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Making a business presentation can be daunting even for those who have some experience. The audience believes and relies on your expertise to get the information they need. 

It is important to pay attention to how you package the presentation. It could mean the difference between passing on your message or leaving the audience questioning everything you have to say.

Our article will look at 7 business presentation mistakes and how you can avoid them.  

1. Lack of Attention to How You Set Up the Presentation  

Take the time to come up with a good presentation. It can be difficult to know what to put in your slides. You want to capture all the relevant information in the best way possible.  

You have access to free PowerPoint slides that you can use. They come with templates that you can customize as you wish. Include audiovisual cues to increase engagement and interaction.  

One good idea is to stick to the 10/20/30 rule. What it means is:-

• Aim for a maximum of 10 slides. No one has time to sit through a presentation with a lot of slides. Make sure you capture the salient points. Such include the problem, solution, steps to achieving the solution, and timelines. The final slide should be for the summary. 

• 20 minutes is the time you allocate yourself to go through the slides

• 30 refers to the font size. Everyone in the room should be able to read your presentation without straining.

 

2. Having Too Much Information on the Slides 

You have probably sat through some poor presentations. You can't help but marvel at the amount of information on each slide. You find that you spend so much time trying to read rather than listening.  

In the end, you miss critical components that will shed light on the subject matter. That is an excellent example of a poor layout. Think about your PowerPoint presentation as a visual aid; the focus should be on you and not the screen.  

Take advantage of images, graphs, charts, or even videos to communicate. Text is acceptable, but they should be minimal. Going back to our rule above, font size 30 does not allow you to put in too much text. Aim for less than 30 words maximum per slide. But, the less, the better.   

3. You Did not Prepare Well for the Presentation 

It is easy to see if someone spent time preparing for a presentation. They barely look at the screen to see what is on the slides. They seem to have a good grasp of what they're talking about. 

Proper presentation is critical if you want to make a positive impact. Practice in front of a mirror and people who can give honest feedback.   

Get to the point while ensuring clarity in the way you communicate. It helps to come across as personable without getting too familiar. It is true that stories and jokes can lighten the mood. But some presenters try too hard to be funny or smart and this doesn’t end well. 

In other cases, they cross the line with inappropriate content. The result is cringe-worthy moments that they can never take back.  

A good idea is to have cue cards that you can refer to during the presentation. The pointers in the cards keep you to the script so that you do not stray from the conversation.  

4.  You Have Not Done Any Research on the Audience 

There is no way you should start working on the presentation if you do not have an idea of the audience. Take the time to research because the insights will help you. Learn how they communicate and the language they use.  

Consider cultural implications of some of the images or words you may use. Let's take the example that you are pitching a food business to a Muslim community. Including any pork products could end the discussion very early. 

If you are launching a product to Gen Z, cool images and creativity are a must-have.  

5. You Do Not Connect with the Audiences 

You go into a business meeting for a possible investment idea. The presenter spends all his time reading the slides. He never once looks at the listeners or asks for their input. One thing that will most likely happen is you start to feel disconnected.  

Before long, the monologue starts to get on your nerves. You lose interest and either leave or find other ways to entertain yourself. 

6. You Ignore Personal Grooming 

The first impression you create is how you look when you stand in front of the audience. At this point, they have not had a chance to listen to you talk. You are already communicating with the choice of clothes and overall grooming.  When choosing your wardrobe, consider your target audience. 

Top executives or older people will appreciate a good suit, tie, and nice shoes.  Younger people will be more forgiving, but you must still look presentable. 

If presenting to campus students, you could get away with a nice pair of jeans and a blazer.  Even if you choose to wear a suit, reduce the formality by skipping the tie. Comb your hair, shave, and wear subtle cologne.  

7. The Presentation Lacks an Impactful Ending  

You have been speaking to your audiences for the last 15 minutes. You have 5 minutes left, and you still have so much to cover.  You end up rushing through the presentation to get out as much as you can. Finally, when the time is up, you close your presentation and sit down. 

You did not give your audiences any takeaway or what they should do next. Worst of all, there was no time for a Q&A. In the end, you leave more questions than answers. It all goes back to our original point of planning the presentation well.  

If you only have 20 minutes, do what you can within that time. Cover the presentation in 15 minutes and leave the rest of the time for interacting with the audience.  

Final Thoughts

What we have highlighted above are some of the common mistakes people make with business presentations. Yet, with enough planning and preparation, you can avoid them all. Use our article above as a guide if you struggle with making presentations.