3 Worst Mistakes You Can Make in Your Next Presentation

Some Disasters Require Incredible Effort

by Steve Kaye

Remarkable disasters don’t just happen. They require a special blend of misunderstanding and misguided effort. Here are three ways to guarantee a disaster in your next presentation, and how to avoid them.

Mistake #1: Believe in Magic

Show up hoping that a coherent, eloquent, useful presentation will magically appear once you start speaking. Avoid any type of preparation. Just wing it. Skip any rehearsal.

> What Happens
Everyone is amazed by the presentation because they expected something more. They are also bored and disappointed. They may even become upset because an unprepared presentation insults the audience by wasting their time. Unprepared presentations sound like, well, unprepared presentations. And that's painful for everyone, including the person delivering it.

> Instead
Prepare. Identify the goal for your talk. Design a presentation that achieves that goal. Talk with key members of the audience about their expectations. Rehearse.

Mistake #2: Memorize Your Speech

First, write a carefully crafted script. Then spend untold hours committing every precious word to memory so that you can recite it even if awakened in the middle of the night. If possible, make it so complicated that it defies memorization.

> What Happens
You sound like a machine. And if you stumble on a word, you can become stuck -- speechless. I've seen this happen, and it's bad.

> Instead
Learn your presentation. Yes, write a script. Keep it simple. Then memorize the first and last sentences. Next, practice giving the presentation without looking at the script. Practice many times. Eventually, you will learn how to convey the key ideas in a natural, conversational way.

Mistake #3: Talk About Yourself

Focus entirely on yourself. Tell about your background, your credentials, and your history. Tell your story. Just talk about yourself. Make the presentation all about you, yourself, and your life.

> What Happens
They listen politely. If you manage to be entertaining enough, they may actually pay attention. Otherwise, the audience reacts by thinking, "So what?"

> Instead
Talk about the audience. That is, talk about what they need and how they can achieve it.

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