what not to do during a presentation

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 ...

• Presentation Design

Presentation Do’s and Don’ts: What You Need to Know

Camille del Rosario

Giving a presentation can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially if you’re not fond of public speaking. Luckily, there are ways you can improve your talk and give maximum value to your listeners. Your public speaking skills — like speaking clearly and minding your body language — are important. But you also have to complement this with good and effective presentation design .

There are a lot of things that you can do to improve your presentation design and delivery method, from using attention-grabbing images and PowerPoint graphics to enhancing interactivity with the audience. In this article, we list all the important do’s and don’ts when giving a presentation to amplify the value that listeners will get from your pitch.

Presentation Do’s 

1. plan the structure.

You might have a lot of information you want to share with your audience. The first part of your preparation should be planning your structure.

• You can’t deliver a huge load of information at once, so create an organized guide for you to follow throughout your talk.
• Start with providing your listeners with background information about you and the topic.
• Next, highlight your main message or key point and then supplement it with data-based arguments backed by verified sources.
• Finally, plan your concluding thoughts or CTA to maximize your presentation’s impact.

With all the points that you need to make, it’s easy to get sidetracked and lose your train of thought. If there’s one thing you can take away from these tips, it’s to never give a presentation unprepared.

2. Use the Rule of Thirds

Have you ever seen a presentation deck so rife with information that it becomes too much? There’s a reason minimalism is good practice when designing your slides. If there are too many things going on on your presentation deck, you run the risk of distracting your listeners and overloading their brains with too much information.

Generally, you should keep it simple by using centered or symmetrical layouts. But sometimes, your content doesn’t allow for a strictly symmetrical layout. Your slide may end up looking unbalanced or unfinished.

Using the rule of thirds is a good principle to counter that. Imagine that your slide is divided into three equal parts vertically and horizontally. Place text, images, or other objects on each section of the grid to make the slide as balanced and aesthetically pleasing as possible. This helps you align the objects in your deck in a way that’s easy on the eyes and gives room for white space.

3. Use Negative Space Generously

Negative space is the “blank” part of a design — no elements whatsoever. But just because they’re blank doesn’t mean they don’t serve a purpose. Negative space, also known as white space, is an important functional element of your design. They help clear up the layout so that the audience’s eyes are drawn only to the most important parts.

Using negative space will greatly improve your audience’s ability to absorb and retain information. It’s a common beginner design mistake to fill up every corner with text and graphics, but don’t give in to the temptation!

4. Think Twice When Choosing Stock Photos

Overcrowded layouts and big blocks of text are off-putting for audiences. If you saw walls of text in a PowerPoint presentation, most likely, you wouldn’t be motivated to read every single line from start to finish. That’s why you need to add attention-grabbing visuals.

When adding visuals to your presentation, stock photos are a good resource. But make sure that you maintain a selective attitude when using them. Instead of settling with the first photo that pops up after a query, conduct a more specific search and find photos that are relevant to your topic.

Images have been shown to increase retention by up to 24%, so adding them to your presentation will keep your listeners engaged. Try to keep the text as minimal as possible and instead incorporate more images or visuals that are captivating, high-resolution, and relevant to your presentation.

5. Choose Your Fonts & Colors Carefully

The fonts and colors you use in your presentation deck can make or break its ability to engage your audience and provide important information. In line with keeping your slides simple, choose fonts that are readable and use only colors that are easy on the eye.

Make sure your color choices are on-brand — or at the very least, relevant to your topic. Pastel colors and monochromatic palettes are a trendy choice these days. So are neon elements on dark backgrounds. But as long as they provide enough clarity and contrast, it’s totally your choice!

When it comes to fonts, go for the simplest choices. But your font doesn’t have to be boring! A great way to tell if a font is appropriate for a presentation is to do a size test. If a font is easy to read at a very small size, then it’s workable. (But that’s just a test — in your actual presentation, remember to keep your font sizes big and friendly!)

6. Let Your Passion Shine Through with Storytelling and a Conversational Tone

Even if you’re speaking about a formal or technical topic, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be casual in your presentation. People appreciate listening to someone who’s human and who they can relate to, making story-telling a valuable skill in public speaking. Stories also help people retain information better!

Engage your audience by telling a story that’s related to your main point. You can start your presentation with a backstory or capture attention halfway through. And while you’re story-telling and providing value to your audience, make sure that you’re showing them how interested and passionate you are about the topic at hand.

7. Use Audience Engagement Strategies

As much as possible, you want to keep your audience engaged from start to finish. Aside from adopting the best practices in speech delivery and presentation design, you may also want to make your talk more interactive. Here are a few ways you can do this:

• Involve your audience in the conversation. Ask them questions every couple of minutes or tell a short story or two to keep their eyes and ears on you.
• Make eye contact with your audience and pay attention to your own nonverbal cues like gestures, posture, and facial expression.
• Rehearse and time your speech. It’s easy to lose track of time during a presentation, so make sure you know how much of your audience’s time you’re taking by conducting a timed rehearsal. As a bonus, this will also help you gain clarity about the flow of your talk or even help you anticipate questions and reactions.

Information is not hard to come by, especially in the digital age. Your audience can easily get access to and learn about the topics you’re going to talk about from other resources. So what makes your presentation special? In the end, there’s still nothing that can compare to hearing it from a professional who can deliver this information in a more intimate and engaging manner.

8. End Your Presentation With a Key Question or Call to Action

You can’t always guarantee that your audience will remember everything you discussed in your presentation. So it’s important that you identify your main point — the one thing that you want to leave your audience with.

So before presenting, make sure you’ve identified “the one idea to rule them all.” Summarize what you discussed in a single statement, which can be in the form of an insight, question, or action. Doing this will get your audience thinking and allow them to appreciate what your presentation was really about.

