how to design a bad presentation

10 Presentation Design Mistakes to Avoid (With Examples)

One of the most important aspects of a successful presentation is designing an effective slideshow. Unfortunately, it’s also a part most professionals often neglect or don’t pay attention to.

This is why most of the bad presentation designs share a pattern. They are usually made using the default PowerPoint templates. They use the same default fonts as every other presentation. They also include terrible stock photos. And try to stuff as much information as possible into a single slide.

We noticed all these mistakes and more while exploring some of the most popular presentations on SlideShare. They were slideshows with thousands and even millions of views. But, they were riddled with mistakes and flaws.

In this guide, we show you how these mistakes can be harmful as well as give you tips on how to avoid them. Of course, we made sure to include some examples as well.

19+ Million PowerPoint Templates, Themes, Graphics + More

Download thousands of PowerPoint templates, and many other design elements, with an Envato subscription. It starts at $16 per month, and gives you unlimited access to a growing library of over 19+ million presentation templates, fonts, photos, graphics, and more.

Pitch PowerPoint

Modern PPT Templates

New & innovative.

Animated PPT Templates

Fully animated.

Ciri Template

Minimal PPT Templates

Clean & clear.

BeMind Minimal Template

Explore PowerPoint Templates

1. Adding Too Many Slides

One of the biggest mistakes you can do when designing a presentation is adding way too many slides. This not only makes your presentation unnecessarily long but it can also affect the audience’s engagement. After a few slides, your audience will surely lose interest in your presentation.

Rand Fishkin is a well-known entrepreneur in the marketing industry. This is one of his presentations that received over 100,000 views. And it features 95 slides. We believe it could’ve generated more views if he had made the presentation shorter.

A presentation with 95 slides is a bit of an overkill, even when it’s made for an online platform like SlideShare.

Solution: Follow the 10/20/30 Rule

The 10/20/30 rule is a concept introduced by expert marketer Guy Kawasaki . The rule recommends that you limit your presentation to 10 slides, lasting only 20 minutes, and using a font size of 30 points.

Even though the rule states to limit the presentation to 10 slides, it’s perfectly fine to design a 20-slide presentation or even one with 30 slides. Just don’t drag it too far.

2. Information Overload

Statistics and research data are important for backing your claims. Even in your presentations, you can include stats and data to add more validity and authority. However, you should also remember not to over-do it.

A good example is this popular SlideShare presentation with more than 1 million views. Since this is a tech report slideshow, it includes lots of stats and data. But the designer has made the mistake of trying to include too much data into every slide in the presentation.

If this slideshow were to present to a large audience at a big hall, most of the audience won’t even be able to read it without binoculars.

Solution: Visualize Stats and Data

A great way to present data is to visualize them. Instead of adding numbers and long paragraphs of text, use charts and graphs to visualize them. Or use infographics and illustrations.

3. Choosing the Wrong Colors

How long did it take for you to read the title of this slide? Believe it or not, it looks just the same throughout the entire slideshow.

The biggest mistake of this presentation design is using images as the background. Then using colors that doesn’t highlight the text made it even worse and rendered the text completely unreadable.

Solution: Create a Color Palette

Make sure that you start your presentation design by preparing a color palette . It should include primary and secondary colors that you use throughout each slide. This will make your presentation design look more consistent.

4. Using Terrible Fonts

Fonts play a key role in improving the readability in not just presentations but in all kinds of designs. Your choice of font is enough for the audience to decide whether you’re a professional or an amateur.

In this case, the slide speaks for itself. Not only the font choice is terrible but without any spacing between the paragraphs, the entire slide and the presentation is hardly readable. How did this presentation generate over 290,000 views? We’ll never know.

Solution: Avoid the Default Fonts

As a rule of thumb, try to avoid using the default fonts installed on your computer. These fonts aren’t designed for professional work. Instead, consider using a custom font. There are thousands of free and premium fonts with great designs. Use them!

5. Adding Images from Google

You could tell by just looking at this slide that this person is using images from Google search. It looks like the designer lazily downloaded images from Google search and copy-pasted a screenshot onto the image. Without even taking the time to align the screenshot to fit the device or removing the white background of the image.

Or he probably added a white background to the images after realizing the black iPhone blends into the black background. Most of the images used throughout this slideshow are pretty terrible as well.

Solution: Use High-Quality Mockups and Images

The solution is simple. Don’t use images from Google! Instead, use high-quality images from a free stock image site or use a premium source. Also, if you want to use devices in slides, make sure to use device mockup templates .

6. Poor Content Formatting

There are many things wrong with this slideshow. It uses terrible colors with ugly fonts, the font sizes are also too big, uneven shapes, and the list goes on.

One thing to remember here is that even though apps like PowerPoint and Keynote gives you lots of options for drawing shapes and a color palette with unlimited choices, you don’t have to use them all.

Solution: Use a Minimal and Consistent Layout

Plan a content layout to be used with each and every slide of your presentation. Use a minimalist content layout and don’t be afraid to use lots of white space in your slides. Or, you can use a pre-made PowerPoint or Keynote template with a better design.

7. Writing Long Paragraphs

Adding long paragraphs of text in slides is never a good way to present your ideas to an audience. After all, that’s what the speech is for. The slides, however, need to be just a summary of what you’re trying to convince your audience.

Don’t make the mistake of writing long paragraphs that turns your slideshow into a document. And, more importantly, don’t read from the slides.

Solution: Keep It Short

As the author Stephen Keague said, “no audience ever complained about a presentation or speech being too short”. It takes skill to summarize an idea with just a few words. You should always try to use shorter sentences and lots of titles, headings, and bullet points in your slideshows.

8. Not Using Images

This entire presentation doesn’t have a single image in any of its slides, except for the company logo. Images are a great way to keep your audience fully engaged with your presentations. Some expert speakers even use images to add humor as well.

The saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is popular for a reason. Instead of writing 200-words long paragraphs, use images to summarize messages and also to add context.

Solution: Use Icons, Illustrations, and Graphics

You don’t always have to add photos or images to make your presentations look more attractive. Instead, you can use other types of graphics and colorful icons. Or even illustrations and infographics to make each slide more entertaining.

9. Designing Repetitive Slides

This presentation about Internet Trends is one of the most popular slideshows on SlideShare with more than 4 million views. If you go through the slides you’ll notice the entire presentation is filled with nothing but charts and graphs.

Your audience will easily get bored and lose attention when your presentation has too many slides containing the same type of content.

Solution: Use a Mix of Content

Make sure to use different types of content throughout the slides. Add text, images, shapes, icons, and other elements to create each slide more engaging than the other.

10. Using Complex Infographics

Even though images and graphics are great for visualizing data, it’s important to use the right designs to showcase the data without confusing the audience.

For example, this slideshow made by HootSuite is filled with stats and data. Most of which look fine. Except for a few slides that include complicated designs filled with information all over the place.

