4 Presentation Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

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For many, giving a presentation even on topics that they know well can be challenging. There’s the standard fear of speaking in public, of course, but also some concerns that the audience may grow bored, lose sight of what’s important, or fail to see value in the presentation. Beyond that, a presentation may fall flat for a simple, if avoidable problem: it’s just not that compelling.

But there are solutions to many of those pitfalls. Indeed, the team at AirDeck has built an entire company around the concept of how to improve your presentations and make them more engaging with an audience that truly cares. It’s an important component in getting your point across. And that’s why we’re so obsessed with it.

Read on for our look at four presentation pitfalls — and how you can easily avoid them.

1. Not Being Prepared

There’s nothing worse than presenting and not being prepared. You need to spend considerable time thinking through your plan, how you want to say it, and how you believe you can get your message across most effectively. Some experts say the best move centers on a core concept: Tell your audience what you plan to say, say it, and then tell them what you said.

But there’s more to it than that. With tools like AirDeck, you can also test your slide layout and adjust it on the fly to make sure it flows more effectively. You can even record an introduction and conclusion if you want to make important points, but riff on other topics during the middle of the talk.

Ultimately, it’s critical you do everything it takes to be prepared. It’ll make for a better presentation and give you peace of mind knowing you can get the job done the right way.

2. Where’s the Script?

You may also want to consider recording your presentation ahead of time. By doing so, with tools like AirDeck, for instance, you can record segments until you know for sure that your script and presentation are perfect. From there, you can sit back and share your presentation with an audience without worrying about gaffes along the way.

Writing and recording your script, of course, will take some practice. But make sure you speak clearly, have succinct points, and generally share insight that you know your audience is seeking. More than anything, make it compelling — you don’t want to bore your audience.

3. Engage the Audience

Speaking of boring the audience, how many times have you found yourself in a presentation you wish would simply come to an end? Don’t fall into the same trap. Instead, think of ways to engage the audience. Ask the audience questions, play some video, and more.

AirDeck comes with a host of outstanding features designed to properly engage an audience. For instance, you can engage your audience by chatting with them in real time while you present. AirDeck also features an interactive survey feature that’s designed to ask for your audience’s opinion during a presentation.

There’s far more AirDeck can do to engage an audience, but you get the gist — keep it compelling.

4. Forgetting About Design

One of the biggest issues people face in presentations is that their designs are just plain bad. Don’t fall into that trap. Instead, think long and hard about the design experience you want to convey and be sure to focus on colors and font choices that reflect well and again, engage the audience.

Whether you’re using Powerpoint, Apple’s Keynote, AirDeck, or any other presentation software, focusing on design and the look and feel of your slides can mean the difference between a successful presentation and one that falls short of your and your audience’s expectations.

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