Presentation Don’ts

1. don’t use too much text.

You’re not writing a book — your slides are meant to be observed for several seconds with minimal effort from the viewer. You have a limited hold on your audience’s attention. Don’t risk being boring via information overload and keep text at a minimum.

For more complex information, use short sentences divided into three to five bullet points per slide. You can also use data visualizers like charts and graphs, but remember to simplify these as well by only using a few variables at a time.

And if you really want to provide lengthy content, consider providing your audience with presentation aids like printed handouts or links to digital documents that they can study at their leisure after your presentation.

2. Don’t Just Read the Slides Out Loud

If your slides contain absolutely everything you want your audience to know, then what are you there for? Trust us — you don’t want your audience sitting there thinking, “This could have been an email.” Make the most of their time by making your presence valuable.

Giving a presentation is more than just about relaying information. It’s also about engaging with your audience by provoking wonder, emotion, interest, and action. Your presence is needed to lend credibility and authenticity to the information you’ll provide. So refrain from reading your slides out loud! You’re a human talking to humans. Make your front-and-center moment matter.

3. Don’t Talk Too Fast or Too Slow

If you’ve ever attended a talk where the speaker spoke too fast, you were probably tense the whole time only to end up without a single takeaway from the presentation. Or if the speaker spoke too slowly, you might have found yourself dozing off halfway through.

Speak at a moderate, conversational speed to help your audience understand you clearly. Don’t forget to modulate your pitch and volume. It’s okay to get excited — but don’t let emotion get in the way of your delivery. Even when you’re at your most passionate, avoid bellowing, screeching, or whispering.

Basically, clear speech is a matter of avoiding all extremes. You can do it with practice, practice, practice!

4. Don’t Overuse Charts and Graphs

Charts and graphs are valuable visual cues that help you express important numbers or statistics — but there is such a thing as overusing them. Sure, your audience will be able to absorb information from one to two charts, but if you use them more than ten times in your entire presentation, for example, the chances of your audience being able to understand and retain that information are slim.

Again, if you really think your audience should have a truckload of information at hand, then email or print out the relevant documents for them. If you manage to capture their genuine interest during your simplified presentation, they are more likely to seek out additional information later on.

5. Don’t Use Hard-to-Read Fonts

Your audience will rely on your presentation to guide them through understanding the topic you’re discussing. Make sure that your points are readable and clearly state the key points. You don’t have to use the most aesthetic font available. Stick to basic and easy-to-read options.

Broken fonts can really ruin a presentation, so here’s a little secret. For maximum portability, use easily accessible web fonts like Google Fonts . This way, you’ll be able to have access to them no matter what device you use to present — all you need is an internet connection.

6. Don’t Use a Low-Contrast Color Palette

Contrast is one of the main principles of design. It can be expressed in different ways — through size, shape, texture, and most commonly, color. Contrast helps establish hierarchy, effectively informing viewers what they are looking at.

With low contrast, it’s difficult to tell the difference between two colors that are side by side. The highest contrast possible is black and white, which is why many presentations simply use black text on white backgrounds (or vice versa).

But plain black and white presentations can get really old, really fast. Using a more diverse color palette will add interest to your presentations. Just make sure to amp up the contrast by using dark colors on light colors and light colors on dark colors.

7. Don’t Use Too Many Effects

One of the exciting features of presentation software is your ability to add transition effects to your slides. While these were fun in high school, they’re not necessarily at home in formal pitch decks and corporate presentations.

Using too many effects can distract your audience and deter them from absorbing the more important points of your presentation. Keep the dazzling effects to a minimum and make your slides as simple as possible.

8. Don’t Use Irrelevant and Low-Resolution Images

Stock or custom images are a very good way to keep your audience engaged, but you have to make sure to use good-quality images that are actually relevant to the topic at hand.

Using blurry, pixelated, or low-quality photos will set you up for a negative impression. And irrelevant images make it pretty obvious that you didn’t spend enough time on your deck. Weird or off-topic image choices can really impact your credibility. Fortunately, there are loads of creative resources available online today, many of them free or affordable.

Ready to Put Your Presenter Hat On?

These tips will definitely help you position yourself as an expert in your subject matter. You don’t need to be a graphic designer to create truly engaging presentations that are easy on the eye.

But we know that the fear of public speaking is one of the most common phobias — this means that for most people, having to design and present slideshows can feel like a little too much work! So if you need a boost, we’re here to help. With Design Pickle’s Presentation Design services, you can win over your audience with engaging, well-designed, and on-brand presentation designs that stand out from the competition. No sweat!

Related Posts

10 Types of Motion Graphics You Can Create With Design Pickle

10 Types of Graphic Design to Help You Get the Content You Need

How to Design a Presentation

Sign up for email, get the inside scoop on creative leadership and killer campaigns.

Hosted by Russ Perry, CEO & Founder of Design Pickle, Jar of Genius is a podcast that uncovers the strategies and mindsets of today’s most innovative creative leaders. Get actionable insights on groundbreaking business models, successful campaigns, and the cutting-edge tech that’s changing the game. Learn how to build a thriving creative business in this fast-paced world.

Simplify the way your design work gets done.

We’re an all-in-one platform with a built-in global design workforce , trailblazing the path to easier, faster, and more efficient creative .

• Designer Application
• Referral Program
• Graphic Design
• Custom Illustrations
• Motion Graphics
• Video Editing

Contact Sales & Support

• +1 877 331 1272
• +61 4 8000 8268

Design Samples

Request a demo, help center.

• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• System Status
• Product Updates

[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

Figma Slides: A new presentation tool taking on PowerPoint and co

Presentation tools

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