8 presentation mistakes to avoid at all costs

You’re going over your next virtual presentation and you can’t have anything going wrong. Any presentation mistakes could be the difference between success or failure.

An important presentation can go wrong in a short time and there are many pitfalls waiting for you as a speaker.

What are the typical presentation mistakes to avoid?  

By identifying them you would have an extra chance of avoiding them by learning from the presentation mistakes of those who have already been there.

Every time I participate in a presentation as a spectator I always try to learn from the other speakers.

I always find it stimulating to be part of the audience and be able to observe the dynamics that occur.

So, whenever I have the opportunity, I go in search of typical errors that undermine the effectiveness of the rapporteur, and I take note of them.

I decided to start sharing the list of all those I’ve collected so far, but the challenge is to continue this list together in order to make it richer and more useful to everyone.

So, if you have an interesting contribution to the discussion, leave it in the comments; I’ll be happy to read it and integrate it into the article.

1. Using the agenda in a presentation

Do you think it’s right or wrong to use the agenda in presentations?  Is this really one of our top presentation mistakes?

Tough question to answer.

What do most people do?

In a corporate environment, I can already tell you that everyone uses it.

Typically, it is shown at the beginning of the presentation so the audience know which topics will be covered.

It is done because you think that in the first moments it is right to tell people what they should expect.

Do you think it works?

I don’t think so.  

Surprised?

Let me explain.

If you watched a movie and in the first moments they told you the whole story and how it ends, in your opinion, would this have the same engaging impact that it would have had if the storyline had been revealed step by step?

Of course not.

That’s the whole point.

If you want people’s attention you have to win them over with an engaging storyline that can surprise them step by step, surprise them and intrigue them.

If you reveal everything from the beginning you’ll lose their interest by wiping out any application of any storytelling model.

If this is not enough to convince you not to use the agenda in your presentations, I would add that often the speaker ends up following the agenda by spending time saying things like:

“In section 1 we’ll see this topic, in section 2 I’ll talk to you about this one and then we’ll get to the heart of our presentation thanks to section 3 where I’ll talk to you about another one”.

If you want to tell me something, tell me!

Don’t tell me you’re gonna tell me and where you’re gonna tell me; go ahead and tell me.

In a dialogue between people no one anticipates what you are about to say or risks sounding like a fool. If you’re gonna say something to someone, just tell them.

So, in presentations try to behave naturally and give your audience what you want to say without anticipation.

So, is it always forbidden to use an agenda in your presentation?  

No, not always.  

If the presentation was built to be read, then the agenda might help.

What’s that? I’ll explain.

Imagine that, because your written presentation is quite substantial in the number of slides, the recipient is flipping through, one after the other, looking for information.

During an oral presentation, you say times and sequences of the flow of communication but if the presentation is read, it is up to the reader to decide in what order to use the content and how much time to devote to each section, based on his or her interest.

This implies that the reader may want to jump from one section to another of the presentation in search of the information that most interests him or her.

Do you really want to stop this behavior?

Absolutely not!

If the reader does this, it means that there is a need for it and therefore it must be made easier.

What’s that?

Using, in combination, three of the following tools:

1. Agenda  
2. Section dividers 
3. Slide navigator for slides.  

The agenda is the starting point, like the index of a book, and represents the map of the world into which the reader will dive.

The section dividers are the access ports to each topic and the navigator is the locator that allows the reader to know, at any time, slide by slide, in which section certain information is located.

This way, if the reader wants to jump from one section to another, he or she will just have to find the navigator to know whether to go forward or backward in the flow.

The combined use of these three elements constitutes a formidable navigation system for each reader who will enjoy your content without the need for your guidance.

2. Forcing questions and stimulating interaction

You thought stimulating interaction was useful, so you’re surprised it’s one of our listed presentation mistakes?

I agree. Let me explain.

How many times have you attended a presentation in which the speaker stopped at a certain point and said: “Ladies and gentlemen, feel free to interrupt me at any time, raise your hand and interact freely?”