Solution: Design Simpler Graphics

There are many great online tools you can use to design your own infographics and visuals. Use them. But, also remember to use simpler designs that are easier to understand for all audiences.

In Conclusion

There’s no such thing as the perfect presentation design. Every slideshow has its flaws. But, if you learn to avoid the common mistakes, you’ll have a much higher chance of winning over your audience and delivering a more engaging presentation.

If you don’t have any slideshow design experience, consider picking one of the bee PowerPoint templates or best Keynote templates . They feature designs made by professionals and you won’t have to worry about making any mistakes again.

[email protected]

Click to copy

Email copied!

18 presentation mistakes you probably make (and how to avoid them)

July 11, 2017

Almost exactly one year ago I was in Paris with a colleague and his team of presentation coaches. We were gonna hold a presentation workshop for an international company and their senior managers. What unfolded in that workshop was eye-opening. We asked the attendees to reflect on what makes a presentation great versus awful, and the consensus was clear - bad slides can ruin even the most brilliant presenter's performance.

As we delved into the workshop, it became evident that the common pitfalls were "bad slides," "too much text on slides," and "ugly PowerPoint slides." Aha! The attendees understood the significance of clean design in business presentations. This was great news for me who was growing my presentation design agency.

Bad slides can make the greatest presenter fail

One might argue that as long as you're a captivating speaker, the slides are secondary. However, reality struck us during a 5-minute presentation exercise. One of the senior managers, let’s call him John, had great stage presence and his outgoing and fun personality caught my attention straight away. John was not talking about a super exciting topic, but his impressive way of presenting it made me actually want to listen and see if I could learn anything.

The issue was that John's slides kept pulling my attention away from him and what he was saying, and my focus was instead on reading his bullet points. And it didn't take long before I had lost him and what he was talking about. This happened over and over again with several of the other managers. It became clear that the details crammed into his slides were working against him, not for him.

Most of the senior managers were good at communicating their ideas but they didn't need all the content that they had stuffed in their slides. The details in their presentation slides worked against the speaker rather than supporting them. And this is a fact that most speakers neglect: do my slides enhance or detract from my message?

When you are preparing a presentation, try asking yourself these three questions:

Do I really need all these points on my slide? Embrace simplicity and let your speech fill in the gaps.

What can I delete from my slides and convey through my words? Less is often more when it comes to impactful presentations.

Do my slides support me, or are they stealing the spotlight? Ensure your slides complement your narrative, not compete with it.

The 18 most common presentation mistakes people do, and how to avoid them

On the second day of the workshop we worked together with the participants, did some role plays, critiqued their slides and how they gave their presentations. From these exercises we developed a big list of the most common mistakes people make when giving presentations. We also gave suggestions on how to stop making those mistakes. Here are the top 18 from that list.

1. Ignoring the Power of Design

Mistake : Underestimating the impact of presentation design.

Solution : Embrace clean, visually appealing slides that complement your message. Consider color psychology, visual hierarchy, and maintain consistency throughout. It's hard to tell stories with bullet points.

2. Overlooking the Psychology of Colors

Mistake : Neglecting the influence of colors on audience perception.

Solution : Choose colors wisely to evoke the right emotions. Warm tones for passion, cool tones for trust. Align your color palette with the mood and message of your presentation.

3. Neglecting Visual Hierarchy

Mistake : Failing to guide the audience's attention through visual hierarchy.

Solution : Use larger fonts, bold colors, and strategic layouts to highlight key points. Guide your audiences' attention with visual hierarchy.

4. Inconsistency in Design

Mistake : Not maintaining a consistent design throughout the presentation.

Solution : From fonts to color schemes, consistency breeds professionalism. Create a cohesive narrative by ensuring all design elements align with your brand.

5. Underestimating the Power of Storytelling

Mistake : Overlooking the impact of a compelling narrative.

Solution : Tailor your story to resonate with your audience. Craft a narrative arc with a captivating introduction, core content, and a memorable takeaway. Humanize your presentation with real-life anecdotes.

6. Not Knowing Your Audience

Mistake : Failing to tailor your presentation to your audience.

Solution : Understand their needs, challenges, and aspirations. Make your message more relatable by addressing their specific interests.

7. Neglecting Virtual Presentation Skills

Mistake : Ignoring the nuances of virtual presentations.

Solution : Master the art of virtual communication. Leverage tools, optimize visuals for screens, and maintain an engaging tone to keep your audience actively participating.

8. Avoiding Interaction in Presentations

Mistake : Sticking to a one-way communication approach.

Solution : Break away from monotone presentations with interactive elements. Incorporate polls, Q&A sessions, and multimedia to keep your audience engaged and participating actively.

9. Underestimating the Impact of Presentation Design Agencies

Mistake : Overlooking the expertise of presentation design agencies.

Solution : Collaborate with specialized presentation and/or PowerPoint agencies for visually stunning presentations. They understand the nuances of effective design and can transform your ideas into captivating visuals.

10. DIY Design Mistakes

Mistake : Thinking effective design requires a hefty budget.

Solution : Explore user-friendly design tools like Canva. Invest in online courses to enhance your skills and gather feedback from peers to uncover areas for improvement.

11. Ignoring Rehearsals

Mistake : Neglecting the importance of rehearsing your presentation.

Solution : Practice your delivery to enhance confidence and identify areas for improvement. Record yourself and watch it back. Seek feedback from a colleague.

12. Overloading Slides with Information

Mistake : Cramming too much information onto slides.

Solution : Embrace simplicity. Focus on key points and let your speech fill in the details. A clutter-free slide enhances audience understanding.

13. Disregarding Body Language

Mistake : Ignoring the impact of body language during presentations.

Solution : Be mindful of your gestures, posture, and facial expressions. Positive body language enhances your credibility and engages the audience.

14. Neglecting the Opening Hook

Mistake : Starting your presentation with a weak or generic opening.

Solution : Capture your audience's attention from the start. Begin with a compelling question, quote, or anecdote to hook your audience and set the tone.

15. Poor Time Management

Mistake : Overrunning or rushing through your presentation.

Solution : Practice pacing to ensure your presentation fits the allotted time. Be mindful of your audience's attention span and adjust your content accordingly.

16. Ignoring Feedback Loops

Mistake : Disregarding the importance of feedback.

Solution : Seek feedback from peers, mentors, or the audience. Constructive criticism helps refine your presentation skills and address blind spots.

17. Using Overly Complex Jargon

Mistake : Assuming your audience understands complex industry jargon.

Solution : Simplify your language to ensure universal understanding. Clear communication enhances engagement and relatability.

18. Lack of Adaptability

Mistake : Failing to adapt your presentation style to different audiences or settings.

Solution : Understand the context and preferences of your audience. Tailor your delivery to resonate with diverse groups, whether in a boardroom or a virtual setting.

Mastering the art of presentation goes beyond being a captivating speaker. It involves understanding the marriage of design and storytelling, navigating the technological landscape, and adapting to evolving presentation styles. Whether you collaborate with a presentation design agency or take the DIY route, the goal remains the same - to captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression. Embrace the power of design, craft compelling narratives, and watch as your presentations become not just informative sessions but memorable experiences.

