25 Common Presentation Mistakes and Tips

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 max. 10 slides for half an hour or 20 for an hour)
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….

		Amarnath Krishnaswamy Professor, India
	25 Common Presentation Errors On D and G. It is indeed useful to come to the ven (...)

		Ronald Ainsbury Management Consultant, New Zealand
	Common Mistakes in Presenting Nice list. Some amplifications: REHEARSE, rehears (...)

		MJ Stombaugh Professor, United States
	Who Should Introduce the Presenter? Not considering your INTRODUCTION. Who introduces (...)

		carol Career Consultant, Uganda
	Enjoy Presenting Yourself and Show It On 13: Enjoy what you do and show it. Editor: adde (...)

		MUNI DAVE Business Consultant, India
	Layout and Font Size of your Presentation On 5 and 6. - Restrict every slide to 4 to 5 line (...)

		Matthews Mwase Student (MBA), Malawi
	Presentation Mistakes and Tips On 2. Define any jargon that can not be avoided to (...)

		Locke Teacher, New Zealand
	Presentation Mistakes and Tips On 13: Touch peoples' hearts, if you do all 25 tip (...)

		Yuriy Duchev CxO / Board, Ukraine
	Do a Tryout for your Friends Very importantly, before the date of the presentat (...)

		srinivas Lecturer, India
	Tips to Engage the Audience of your Presentation On C. You need to engage the audience of your pres (...)

		Jaime Arevalo Colombia
	Pre-reading Hand Outs and Templates Companies normally provide templates for their sta (...)

		Karibi George Nigeria
	Great Presentation Mistakes and Tips Thank you for this topic. It helped me to think ab (...)

		Gavril Management Consultant, Albania
	Further Presentation Tips Make sure you fully understand what you present. (...)

		Ray Uday Shankar Prasad India
	No Awareness About the Purpose of your Presentation The comments are indeed very useful. I would like (...)

		Theo Villella Business Consultant, United States
	How to Find Out what your Audience is Interested in? ON D: In reality, you often do not know what your (...)

		Theo Villella Business Consultant, United States
	More Tips and Pointers On 4. @Editor: Yes, the number of slides is cultur (...)

		Isaiah Maisiba Accountant, Kenya
	Some More Presentation Errors en Tips Be alert for feedback from your audience, for exam (...)

		Mohammed HR Consultant, Saudi Arabia
	How to Present Presenting and standing in front of others needs s (...)

		Maurice Hogarth Consultant, United Kingdom
	Presentation Tips: More on Rehearsing I particularly agree with C. Rehearsal. Because yo (...)

		Helen Strong Business Consultant, South Africa
	Mistakes During Presentations Great topic. Avoiding all these presentation mista (...)

		Jaap de Jonge Editor, Netherlands
	Tips for Authentic Speaking Beyond all these excellent more or less technical (...)