Then followed an attempt to reassure the audience about what was said: “Rest assured, there are no stupid questions and any observation can be of interest to everyone.”

How many times does the rapporteur ask: “Are there any questions?” and silence falls in the meeting room?

That is the embarrassing situation in which no one wants to be exposed and the rapporteur is unable to go ahead with the presentation.

Each presentation is a moment of dialogue with your audience; otherwise why should you stand in front of them, keep eye contact and draw people’s attention to you (not your slides) most of the time?

You heard me. I said a dialogue.

This involves an exchange between people.

In a presentation, it translates into an interaction between speaker and audience.

For me, every successful presentation is a moment of exchange of ideas between the audience and the speaker.

As a speaker, you’re not the star of the presentation; you’re the coach.

Who is the real protagonist of the presentation?

Your audience! 

The fact that they’re pointing the lights at you and that everyone’s watching you, curious to know what you’ll have to say, should never mislead you.

Each successful presentation has the power to influence the actions of its own audience and convince them to do something they would not otherwise have done.

The whole event is built so that your audience is put in the best conditions to be able to change, to understand the deep reasons why it is really worth changing.

The change could be the decision of an investor to finance your startup, the CEO who decides to listen to your recommendation and make one decision rather than another, etc.

I always thought that trying to interact with your audience was important, but I was wrong.

The interaction with the audience must be conquered in the field and triggered in a natural way; you can’t force it in any way, no matter how good you are and how perfect your presentation is.

Many try but few succeed, because they ask for it and try to force it.

A good presenter doesn’t need to tell people to talk to him or her; he or she’ll make sure the dialogue happens naturally.

The way you stand determines how you are perceived by your audience.

If you are able to empathize with your audience you will see that people will naturally interact with you whenever they feel the need.

How to react to an unexpected interruption?  

Of course, as if you were talking to a friend, answer the questions and make sure everyone there is following you.

This leads me to recommend that you pay attention to the next recurring error in your presentations.

3. Not sharing questions with everyone

It often happens that you, as a speaker, have a microphone so that everyone can listen to you when you speak.

But then, if you were good at not making the error 2 described above, someone raises their hand and asks a question, typically, without a microphone.

You and the person’s neighbors are the only ones who hear the question.

One of the vital presentation mistakes is to reply directly to the person concerned without caring about the fact that many others have not heard the question.

So what should you do instead?  

The solution is simple but you have to get used to not responding on impulse.

Sometimes you may get an uncomfortable question, and you may want to clarify the issue immediately and close the point before a debate opens.

Nevertheless, you must always have the utmost respect for your audience and you must ensure that everyone is participating in the dialogue.

When you get a question and you suspect that some of the audience have not heard it, before answering it, repeat the question asking if you have understood correctly.

This way, it will act as a request for clarification from you and the audience will feel automatically involved.

Avoid asking the person who asked the question to repeat it so as not to create tension for those who are already opening up and, if possible, avoid saying that the repeat is for those who have not heard, as you do not want to make them appear to be the cause of the repetition.

It’s a little shrewdness but you will realize that it will help you to keep the audience’s attention and strengthen your empathy with them.

Empathizing with your audience means really listening and having the ability to make them experience the presentation as protagonists by reflecting the attention that is given to them.

I’ve read a beautiful, best-selling book on the subject, which I believe any presenter and any person with a little common sense should absolutely read at least once.

How to Win Friends & Influence People. 

Can you get more empathetic by reading?

Honestly, I was rather skeptical, but this book opened my mind.

So, I highly recommend reading it.

4. Presenting with ineffective slides

Exactly. Now everybody’s making presentations.

There are managers who say that they spend more than 50% of their working time making presentations for themselves or their bosses.

A lot of time is invested in business presentation design, but rarely is the result up to the time invested.

What do you mean?

With all the time invested in making presentations, we should all be magicians and our presentations should be spectacular.

One of the most common presentation mistakes is to throw slides together just before the presentation, and then rely on your speaking to make up the difference.