Recent articles

View all articles

Figma Slides: A new presentation tool taking on PowerPoint and co

Presentation tools

How to prepare a great conference keynote presentation

Public speaking

• Communication Skills Two Day Course 9 September 2024
• Leadership Development 16 September 2024
• Presentation Skills Course 16 September 2024
• Coaching and Mentoring Course 18 September 2024
• Negotiation Skills Course 18 September 2024
• Line Management Two Day Course 19 September 2024
• Time Management Course 2 October 2024
• Call: +44(0)20 7226 1877
• Email: [email protected]
• My basket ({{$root.cartInfo.count}})

What Makes a Bad Presentation: Top 9 Mistakes to Avoid

Bad presentations waste great ideas. Have you ever watched someone stumble through their slides, losing everyone’s attention?

9 Common Presentation Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

What makes a bad presentation?

Bad presentations waste great ideas. Have you ever watched someone stumble through their slides, losing everyone’s attention? That’s a bad presentation. Common mistakes include not preparing enough, mixing up information, and boring your audience. These errors can turn exciting topics into snooze-fests. But don’t worry! Improving your presentation skills and learning to avoid these mistakes will help you give great presentations.

If you are looking for In-House Presentation Skills Training for a group or teams, please see our

We’ll explore nine common presentation errors and show you how to fix them. Whether you’re preparing for a school project or a work meeting, these tips will help you speak with confidence and keep your audience interested.

Key Takeaways

• Bad presentations often result from poor preparation and structure.
• Engaging your audience is crucial for effective communication.
• Technology and visual aids should support, not overshadow, your message.
• Understanding your audience’s needs and cultural background improves impact.

If you are looking for In-House Public Speaking Training for a group or teams, please see our

What Makes a Bad Presentation?

Lack of preparation.

Imagine standing up to give a talk without practicing. Your hands get sweaty, your mind goes blank, and you wish you could disappear. This happens when you don’t prepare and it could be very difficult to calm your nerves .

Not preparing is like trying to cook without a recipe – it usually ends badly. Start working on your presentation early. Think about what you want to say and how you’ll say it. Ask yourself:

• Who will I be talking to?
• What do they care about?
• How can I make my topic interesting for them?

Good preparation means knowing your topic so well you can talk about it like you’re chatting with a friend. When you’re well-prepared, you’ll feel more confident, and your audience will want to listen.

Poor Structure

A presentation without structure is like a book with mixed-up pages. It confuses people and makes them stop listening. To keep your audience engaged , organise your ideas before you start talking.

When outlining your presentation , think of your presentation as a story with a beginning, middle, and end. You could:

• Start by describing a problem
• Explain why it matters
• Share your ideas for solving it

Use simple tricks to help people remember your main points. For example, if you’re talking about study tips, you might use “ABC”:

• Always take notes
• Break big tasks into smaller ones
• Create a study schedule

Whatever structure you choose, make it easy for your audience to follow. Tell them what you’ll cover at the start, go through your main points one by one, and finish by summing everything up. This helps your listeners understand and remember what you’ve said.

Overloading Slides with Information

Too much information on slides confuses your audience. Use slides to highlight key points, not tell the whole story. To create impactful presentation slides , keep them simple:

• Use big, easy-to-read text
• Include one main idea per slide
• Add pictures or graphs that explain your points

Don’t read from your slides. Your audience can read faster than you can speak. Instead, use slides to support what you’re saying.

Lack of Audience Engagement

Talking at your audience makes them lose interest. Instead, make your presentation a conversation. Try these:

• Ask questions to get them thinking
• Use examples they understand
• Tell stories that explain your points
• Let them share their own experiences

When you involve your audience , they’ll remember your message better.

Neglecting to Rehearse

Practice improves your presentation. Without it, you might stumble over words or run out of time. Here’s how to practice well:

• Speak in front of a mirror to see how you look
• Record yourself and listen to improve how you talk
• Time yourself to make sure you fit everything in
• Ask friends or family to watch and give advice

The more you practice, the more comfortable you’ll feel when it’s time to present for real. Even expert speakers practice many times before a presentation.

Misuse of Technology and Multimedia

Technology can enhance your presentation, but it can also cause problems if not used well. Don’t rely too much on fancy effects or complicated software. You can always just stick to the classic PowerPoint . Keep it simple:

• Test your equipment before presenting
• Have a backup plan in case technology fails
• Use videos or animations only when they add value
• Make sure everyone can see and hear your multimedia

Remember, technology should support your message, not distract from it.

If you are looking for In-House PowerPoint Presentation Training for a group or teams, please see our

Ignoring Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence means understanding and responding to how others feel. In presentations, it helps you connect with your audience. Pay attention to:

• Your audience’s reactions
• The mood in the room
• How fast or slow you’re speaking
• Your own body language and tone of voice

If people look confused, explain things differently. If they seem bored, try to make your content more interesting. Adjust your presentation based on what you see and feel from your audience.

Lack of Cultural Sensitivity

When presenting to people from different backgrounds , be aware of cultural differences. What’s normal in one culture might be offensive in another. To be culturally sensitive:

• Research your audience’s cultural background
• Avoid jokes or examples that might offend
• Be careful with hand gestures – they can mean different things in different cultures
• Use simple language and avoid idioms that might not translate well

Being culturally aware shows respect and helps your message reach everyone in your audience.

Failure to Address Audience Needs

Every audience is different. A presentation that works for one group might not work for another. To make your presentation effective:

• Find out who your audience is before you present
• Learn what they care about and what they need to know
• Adjust your content to match their interests and knowledge level
• Use examples that relate to their experiences

When you address your audience’s needs, they’ll find your presentation more useful and interesting.

Improving Presentation Skills

Becoming a better presenter takes practice and attention to detail. Here are key ways to improve:

• Plan your content well before your presentation
• Organise your ideas in a clear, logical order
• Design simple slides that support your message
• Engage your audience by asking questions and encouraging participation
• Practice your presentation multiple times
• Learn to use technology effectively, but have a backup plan
• Pay attention to your audience’s reactions and adjust accordingly
• Be aware of cultural differences in your audience
• Always focus on what your audience needs to know

Remember, the goal of your presentation is to communicate your ideas clearly and effectively. Keep practicing and learning from each presentation you give.

How Impact Factory Can Help

At Impact Factory , we specialise in helping people become better presenters. Our training programs can help you overcome nervousness when speaking in public . We teach you how to structure your presentations effectively and develop skills to engage your audience. You’ll also learn to improve your body language and voice projection, as well as handle difficult questions confidently.

We offer different types of training to suit your needs. Our one-day workshops bring groups together to learn and practice presentation skills. For more personalised attention, we provide one-on-one coaching sessions . 

