - Don't make slide background too colorful, focus more on contents; - Font size should not be ...

		3 Matthews Mwase Student (MBA), Malawi
	Presentation Mistakes and Tips On 2. Define any jargon that can not be avoided to ensure understanding. On 10: Engage the audience with short case studies in their groups that can later be presented by group leaders. Editor: added...

		2 Locke, New Zealand
	Presentation Mistakes and Tips On 13: Touch peoples' hearts, if you do all 25 tips and fail to touch their hearts and souls by connecting them to the essential vision behind the details then the presentation fails. We engage and re...

		3 Yuriy Duchev CxO / Board, Ukraine
	Do a Tryout for your Friends Very importantly, before the date of the presentation PRACTICE your presentation for yours friends or family. Their feedback allows you to fix mistakes or difficulties and make your presentation much ...

		3 Paramathmuni srinivas Kumar India
	Tips to Engage the Audience of your Presentation On C. You need to engage the audience of your presentation. This requires you take the following into consideration: 1. Audience should be comfortable at physical level, for example the chairs, audio...

		1 Jaime Arevalo Colombia
	Pre-reading Hand Outs and Templates Companies normally provide templates for their staff to use. Because the usage implies a kind of mental restriction, it is better to prepare the presentation without such template. Then once it's draf...

		1 Karibi George Nigeria
	Great Presentation Mistakes and Tips Thank you for this topic. It helped me to think about presenting / giving presentations in an organized and practical way. Most training programs for public speaking sound esoteric and abstract rather...

		1 Gavril Management Consultant, Albania
	Further Presentation Tips Make sure you fully understand what you present. Combine text/voice with body language. Editor: added. Be interactive. Summarize the message at the end. Stimulate curiosity for more information. E...

		1 Ray Uday Shankar Prasad India
	No Awareness About the Purpose of your Presentation The comments are indeed very useful. I would like to stress that one should be fully aware of the PURPOSE behind any presentation. The material of the presentation should align with its purpose, whic...

		3 Theo Villella, United States
	How to Find Out what your Audience is Interested in? ON D: In reality, you often do not know what your audience wants to know or needs to know. You know what you think they need, but they may not. But they are there, so they will have expectations. It i...

		1 Theo Villella, United States
	More Tips and Pointers On 4. @Editor: Yes, the number of slides is cultural. In Japan I saw very dense slides that required 10-15 minutes to explain very complex relationships with several examples. When using a visual med...

		1 Isaiah Maisiba Manager, Kenya
	Some More Presentation Errors en Tips Be alert for feedback from your audience, for example if there is a need for a break or in case of emergencies like power failure. You might ask somebody to perform this role for you. Editor: added. ...

		2 Mohammed Analyst, Saudi Arabia
	How to Present Presenting and standing in front of others needs some level of bravery (Editor: added). Bravery in presenting means:- 1. Excellent preparations. 2. Practice at home with friends or family. 3. Don'...

		0 Maurice Hogarth Consultant, United Kingdom
	Presentation Tips: More on Rehearsing I particularly agree with C. Rehearsal. Because your brain believes what you tell it to do, rehearsal breeds familiarity so the brain thinks ‘been here done this, now I get the T-shirt’. So: 1: READ ...

		2 Helen Strong Business Consultant, South Africa
	Mistakes During Presentations Great topic. Avoiding all these presentation mistakes is so important, especially when providing the audience with outcomes of research, or taking them through new strategies. People trust the confide...

		1 Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	Tips for Authentic Speaking Beyond all these excellent more or less technical tips and tricks, also check out this post: Morgan's 4 Underlying Aims to Become an Authentic Speaker....