A couple weeks back a post on “Owning the room” – important considerations to make an effective presentation.
Now it time for five of the most common, mistakes in making a presentation.
1. Failing to engage emotionally.
- You risk losing your audience when you just “state the facts,”
- open with a story your audience can relate to
- including analogies that make your data more meaningful.
Example:
- If you’re requesting funding to pay for cloud storage, for instance, start by asking, “Why do we need cloud storage?”
- Your answer may be something like “To reduce time to market, reduce overhead costs, and ongoing costs”
2. Busy slides and Reading
- PowerPoint can be a great tool but Problems crop up when you put to much into a slide deck.
- Don’t project an entire document when you speak. No one wants to attend a presentation like this
3. Tired visuals.
- Nothing gets eyes a-glazing like tired overused visuals, aim for originality.
- Low quality and attention to consistency to formatting, visuals will make the presentation look sloppy
- Use consistent formatting and take the time to create original , crisp visuals
4. Speaking in jargon and using acronyms
- Ever listened to a presenter who sounded super-smart without having any idea what they really said?
- Use words that will resonate with those whose support and influence you must earn.
- Avoid highly technical or industry-specific language’ avoid acronyms when possible
Example:
- Consider if your presentation passes the “grandmother test”: If your grandmother wouldn’t understand what you’re talking about, rework your message
5. Going over your allotted time.
- Treat the time slot assigned to you as sacred.
- People in your audience will never scold you for ending early, but they certainly will for ending late.
- people have a 30- to 40-minute presentation tolerance
Related articles
- Own the Room (innov8tivethoughts.wordpress.com)
- 5 Components of a Dull Presentation (lifeinthepr.com)
- Business 101: Perfecting a Pitch (rasmussen.edu)
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