Becoming a more confident and effective presenter is within your reach. Get in touch with us at Impact Factory. We’ll help you develop the skills you need to make your presentations stand out and deliver your message with impact.

What should I avoid in a presentation?

Avoid reading directly from your slides, overloading them with information, or ignoring your audience’s reactions. Don’t use complicated language or technical terms without explaining them. Also, steer clear of relying too heavily on technology without a backup plan.

What are the qualities of a good presentation?

A good presentation is well-prepared, clearly structured, and engaging. It addresses the audience’s needs, uses simple and understandable language, and includes relevant examples or stories. Good presenters also show confidence, maintain eye contact, and respond to their audience’s reactions.

What is the 5-5-5 rule for better presentations?

The 5-5-5 rule suggests using no more than five bullet points per slide, with no more than five words per bullet point and no more than five text-heavy slides in a row. This rule helps keep your slides simple, and your audience focused on your message rather than reading dense text.

What are the 5 P’s of an effective presentation?

The 5 P’s stand for Purpose, Passion, Preparation, Practice, and Performance. Know why you’re presenting (Purpose), show enthusiasm for your topic (Passion), plan your content thoroughly (Preparation), rehearse multiple times (Practice), and deliver with confidence (Performance).

What makes for bad visuals in a presentation?

Bad visuals include slides crammed with too much text, hard-to-read fonts or colours, irrelevant images, and overly complex charts or graphs. Avoid using distracting animations or transitions. Instead, use visuals that support and clarify your message without overwhelming your audience.

Related Articles:

You won’t become an expert in presentations overnight. But you can take immediate steps to move you closer to the goal:

• Presentation With Impact: How to Stand Out from the Crowd – If you’re looking to achieve mastery, sign up for our 5 Day Intensive program Presentation with Impact.
• What Tools and Software to Use to Create the Best Work Presentations – Find the right tools and software to make your work presentation shine.
• How To Use Body Language To Enhance Your Presentation Skills – Learn how to use body language effectively and radiate confidence.

Related Articles

10 Expert Tips for Delivering Powerful Business Presentations

• Presentation

Business presentations can make or break deals, inspire teams, and drive change.

How to Prepare for a Presentation: 10 Essential Tips

Effective preparation is an important part of your presentation skills that goes way beyond memorising your slides.

How to Structure a Presentation: Tips for Success

How to structure a presentation? Start with a clear introduction, present your main points, and end with a strong conclusion.

Discuss your requirements

If you like what you've seen, please call us on +44 (0)20 7226 1877 or click the button below to contact us via our contact form.

Privacy Overview

10 Common Presentation Mistakes – How to Avoid

January 02, 2024

Many of us make common mistakes in our business presentations. Often these presentation mistakes are ways of working that seem efficient (but are not) such as: (1) planning your talk with PowerPoint, (2) writing your talk without planning, (3) skipping practise sessions and (4) narrating dull slides.

So, what makes a bad presentation? And how do you avoid common presentation errors?

Each of these presenting mistakes are ‘false friends’ – where you feel as if you are making progress but in reality you are diverting from the true path and giving yourself more work than necessary.

Study these bad presentation mistakes and identify where you can improve.

• Do you avoid planning your presentation up front?
• Are you too quick to start producing presentation slides?
• Are you reluctant to try out your presentation ideas on others early in the process?
• Do you use boring safe language?
• Do you try and say too much in your presentations?
• Are you unsure how to bring your presentation to life with levity.

These are all simple, natural presenting mistakes that cause thousands of presentations every day to be less effective than they should be.

While avoiding these traps will not make you a brilliant presenter, each trap you identify will take you much nearer to being a confident and convincing presenter.

Top ten ways to avoid common presentation mistakes

• Don’t start with PowerPoint. Leave creating visual aids until the end of the process
• Don’t start writing before planning. Have a clear plan first
• Don’t be the centre of attention. Make your talk about your audience.
• Don’t use written language. Translate everything you write into compelling spoken language.
• Don’t try and say too much. Say less, but say it better.
• Don’t be boring. Say something interesting every 10 words.
• Don’t be subtle. Be big, bold, clear and compelling.
• Don’t speak too fast. Leave a pause every 5-10 words.
• Don’t lead with slides or narrate slides. Speak directly to your audience and only use visual aids when they help your audience
• Don’t avoid practising. Dedicate time perfecting your talk and perfecting your performance.

Presentation Mistakes #1 – Do you waste time with PowerPoint?

Summary: powerpoint is a poor planning tool. only open powerpoint after you have decided what you are saying..

Most people, when they start writing a presentation, they open PowerPoint. They create slides, perhaps use old slides, design new ones and feel as if they are making progress because they can see ‘progress’ – something they can print and share.

BUT: Starting with PowerPoint is the equivalent of creating a movie by filming before you have a story or a script. You end up with a lot of footage, but it is near impossible to turn this into anything usable. You waste time and you waste money.

Instead, Create a powerful talk that barely uses any visual aids. Use the planning and language tools outlined in this blog article to create a talk that can work on its own without slides. You may realise that your presentation does not need slides. If you do want visual aids, only start creating them at the end of the presentation process, not at the start.

And why not rename ‘slides’ as Visual Aids. This change of language will help you think differently. Each Visual Aid must help your audience interpret what you say. Only create Visual Aids where they are absolutely necessary. Make life easier for your audience.

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”.  – Benjamin Franklin

Avoid Presentation Mistakes – Top Tips

• Stop using PowerPoint to plan
• Only use PowerPoint to create your visual aids or handouts after you have decided what to say.

Learn how we can help – schedule a free consultation now

Presentation Mistakes #2 – Do you make yourself or your idea the focus of your presentation?

Summary: while your presentation might be about your product or your business, you will be more effective if you make your audience the centre of attention..

A typical bad presentation starts: “In today’s presentation I will talk about how we performed last month, what our plans are for this month and how we are changing the way numbers are reported. I’ll talk about project Pegasus and give an update on the latest company sales figures”

Why is this not good? This presentation opening is more like a table of contents than anything else – and it contains little that is useful for the audience.

The art of communication is translating what you want to say into what it means for your audience. You’ll grab your audience if you talk about them and their interests. If what you say is useful, your audience is more likely to pay attention.

Instead, start like this: “As we all know, this has been a tough month. You’ll hear more about last month’s disappointing performance and learn about our plans for this month and what that means for your departments. I’ll also share with you the changes you can expect to see in how we report our numbers. You’ll also be pleased to know that project Pegasus is on track. We can already see a positive impact on our sales numbers – which I am sure we are all very pleased to hear.”

What has changed?

• Each ‘I will talk about’ has been translated into a ‘you will….’
• By using many more personal pronouns (we/ our/your) the talk is easier to listen to.
• In the revised text you hear much more useful information (is it good news, bad news) and
• The audience is involved in the story (‘we are all very pleased to hear’).

In short, the audience is now the centre of attention of this talk.