How many presentations have you seen that were really effective?  

Maybe you can think of a few, but I’m ready to bet they’re not part of everyday life.

Why is the result mediocre despite the time invested?

Making an effective presentation requires a mix of skills that rarely coexist in a single professional.

We need an understanding of what we call “Critical Thinking” in jargon.

That is, your knowledge of the subject and your ability to produce relevant content for your audience.

You need the ability to select which information to present and which to omit.

Careful, this seems easy but it is not at all, especially if you are directly involved in the project.

In all honesty I say to you that it is easier for me to synthesize the presentations of others than my own because I have a colder approach to the content.

Do you need to organize the content into an engaging storyline, or what do you say before and what do you say after?

How do you start the presentation and how do you plan to finish it?

By the way, do you know what an initial engagement strategy for a presentation is?

Let me give you a tip: Presentation hook examples: the 13 most successful presentation hook ideas ever.

What are the moments when you create peaks of attention and prepare to counteract the drops?

Last but not least, do you have the ability to display your messages in a presentation, often in PowerPoint, in a way that is truly effective and consistent?

The truth is that we are often business people more prone to problem solving than to creativity and therefore we have difficulty making really effective slides.

Careful, I’m not even talking about visually attractive slides, but slides that pass the message.

To make effective slides you must certainly be able to choose:

• The right images (Free images for powerpoint presentations: the definitive guide)
• The right icons (PowerPoint icons: The Complete Guide to using Presentation Icons)

More than anything else, however, you need to develop a design approach to slide design and eliminate creativity from the equation.

If you designed according to what people see and learned to control people’s eyes, you could trigger a profitable dynamic of interaction between you and your slides designed on the screen.

You’d find that the audience would watch you and then, when you change slides, quickly slide their eyes back to you.

How do you do all this?

I call it Neuro Presentation Design and it consists in a design and super efficient approach to the realization of impactful slides: Neuro presentation design: how eye path control can dramatically improve your presentations.

I believe that we can all learn to make effective slides in a short time, just by combining the right approach with the tools of the trade.

What tools?  

You’re right. I haven’t told you about the tools yet.

In fact, between you and me, I do tricks on presentations.

For this reason, people are often surprised when they see me drawing presentations at the speed of light.

It seems like slides come to life in real time.

Over the years I have studied the way people work on PowerPoint.

I found that a small group of recurring activities is the cause of most of the time wasted and the inaccuracies in making a presentation.

What did I do with these results?

I created a PowerPoint button for each of these tasks and automated it.

Thus was born MLC PowerPoint Add-in, the first set of custom features developed by presentation makers for presentation makers that has the dual purpose of making you faster at creating more effective presentations.

Take a look at it; you can try it for free.

5. Watching slides while the audience are present

Do you ever turn to the screen to see what to say according to the slide you are projecting?

If that happens to you, it’s time to stop.

Seriously, this must never happen again.

If you’re wondering if it’s that bad, it is!

Every time you turn around and look at what you have to say, you give your back to your audience and lose visual contact with people.

You completely lose the perception of a dialogue because through following your slides you are giving priority to what you have to say rather than to the people present.

In addition, you’ll get people used to watching slides first and then following your comment and losing the leadership of your speech.

You’re going to be the commentator on your slides.

Does that seem acceptable to you?

I wouldn’t say so!

This is why this is one of the common presentation mistakes.

So, how do you avoid it?

Learn how to use PowerPoint (PowerPoint slide show) speaker mode.

What’s it for?

The slide show mode shows on the screen of your laptop the slide projected in large and the next slide in small.

To enable speaker mode, your laptop must be connected to a second screen, such as a projector or other TV.

Usually you can connect with an HDMI cable

Or with a VGA cable

Always be careful to have an adapter with you in case your laptop doesn’t have the corresponding ports.

I, for example, go around with this adapter because I have USB type C:

With slide show mode, you’ll always have an eye on the next slide, and you won’t have to turn to look at the screen every time.

6. Lack of leadership

Do I look like I’m overreacting?

