Why Presentations Sometimes Fail

I recently watched a presentation at a training conference. I sat there and just 5 minutes into it, it appeared that I was just as confused as everyone else, “What on earth is she on about?” I thought. The speaker was using loads of jargon and prattled on about absolutely nothing for 20 long minutes. I very quickly switched off and started to think about more important things such as should I have mushy or processed peas with my chips at lunch time.

Presentations that don’t go according to plan can leave the presenter kicking themselves and in some cases a reluctance to carry out future presentations. Here are my top tips on making sure that your audience don’t start thinking about what peas to choose for their lunch:-

No point
It’s easy to forget what the point of your presentation is. You get so sucked up in the content that you forget the original reason that you were supposed to get up there and speak in the first place. Always ask yourself:-
What’s the point of the presentation?
What’s my key message?
What do I want/need the audience to know?
All of these points need to be communicated to the audience right from the start otherwise, you will lose them very quickly.

The audience
The most important people in the room are your audience, so see your presentation through the audience’s eyes. If you were sat there listening to you what would you want to hear? What would keep you listening intently? What would switch you off?
It’s also key to know who’s in your audience; that way you know how to design and pitch your presentation. Stay away from unnecessary jargon; you don’t want the audience to have to work or get lost in what you are saying. It should be easy for them. They should sit down, relax and listen to you but also understand you.

Too long
Sometimes you will be given a timescale but if you don’t then just make sure that you don’t waffle on or go off the point. The audience will inevitably switch off or at worst, drop off!

Break it up
If it’s a 20 minute presentation then you can’t simply just talk at the audience, you need to mix it up. Use real life stories, or case studies. Bring your words to life.  Stories will help to put into context what you are saying. Use slides (as long as they are clear and concise) and definitely don’t do ‘death by power-point’. Wherever possible, involve the audience, ask them questions etc.

I’ve spoken to many people after a failed presentation and they always say the same thing -“I didn’t practice enough” or “My nerves got the better of me”. Drill down a little further and I’ll guarantee that it wasn’t just that at all, it was more than likely they committed one, if not all of the presentation sins.

Do you need a hand developing your presenting skills? Why not get in touch to see how our presentation skills courses can help.