“Nobody cares what you think until they think that you care” – Maya Angelou

• Give your audience useful information from the start.
• Talk about them and what your information means for them
• Avoid ‘tables of contents’. Say something interesting in every phrase.

Presentation Mistakes #3 – Is your presentation a data dump?

Summary – a data dump is not a presentation. the real job of a presentation is to analyse and interpret information so it means something for your audience. you must add value..

A typical bad presentation sounds like: “Sales last quarter were 3.6m, this is up 3.2% on last quarter and down 2.8% on the previous year. This is 4.6% behind budget and 4.5% better than forecast. Breaking it down by division we can see that North was 8.2% over budget while South was 1.2% behind budget…….”

What’s wrong with this?  If you compile data then it’s tempting to share your hard work. But talking through raw numbers is a waste of everyone’s time. Instead, you want to look impressive.

That means, you must add value. You should describe what those numbers are saying. For example, you might say:

“As we can see, sales at 3.2m last month were as expected. The important thing to note is that North won the new IBM contract, which was unexpected, while South had three customer delays which pushed their sales back by a month. We are still pretty confident of reaching our end of year numbers.”

By speaking in this way you are giving your audience valuable information throughout (sales: “as expected” …. North: Unexpected IBM contract….South: customer delays,… pushed sales back by a month…’confident of reaching end of year numbers”).

The real art here is doing the hard work for your audience. If you make it easy for the audience you’ll not only have a better presentation, you will also look more impressive in front of your audience.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I’ll spend the first four sharpening the axe.” – Abraham Lincoln

• When you report data, add value.
• It’s your job to do the hard work.
• Explain what the data means for your audience.
• Make it easy for your audience.

Presentation Mistakes #4 – Do you use written language in your talk?

Summary – the written word and the spoken word are two different languages. one belongs on the page, the other in the mouth..

A typical bad start: “It is a pleasure to welcome you to this symposium, which is part of our programme to mark the 75th anniversary of the Central Bank of Ireland. I am especially delighted that Francois Villeroy de Galhau is joining us today to give a keynote address. I am looking forward also to learning from the excellent lineup of speakers later in the afternoon. “The topic of financial globalisation is a natural theme for the Central Bank of Ireland. At a macroeconomic level, the global financial cycle is a primary determinant of financial stability conditions in small open economies. This lesson was painfully learned across the advanced economies during the international credit boom that occurred over 2003-2008.” Remarks by Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland, to the Financial Globalisation Symposium as part of the programme to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Central Bank of Ireland, Dublin, 2 February 2018

What is wrong with this?  When you preparing words for a talk or presentation, you want to avoid planning through typing. The spoken word and the written word are like different languages.  If you type first, you’ll probably find:

• The sentences are too long,
• The words are too complicated
• The rhythm of spoken language is lost
• You miss powerful rhetorical tools that make spoken language interesting and easy to listen to.

Written language must be translated into spoken language.

So, instead, say it first then write it. Then say it out loud again. Check that you are using plenty of rhetorical tools.  Listen for the rhythm of your speech and whether it’s easy to say (and easy to listen to). For example, this might have been a speech writer’s first draft for the Governor of the Central Bank of Ireland.

“Welcome everyone to this great occasion. It’s 75 years since the Central Bank of Ireland was born. In that time we have grown up. – We were born as a new institution in a new country – and we are now standing tall alongside our brothers and sisters in Europe and around the world, a full participant in the global economy. In our busy life we’ve lived through financial cycles, a few near misses and, most recently, an international credit boom. “Financial globalisation is a topic close to our heart. What happens globally determines what happens locally. The global credit boom that ended in 2008 showed us how our financial stability is at the mercy of global forces.”

“Everything becomes a little different as soon as it is spoken out loud.” – Herman Hesse

• Always speak words before writing them down
• Use plenty of rhetorical tools
• Use an audience to test that it’s easy to understand

Presentation Mistakes #5 – Are you trying to say too much?

Summary – great talks usually say less, but use more reinforcement, illustration and examples.. the art of presenting is knowing what to take out..

Imagine an over-enthusiastic primary school teacher explaining atoms to her students.

“Atoms are the basic building blocks of everything around us. And each atom is made up of protons, neutrons and electrons. These atoms are very small – you can fit 10^19 atoms into a grain of sand. The really interesting thing about electrons is that they are both particles and waves – they have a duality. In fact all matter demonstrates duality – but it is most easily seen in electrons. Now let’s look at protons and neutrons. These are made up of more elementary particles call quarks. The Standard Model of particle physics contains 12 flavours of elementary fermions and their antiparticles……”

By now the children are very confused.

What went wrong? When you say too much you give your audience a problem. If your audience has to work hard to interpret what you say, you have failed in your job as a presenter.  Your job as a presenter is to make it easy for your audience. 

Great communication involves simplifying, reinforcing and giving examples.  Imagine this alternative start:

“Atoms are the basic building blocks of everything around us. The air we breathe is made of atoms. The ground we walk on is made of atoms and we are all made of atoms. Atoms are very small. See this grain of sand here? Guess how many atoms are in this grain of sand? It’s a big number: a one followed by nineteen zeros. That’s a lot of atoms. There are roughly as many atoms in this grain of sand as the total number of stars in the observable universe. To look at it another way. If this apple were magnified to the size of the Earth, then each atom in the apple would be approximately the size of the original apple……”

“Simplify, then exaggerate” – Geoffrey Crowther, Editor, Economist Magazi ne

• Say less, but say it better
• Cut out non-essential information from your talk
• Don’t be afraid of reinforcing, illustrating and repeating what’s important

Learn these techniques and more to improve your presentation skills with intensive presentation training

Presentation Mistakes #6 – Are you guilty of Death by PowerPoint?

Summary – death by powerpoint happens when bad presenters let their slides lead. they ‘talk through’ what’s on the screen. instead, you want to talk directly to your audience, using visual aids as support..

Imagine this bad, and typical presentation: “As you can see on this page, we have looked at fifteen initiatives to revitalise the businesses. We examined the pros and cons of each initiative, as outlined in the table below. Following our analysis, it looks like initiatives 3, 7, and 8 are the most interesting. We’ll now look at each of the fifteen initiatives and explain why we came to our conclusions.”

That’s what death by PowerPoint feels like.

Death by PowerPoint has three causes.

• The speaker is narrating slides rather than speaking directly to the audience. i.e. the speaker expects the audience to both read and listen at the same time.
• The speaker talks about HOW they have done the work they have done rather than WHY this work matters and WHAT their work means.
• The speaker adds little value in what they say.

To Avoid Death By PowerPoint, get straight to the point.

Try this alternative start (read it out loud) “As you know, we were asked to find ways to revitalise the business. After speaking to everyone in this room, we identified the three projects that will make a real difference. We’ve chosen these because they deliver the greatest return on effort, they have the lowest risk and they can be implemented fastest. By the end of this meeting, we want all of us to agree that these are the right projects and to get your full support for rolling these out over the next 6 weeks. Is that OK?”

