5 Things We Do that Sabotage our Presentations

The difference between a good presentation and a bad one can have a direct impact on your bottom line – and what makes a bad presentation are often things we can control. Avoid doing these things that sabotage presentations:Lack of AuthenticityDon't mimic others when we’re presenting. The best way to connect with your audience is to be yourself.

• Speak with passion.
• Speak from the heart.
• Let your personality shine through.
• Make eye contact and really connect with your audience.

Not PracticingIt may seem like we can rehearse in our heads, or that “thinking through” our presentations will be enough. It’s not true. You must approach presentation practice like a play rehearsal. You practice your lines over and over again in the context that you’ll be delivering them, with the visual aids you’ll be using. Talking to a mirror doesn’t work.

• Record yourself presenting so that you can watch, critique, and improve your delivery.
• Practice presenting in front of colleagues and friends.
• Enlist the aid of a presentation coach to help you be the presenter you want to be.

Not Managing Time EffectivelyWhile your audience may be interested in what you have to say, don't abuse the fact that you have a captive audience. You'll know you’ve lost their attention when you hear a lot of shifting in the seats and when they start looking at their phones. Practice helps you time your presentation so that you allot enough time for Q&A, if applicable.Death by PowerPointThe biggest mistake new presenters make is to focus too much on the PowerPoint presentation. Fancy graphs, transitions and fonts won’t mask that you’re using your slides as a crutch. Use PowerPoint to complement your presentation, to use images to convey what is more difficult to communicate in words, and to add interest. Don’t overdo it.Being too Formal or StuffyA quote often attributed to Einstein (itself quite simplified from what he actually said) states that “If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough.” Being formal, pedantic, or using complex language during a presentation can be a real mood killer for the audience. Speak simply. Use shorter sentences and phrases. Use language the audience can connect to. Even the most complex information can be communicated with clarity.