Here's how you can avoid common presentation mistakes and minimize the risk of failure.

Tips to Avoid Presentation Mistakes and Minimize Failure: Prepare Thoroughly Know your material deeply. Rehearse multiple times. Ensure your presentation fits the allotted time. Understand Your Audience Research your audience's background and interests. Tailor your content to their needs. Structure and Clarity Maintain a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Highlight key points. Use visual aids effectively without overcrowding. Engage the Audience Interact through questions and discussions. Use confident body language and make eye contact. Vary your vocal pitch and tone. Manage Technical Aspects Test all equipment beforehand. Have backups of your presentation files. Handle Anxiety

"Know your stuff" sounds like an obvious state of being ahead of a presentation. Yet, I've attended my fair share of strategy/ product/ sales/ marketing/ learning/ thought leadership presentations where the presenter(s) were either 1) Familiar only with select aspects of their content, prompting them to steer conversation in that direction, or 2) Seemed unclear on the specifics of presented content, such as the 'why-s' and 'how-s', causing them to sometimes contradict the very points being presented. Depending on how many and how varied presentations one is called upon to make, it is highly advisable to spend at least two to three focused hours with the content - more if one has the time - to develop a mental list of potential Q&A's.

Think of yourself as a subject matter expert. Make Google your best friend and research as much as possible before diving into creating a presentation. If you are invested in your material is when the conviction is visible. Anticipate questions and prepare accordingly.

People tend to focus on the presentation and ALL that they plan to say. While I am a big fan of scripting, I have some rules for myself and my clients. Here are some helpful ones: - Be able to summarize the key point of any slide in 2-3 sentences and be able to do so even when you pick a slide at random and out of the planned order - Plan for how you will handle things not going according to plan - Wow with the intro and conclusion and you will find that mistakes in the middle matter less

A plan ensures your flow of thought to be in order. When you present to an audience, its typically the art of story telling. Planning helps to organize your content in a form that the audience will enjoy and follow your line of reasoning.

One of the biggest mistakes in presentations is use of too much text. Images can help reinforce comprehension and engage the audience. Images also have a higher recall value. Another mistake is that when presentations are one sided talk show, without engaging with the audience. Maintaining eye contact, interaction, feedback, polls, humor in the presentation have always proved to engage the audience.

Know your audience. At a gathering of scientists from various fields, one presenter used a complex formula across three slides, saying "as we all know." However, the audience included biologists, engineers, and computer scientists who didn't know. The truth is, "as we all know" rarely applies, even among colleagues. For unprepared audiences, use anecdotes or associations. In my genetics lecture, I explained mutation types through a humorous story involving an old woman and her grandchildren, turning with each mutation type into a more and more whimsical narrative starring Dr. Who and Lovecraftian creatures. This fun example helped the audience grasp the concept, with many later saying they understood the complex subject thanks to it.

If you are going to use slides they need to only ever have on them: 1. an image 2. a word 3. a quote 4. a model you're explaining. The moment you have more than that then you are given the audience something else to compete with other than you for their attention. The slide is there to support you. Not for you to support the slide. Reading bullet points is a common mistake. Remember you're not audible.com or a voiceover. You're the presenter giving a passionate performance to your audience.

You should absolutely prepare and practice for presentations you give, but be wary of scripting or over practice. You want to give people an authentic experience of you, so try just having your main points that you want to cover and then talk around them, as if you were explaining it to a friend. The more authentic and human you come across, the better reception you'll get from your audience.

Tech can make or break your presentation. Its highly reccomended to use tech- videos, stable diffusion with AI for images, QR code polls etc. but make sure to practice with this before you present to the audience. A good presentation always leaves a lasting impact. Always have plan B ready. Incase of any technical issues, have a back up of notes to refer to.

Technology can greatly enhance presentations, but it can also be a source of frustration for both presenters & audiences if not properly managed. Here my take-aways: 1. Test Early: Arrive early to test all equipment & familiarize yourself with it. 2. Stay Calm: If something fails, stay calm & handle it with humor. 3. Have a Backup: Always have a Plan B, such as a summary of your slides. 4. Question Necessity: Ask yourself upfront, "Is it necessary?" or "Does it support my message?" Often, less is more - simple images or icons can be very effective as well. 5. Practice Regularly: Training is crucial to present smoothly & react confidently to unexpected issues. Be bold & try new things to build your confidence.

Every time you interact with someone you give them an experience of you. This can only ever be positive or negative, never neutral. So, once you have prepped, built and practiced your presentation, ask yourself one simple question. Would you find it interesting to watch and listen to? If the answer is no, then how can you expect your audience to engage with you or your content.