“I hate the way people use slide presentations instead of thinking. People confront a problem by creating a presentation. I wanted them to engage, to hash things out at the table, rather than show a bunch of slides” – Steve Jobs

• Get to the point immediately.
• Don’t rely on your audience reading. Tell them directly what’s important.
• WHY is more important than WHAT is more important than HOW

Become an impressive presenter with bespoke presentation coaching. Learn more about intensive presentation training

Presentation Mistakes #7 – Do you use meta-speak?

Summary – meta-speak is talking about talking. avoid it. speak directly to your audience..

Imagine this bad presentation: “I was asked today to talk about our new factory. In putting together this talk I wanted to tell you how we designed it and went about planning it. I also wanted to cover the process we used to get it delivered on time and on budget.”

What wrong with this? It’s as if the speaker is narrating their thought processes about planning this talk. While that might be interesting to the speaker, it is of little value to the audience. Avoid.

Instead, get right to the point, Speak directly.

“We have just opened our new factory. And we did this in just 12 months from board approval to the cutting of the ribbon in the loading bay. How did we achieve this? And how did we deliver it on time and on budget? Today I’ll share some of the lessons we leaned over the last 12 months. And I’ll reveal some of the mistakes we nearly made. And I’m doing this because it just might help you when you are faced with what seems like an impossible problem…”

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein

• If you see meta-speak creeping in, cut it out
• Make your language direct.
• Get right to the point.

Presenting Mistakes #8 – Do you gabble or speak too fast?

Summary – speaking too fast helps nobody. you should learn how to incorporate pauses – many pauses – long pauses – throughout your talk..

Try saying this out loud:  “A-typical-speaker-will-speak-in-long-sentences-and-keep-speaking-linking-phrases-together-so-that-there-is-no-gap-and-no-time-for-the-audience-to-absorb-what-the-speaker-has-said-and-no-time-to-plan-what-to-say-next-this-causes-the-speaker-to-feel-more-nervous-so-they-speed-up-and-it-frustrates-the-audience-because-they-have-no-time-to-process-what-they-have-heard-before-the-speaker-is-onto-their-next-point…”

This typically happens when a speaker is nervous. So they rush. And it is then hard for the audience to listen.

Instead, try speaking this out loud:  “Good speakers use short phrases — They share one thought at a time — — By leaving gaps — it’s easier for the audience. — The good news is — it’s also easier for the speaker. — When a speaker uses pauses — they have time to compose their next sentence. — This helps the speaker look more thoughtful — and more convincing. — It also helps the speaker feel more confident.

“The most precious things in speech are….. the pause.” – Ralph Richardson

• Pausing takes practice. Few people do it instinctively.
• Use shorter phrases – one idea at a time.
• Aim for a pause at least every ten words
• Record yourself, listen to your pauses and hear how they add gravitas
• Keep practising until your pauses feel natural and sound natural.

You can learn these techniques quickly with bespoke presentation coaching

Presentation Mistakes #9 – Are you too serious?

Summary – levity can help you look more professional and will help your audience pay attention to what you say..

Too many presentations overly serious, dull and un-engaging.

Why? When we have something important to say we want to look ‘professional.’ But professional and serious are not the same. When you are too serious it’s harder for your audience to connect with you.

If you really want to look professional, bring the audience into your world. Levity and humour helps you achieve this. This does not mean you should tell jokes, but you should help the audience smile and feel clever for understanding what you say.

See how you can do it differently.  This is the third paragraph of Apple CEO Tim Cook’s EU Privacy speech . He uses humour followed by flattery to get his audience open and receptive to what he is about to say.

“Now Italy has produced more than its share of great leaders and public servants. Machiavelli taught us how leaders can get away with evil deeds…And Dante showed us what happens when they get caught.

“Giovanni has done something very different. Through his values, his dedication, his thoughtful work, Giovanni, his predecessor Peter Hustinx—and all of you—have set an example for the world. We are deeply grateful.”

“Inform, Educate & Entertain”. – Sir John Reith, BBC

• Have a smile on your face when preparing your talk
• Look for opportunities to introduce humour and lighten the tone
• Play with ideas.

Presenting Mistakes #10 – Do you avoid practising?

Summary – it’s tempting to avoid practise and to wing it on the day. this is the amateur approach..

The best presenters, like great athletes, do all their practising in advance , so that their performance on the day  looks effortless.

People make excuses to avoid essential practise:

• “I’m always better without practice”
• “I don’t want to over-prepare”
• “I sound wooden when I over-rehearse”
• “I’m more natural on the day”
•  “This is an artificial environment. I’m much better in front of a real audience.”

But many people are deluded. They believe themselves to be good speakers.

So, instead, think of yourself as a professional athlete, actor, pilot or dentist. These professionals make their work appear effortless only because of hours of preparation. A great presenter should think the same.

Use your rehearsal to try out every aspect of your talk and to iron out what works. Use a critical audience. Keep changing and improving it until it’s as good as it can be. If you are not a brilliant speaker, then spend time building your skills. This practice includes:

• Cut any waffle or anything boring
• Say something interesting at least every 10 words
• Use more rhetorical tools (see Chapter x)
• Keep reinforcing your key points
• Start strong, end strong

“The more I practise, the luckier I get”. – Gary Player, champion golfer

• Dedicate proper practise time – at least three sessions for an important talk.
• Use a critical audience
• Keep cutting, changing, fixing and tweaking
• Only stop when you are able to pay attention to your audience’s reaction rather than remembering what you want to say.

Summary – key presentation mistakes to avoid

When you understand the common mistakes presenters make, you will find it easier to create and give a compelling, successful presentation.

Reminder: Top ten ways to avoid common presentation mistakes

How to avoid presentation mistakes – for ever, if you really want to improve your presentation skills, then get in touch. our team of expert presentation coaches has been helping business executives polish their presentation skills for over 15 years. we are trusted by some of the world’s largest businesses. click on the link below to discuss your needs., transform your presentation skills with tailored coaching.

We can help you present brilliantly. Thousands of people have benefitted from our tailored in-house coaching and advice – and we can help you too .

“I honestly thought it was the most valuable 3 hours I’ve spent with anyone in a long time.” Mick May, CEO, Blue Sky

For 15+ years we’ve been the trusted choice of leading businesses and executives throughout the UK, Europe and the Middle East to improve corporate presentations through presentation coaching, public speaking training and expert advice on pitching to investors.

Unlock your full potential and take your presentations to the next level with Benjamin Ball Associates.

Speak to Louise on +44 20 7018 0922 or email [email protected] to transform your speeches, pitches and presentations.

Or read another article..., how to write a speech that matters – 10 top tips.

To write a speech that works, you need to know the tricks of…

Brilliant Presentation Skills Training for Business – 8 Top Tips

Great presenters stand out. They have had training in presentation skills.  You too…

How to Improve Your Executive Presence – 4 Tips

Learn how executive presence coaching can help you develop executive presence To succeed…

How to Scale your Business – 8 Low Cost Ways

How do you scale a business?  This is one of the big questions…

Contact us for a chat about how we can help you with your presenting.