Not at all!

A presentation is intended to influence people to do something they wouldn’t otherwise have done.

You could sell a product or service to a customer, your startup to an investor or a recommendation to top management.

In any case, you’re trying to convince them to accept your ideas and act.

In fact, you’re trying to exercise your leadership over your audience.

You see I wasn’t exaggerating?

Not having leadership is one of the presentation mistakes that is sure to limit your chances for a successful presentation.

A leader is a charismatic person who has clear beliefs and is ready to share them for others to follow.

Avoid at all costs saying things like “I’ll show you the next slide very quickly” or “I’ll just steal another 5 minutes to tell you that …”

If you show me the next slide quickly it means that it was not so important to avoid showing it to me; if you’re stealing my time then I will not be so inclined to devote more to the presentation.

We often feel indebted to our audience and tend to justify our actions.

First of all, I’ll tell you that nobody really notices everything that happens during the presentation.

Sometimes I jump slides or I don’t show videos that I had in the stream, and I do it simply by clicking several times.

I never stop to say, however, “This is no use going forward“; I just do it.

The audience doesn’t even notice if I avoid commenting.

If you do comment, you attract their attention and generate curiosity.

The audience might then ask: “You’re showing me fewer slides than you prepared: why?“

Have a clear idea of what you want from people, take a firm and respectful attitude but do not let yourself be found vacillating otherwise you will risk losing leadership.

7. Using the laser pointer

I see fewer and fewer people using it now, but when I see some doing so I get chills.

Please tell me you’re not one of those who use it.

Why do you think speakers use laser pointers?  

I’ll tell you why they do, and why this is another of the common presentation mistakes.

To draw attention to a specific part of the slide.

This implies that the speaker turns around, loses visual contact with people, identifies the message on the slide and tries to draw attention with a microscopic red dot in the confusion of its contents.

Does that sound really smart to you?

Your slides must already be designed to draw people’s attention to a specific point.

As a speaker, all your attention is focused on people and the dialogue you are establishing with them.

The slides must show exactly what you want to show when you click.  

You just have to think about projecting the next slide; the design will draw people’s attention to a specific point.

What do I mean by that?

I’m talking about the difference between a slide in which there is no user experience and one in which there is.

Do you see that the right graph (POST) clearly shows the contents organized on different levels of reading to maximize the viewer’s attention?

When you draw you always have to ask yourself what you want people to see the second you click and show the slide projector.

How do you do it, especially if you work with charts and tables?

If you work a lot with data slides, I’ll let you read a guide that will change your life and that of your audience: The definitive guide to presenting data in powerpoint.

8. Getting caught off guard if slides stop working

What if while you’re presenting the screen becomes monochrome and you suddenly find yourself without a slide?

Being unprepared for this one of the most common presentation mistakes.

A few days ago, just as I started writing this article, I was at an event where a personal effectiveness trainer was making a good presentation.

Suddenly, the power is cut off and the laptop with the presentation is turned off.

Was that predictable?

Absolutely!

On top?

Let me explain.

Probably the trainer could not have imagined that he would be blown out of power during the presentation but he could have prepared himself in case something went wrong.

In fact, he promptly got everyone up and involved them in an interactive activity, stating that he would wait for the restoration of the presentation by the technicians in charge.

If you’re cool-headed you can also improvise but my advice is to prepare yourself in case something goes wrong.

Technology is a powerful tool, but we can’t risk causing everything to fail if the technology fails.

Conclusions

Each presentation is the opportunity of the time you are given by your audience.

Often, in the short time allowed you have to be unnoticed and the stakes can be very high because your presentation can have a serious impact on your business or your work and possibly that of your audience.

I mean, failure in a presentation can cost you dearly and should not be contemplated.

There are a number of fairly recurrent pitfalls, among which we have listed some of the most serious. I want this article to be a cue for each of us to share our experiences in the comments and for everyone to benefit from them, and avoid these presentation mistakes.

So, go ahead and share: what was your failure or save during your presentation?