Written by Storytelling Coach Sylvie Verleye

MISTAKES MOST SPEAKERS MAKE

7

PRESENTATION

SINS

We live in a PPT culture when we communicate which meansmost people will automatically make a PPT when they need topresent. As such, there is nothing wrong with that. PPT can be agreat tool though what is your story? I notice lots of speakers don't take/have time to prepare theirstory. They made a PPT, and when presenting they just'comment' the slides. This means that lots of speakers will havemore contact with the screen instead of connecting with theaudience. Imagine something is wrong with the computer or thebeamer and you cannot use your PPT...lots of speakers don'thave a story to tell. You always need a clear story. I use my own 'Simply Talkingmodel' to help speakers build their story. My advise is to buildthat story first and then you decide what to do with PPT.

# MISTAKE 1  'Comment' slides as a storyline

I can almost hear you think now: 'Wow, she must be wrong, youneed an agenda, this is what I have always learned'. An agenda isgreat...to structure a meeting or to structure a training orworkshop. So why not use that for a presentation?  Because you need to be able to communicate short at all times!Imagine you have prepared a 20 minute presentation and theyask you to keep it short to 5 minutes. With an agenda you're introuble because the only thing you can do is talk very quickly orskip some slides. If you use an agenda you will most likelypresent you conclusions at the end and that is too late.Especially if you need to reduce a 20 minute presentation to ashorter presentation. So you need a more flexible structure that works for a shortpresentation and that you can stretch to a longer timing ifneeded. I use the pyramid principle of Barbara Minto as thisworks every time again as a strong flexible structure!

# MISTAKE 2  Use an agenda as structure

I just know that you know which sentence I am referring to... Itis typically the sentence that follows 'Goodmorning, my name isand......' TODAY I AM GOING TO TALK ABOUT... So what iswrong with that sentence? It simply answers the wrong questionas you answer WHAT you are going to do. You get the attentionof your audience by answering the WHY it is important theylisten to you. So my whole model is built around this importantWHY!

# MISTAKE 3  Use cliché sentence as a start

The PowerPoint I am referring to is the kind of PowerPoint youmust know. Bullets, sub bullets, sub sub bullets, small font... Ihave no problem with this kind of document because it can bevery useful to send before your presentation or after thepresentation as a read document. The problem is that we usethat same PowerPoint DURING the presentation to make ourpoint and this is where things go wrong.  This kind of PowerPoint is typically a READ document and youshould treat it as such. If you project it, this is exactly whatpeople will do: read! Some speakers even think this is the rightway to do it because they figure that the audience gets themessage twice then, in reading and in talking. Unfortunately itdoesn't work that way. 

# MISTAKE 4  Use a PowerPoint report fullof details to make your point

This is typically what inexperienced speakers will do or peoplewho dread the stage. Before going on stage you are in a kind offight/flight modus. This is a typical reaction to stress which isgood except that you can't run. So one way or another you feellike you have to protect yourself from all these eyes. The wayinexperienced speakers deal with this subconsciously is to standin a 'protecting way'. Just imagine football players in front of agoal when there is a free kick ;-) You need to reinsure yourbrain that the situation is ok. So in fact you need to do just theopposite and 'make yourself big'.

# MISTAKE 5  Use a 'protecting posture' tostand in front of the audience

Connecting for me is key. If you really want your message to getacross you simply have to connect with you audience. But howdo you do that? Especially with a big audience? I often askparticipants whether they know 'a trick' how to connect andoften there is at least one person who says 'they always told meto look above the heads'. In my experience that only makesyour stress worse. Again you should do the opposite andactually look for contact with your audience.

# MISTAKE 6 Look above the heads of theaudience

You may have noticed by now that I don't like clichés, especiallyif they make no sense. Why would you end with a Q&A slide?Or thanks you for your attention! A strong presentation needs astrong ending. Don't let the PPT introduce the question timeand don't give your PPT the last word. You need to do thatbecause you're in the lead, not the PPT.  

# MISTAKE 7 End with a Q&A slide or'thank you for your attention'