What leaders say about Benjamin Ball Associates

Ceo, plunkett uk.

"Thank you so much for an absolutely brilliant session yesterday! It was exactly what we were hoping for, and you did an incredibly job covering such a range of issues with four very different people in such short a session. It really was fantastic - thank you!"

James Alcock, Chief Executive, Plunkett UK

Manager, ubs.

"Essential if you are going to be a spokesperson for your business"

Senior Analyst, Sloane Robinson

"Being an effective communicator is essential to get your stock ideas across. This course is exactly what's needed to help you do just that!"

CEO, Blast! Films

“Our investment in the coaching has paid for itself many times over.”

Ed Coulthard

Corporate finance house.

“You address 95% of the issues in a quarter of the time of your competitor.”

Partner International

“Good insight and a great toolbox to improve on my presentations and delivery of messages to not only boards, analysts and shareholders but to all audiences”

CEO, Eurocamp

“We had a good story to tell, but you helped us deliver it more coherently and more positively.”

Steve Whitfield

Ceo, ipso ventures.

“Ben did a great job on our presentation. He transformed an ordinary set of slides into a great presentation with a clear message. Would definitely use him again and recommend him highly.”

Nick Rogers

“Moved our presentation into a different league and undoubtedly improved the outcome and offer we received.”

Let's talk about your presentation training needs

+44 20 7018 0922, [email protected], our bespoke presentation coaching services, investor pitch coaching, executive presentation coaching, public speaking training, executive media training, new business pitch coaching, privacy overview.

Blog > Common mistakes in PowerPoint and what makes a bad presentation

Common mistakes in PowerPoint and what makes a bad presentation

08.09.21   •  #powerpoint #tips.

Creating and giving a good presentation is actually not that difficult. If you know how to do it. Otherwise, no matter how much effort you put into it, it can quickly turn out to be a bad presentation.

Here we show you some examples of bad PowerPoint slides and common mistakes that are often made in presentations so that you won’t make them in your next presentation and avoid "Death by PowerPoint".

1. Reading aloud instead of speaking freely

One aspect in bad presentations is often that the text is simply read out. Prepare your presentation so well that you can speak freely. The goal is to build a connection with your audience and get them excited about your topic. However, this will hardly be possible if you only read from a piece of paper or your computer the whole time. Your audience should feel addressed, if you just read off, they will be bored and perceive your presentation as bad, even if your content and your PowerPoint are actually good.

2. Technical Problems

The sound of the video you inserted on a slide is not on, your laptop does not connect to the beamer, or your microphone does not work. These are just some of the problems that could occur during your presentation.

But nothing is more annoying than when technical problems suddenly occur during a presentation or even before, when everyone is waiting for it to start. It interrupts your flow of speech, only distracts the audience from the topic and breaks concentration. So before you get started with your presentation, it is important to first start your PowerPoint in the place where you will give it later, practice there and familiarize yourself with the technology.

• Don't forget the charging cable for your laptop
• Find out beforehand how you can connect your laptop to the beamer. Find out which connection the beamer has and which connection your laptop has. To be on the safe side, take an adapter with you.
• Always have backups of your presentation. Save them on a USB stick and preferably also online in a cloud.
• Take a second laptop and maybe even your own small projector for emergencies. Even if it's not the latest model and the quality is not that good: better bad quality than no presentation at all.

3. Losing the attention of your audience

One of the most common mistakes in presentations is to lose the attention of your audience. Especially in long presentations it is often difficult to keep your audience’s attention and to avoid “Death by PowerPoint”. Anyone who has had this experience knows how uncomfortable it is to give a presentation where you notice that no one is actually really listening to you. Especially if your presentation is an eternally long monologue, it is difficult to get the topic across in an exciting way and to captivate the audience.

Our tip: Include interactive polls or quizzes in your presentation to involve your audience and increase their attention. With the help of SlideLizard, you can ask questions in PowerPoint and your audience can easily vote on their own smartphone. Plus, you can even get anonymous feedback at the end, so you know right away what you can improve next time.

Here we have also summarized further tips for you on how to increase audience engagement.

4. Avoid eye contact

You want your audience to feel engaged in your presentation, but if you avoid eye contact the whole time, they certainly won't. Avoid staring at just one part of the wall, at your paper or your computer. If the participants have the feeling that you are just talking to the wall, it is a bad presentation. Speak to your audience, involve them in your presentation and make it more exciting for them.

But also make sure you don't always look at the same two or three people, but address everyone. If the audience is large, it is often difficult to include everyone, but still try to let your eyes wander a little between your listeners and look into every corner of the room.

5. Speaking incoherently

Avoid jumping from one topic to the next and back again shortly afterwards. Otherwise your audience will not be able to follow you after a while and their thoughts will wander. To prevent this, it is important that your presentation has a good structure and that you work through one topic after the other.

Nervousness can cause even the best to mumble or talk too fast in order to get the presentation over with as quickly as possible. Try to avoid this by taking short pauses to collect yourself, to breathe and to remind yourself to speak slowly.

6. Many colors mixed with each other

Make sure that your presentation is not too colorful. If you mix too many colours, bad presentation slides will result very quickly. A PowerPoint in which all kinds of colors are combined with each other does not look professional, but rather suitable for a children's birthday party.

Think about a rough color palette in advance, which you can then use in your presentation. Colors such as orange or neon green do not look so good in your PowerPoint. Use colors specifically to emphasize important information.

It is also essential to choose colors that help the text to read well. You should have as much contrast as possible between the font and the background. Black writing on a white background is always easy to read, while yellow writing on a white background is probably hard to read.

7. Too minimalistic design

Even though it is often said that "less is more", you should not be too minimalistic in the design of your presentation. A presentation where your slides are blank and only black text on a white background is likely to go down just as badly as if you use too many colors.

Empty presentations are boring and don't really help to capture the attention of your audience. It also looks like you are too lazy to care about the design of your presentation and that you have not put any effort into the preparation. Your PowerPoint doesn't have to be overflowing with colors, animations and images to make it look interesting. Make it simple, but also professional.

8. Too much text

The slides of your presentation should never be overcrowded. Write only the most important key points on your slides and never entire sentences. Your audience should not be able to read exactly the text you are speaking in your PowerPoint. This is rather annoying and leads to being bored quickly. Summarize the most important points that your audience should remember and write them down in short bullet points on your presentation.

9. Many different animations

To avoid bad presentations it is important to never use too many animations. It looks messy and confusing if every text and image is displayed with a different animation. Just leave out animations at all or if you really want to use them then use them only very rarely when you want to draw attention to something specific. Make sure that if you use animations, they are consistent. If you use transitions between the individual slides, these should also always be kept consistent and simple.

