6 Important Mistakes To Avoid In Your Next Presentation

Written By Harry Madusha -

Presenting in front of a crowd - or even just a tiny auditorium filled with maybe stakeholders, your esteemed clients, students, mentees, coworkers - can easily become an embarrassing scenario. Most of us are shy of public speaking, some of us also don’t really know how to give a memorable presentation. For those of us who frequently get to present or might present in the near future; these are some common mistakes I have observed over the years:

1) You didn’t expect the unexpected

Believe it or not, something can likely go wrong during your presentation, whether a projector refuses to work, the lights could go out, or your laptop decides to be silly. These issues can be annoying. It's just like a wedding ceremony for instance, it can never be 100% perfect, often times there's always a plot twist. But the better prepared you are, the more you would be capable of dealing with things when they go wrong. Being able to complete a presentation under tough circumstances, shows you are resilient.

2) Your PowerPoint Slides are too distracting

Our visual aids such as PowerPoint slides are meant to engage the audience. But they are never meant to divert them from the focus of the presentation, which is you.

That’s what you risk when you assemble a presentation that looks too engaging. PowerPoint slides that contain too much graphics or writing will distract the audience from you. So, in other words, keep it simple.

3) Not engaging your audience enough

Though you might not be shy of public speaking, it’s always very easy not to engage an audience. Sometimes, we speakers get caught up in our own minds, hence we forget there are individuals out there in the crowd - people who want to make a real connection with the speaker. It's like an empathetic connection.

A quick way to engage with your audience is to use non-verbal techniques, such as establishing eye contact. I also ask my audience questions to keep them engaged, but be careful not to ask too much questions as it can slow you down.

4) You failed to personalize your presentation

Truth is no one wants to listen to a boring data-filled presentation. Even if the theme of your presentation is vastly data, there are still ways to make it intriguing and to seize the audience’s attention. So be sure to personalize your presentation with cool stories and nice examples, and don’t be shy to use humor. Make it cinematic!

5) You didn’t rehearse enough

Many individuals don’t practice their presentation well before giving it—and that’s a huge mistake. All presentation should be rehearsed even if it's in front of Kindergarten pupils. Rehearsing allows confidence to build, and avoid memorizing; it's a presentation, it should be free, like expression.

6) You forgot to smile

A smile can make you likable. It can always put the auditorium at ease and give the audience warmth. Additionally, smiling helps prevent some of the mistakes we covered earlier, such as engaging with your audience and not only reading from your screen. A quick hint: Don't do it too much.

I hope this comes in handy.

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