10. Too many images

Bad presentation slides often occur when their design ist unclear and unorganised. Images and graphics in presentations are always a good idea to illustrate something and to add some variety. But don't overdo it with them. Too many images can distract from your presentation and look messy. Make sure that the graphics also fit the content and, if you have used several pictures on one slide, ask yourself whether you really need all of them.

11. Too many or unreadable fonts

Never combine too many fonts so that your presentation does not look messy. Use at most two: one for headings and one for text. When choosing fonts, you should also make sure that they are still legible at long distances. Script, italic and decorative fonts are very slow to read, which is why they should be avoided in presentations.

It is not so easy to choose the right font. Therefore, we have summarized for you how to find the best font for your PowerPoint presentation.

12. Images as background

To avoid bad presentations, do not use images as slide backgrounds if there should be also text on them. The picture only distracts from the text and it is difficult to read it because there is not much contrast with the background. It is also harder to see the image because the text in the foreground is distracting. The whole thing looks messy and distracting rather than informative and clear.

13. Reading from the slides

Never just read the exact text from your slides. Your audience can read for themselves, so they will only get bored and in the worst case it will lead to "Death by PowerPoint". You may also give them the feeling that you think they are not able to read for themselves. In addition, you should avoid whole sentences on your slides anyway and only have listed key points that you go into more detail then.

14. Turn your back

Never turn around during your presentation to look at your projected PowerPoint. Not to read from your slides, but also not to make sure the next slide is already displayed. It looks unprofessional and only distracts your audience. In PowerPoint's Speaker View, you can always see which slide is currently being displayed and which one is coming next. Use this to make sure the order fits. You can even take notes in PowerPoint, which are then displayed during your presentation. You can read all about notes in PowerPoint here.

15. Forgetting the time

Always pay attention to the time given. It is annoying when your presentation takes much longer than actually planned and your audience is just waiting for you to stop talking or you are not able to finish your presentation at all. It is just as awkward if your presentation is too short. You have already told everything about your topic, but you should actually talk for at least another ten minutes.

Practice your presentation often enough at home. Talk through your text and time yourself as you go. Then adjust the length so that you can keep to the time given on the day of your presentation.

16. Complicated Structure

The structure of your presentation should not be complicated. Your audience should be able to follow you easily and remember the essential information by the end. When you have finished a part, briefly summarize and repeat the main points before moving on to the next topic. Mention important information more than once to make sure it really gets across to your audience.

However, if the whole thing gets too complicated, it can be easy for your audience to disengage after a while and not take away much new information from your presentation. So a complicated structure can lead to bad presentations and "Death by PowerPoint" pretty quickly.

17. Inappropriate clothes

On the day of your presentation, be sure to choose appropriate clothing. Your appearance should be formal, so avoid casual clothes and stick to professional dress codes. When choosing your clothes, also make sure that they are rather unobtrusive. Your audience should focus on your presentation, not on your appearance.

18. Inappropriate content

Think about who your audience is and adapt your presentation to them. Find out how much they already know about the topic, what they want to learn about it and why they are here in the first place. If you only talk about things your audience already knows, they will get bored pretty soon, but if you throw around a lot of technical terms when your audience has hardly dealt with the topic at all, they will also have a hard time following you. So to avoid "Death by PowerPoint" in this case, it is important to adapt your presentation to your audience.

You can also ask a few questions at the beginning of your presentation to learn more about your audience and then adapt your presentation. With SlideLizard , you can integrate polls directly into your PowerPoint and participants can then easily answer anonymously from their smartphone.

19. Too much or unimportant information

Keep it short and limit yourself to the essentials. The more facts and information you present to your audience, the less they will remember.

Also be sure to leave out information that does not fit the topic or is not relevant. You will only distract from the actual topic and lose the attention of your audience.

20. Monotone voice

If you speak in a monotone voice all the time, you are likely to lose the attention of your audience. Make your narration lively and exciting. Also, be careful not to speak too quietly, but not too loudly either. People should be able to understand you well throughout the whole room. Even if it is not easy for many people, try to deliver your speech with confidence. If you are not enthusiastic about the topic or do not seem enthusiastic, you will not be able to get your audience excited about it.

Examples of bad presentations to download

We have created a PowerPoint with examples of bad presentation slides and how to do it right. You can download it here for free.

Related articles

About the author.

Helena Reitinger

Helena supports the SlideLizard team in marketing and design. She loves to express her creativity in texts and graphics.

Get 1 Month for free!

Do you want to make your presentations more interactive.

With SlideLizard you can engage your audience with live polls, questions and feedback . Directly within your PowerPoint Presentation. Learn more

Top blog articles More posts

Create puzzle in PowerPoint + free template

How to find the best font for your PowerPoint presentation

Get started with Live Polls, Q&A and slides

for your PowerPoint Presentations

The big SlideLizard presentation glossary

Panel discussion.

A panel discussion is a structured conversation in front of an audience on a given topic between several people.

Corporate Events

A corporate event is an event organised by a company and intended for employees, stakeholders, customers, a charity event or public. The audience depends on the goal of the event.

Diagonal Communication

Diagonal communication means that the employees of a company communicate with each other regardless of their function and their level in the organisational hierarchy and regardless of their department within the company.

Hybrid Learning

Hybrid learning means that one group of students are in class at school. Another group of students takes part in class from home at the same time. They both get taught at the same time.

Be the first to know!

The latest SlideLizard news, articles, and resources, sent straight to your inbox.

- or follow us on -

We use cookies to personalize content and analyze traffic to our website. You can choose to accept only cookies that are necessary for the website to function or to also allow tracking cookies. For more information, please see our privacy policy .

Cookie Settings

Necessary cookies are required for the proper functioning of the website. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information about the number of visitors, etc.

• Open training
• Team training

28 Common Presentation Mistakes. Which are you making?

• Articles and Resources
• > Interpersonal and Communication Skills
• > 28 Common Presentation Mistakes. Which are you making?

The best presenters and speakers continually hone their skills and test out new material. Regardless of how much presenting experience you have, don’t assume you have nothing new to learn. But don’t strive for perfection either. Instead, identify a few issues that you could improve upon and work on those first – starting with whatever will have the biggest impact on your presentations.

So how do you go from average to outstanding presenter? Have a look at our list of the  28 biggest presentation mistakes  that most presenters make. Is there anything we missed?

1. Starting poorly

Make sure to start your presentations with impact. Saying,  “Welcome, my name is ___. Today we will be talking about…”  is  boring . Do something different – be bold, creative, inspiring! And arrive early so you won’t feel flustered, which will carry over into your presentation. Most importantly, be interesting!

2. Failing to address the audience’s concerns

Before you even think about creating a presentation, know what your audience is struggling with so that you can solve their problem or address their concerns.

3. Boring your audience

If you can’t be interesting, don’t bother speaking in front of people.

4. Failing to engage emotionally

We like to think that humans make rational decisions, but   studies show  that people make decisions based on emotion, and then rationalize their decisions afterwards.

5. Using too much jargon

Your language needs to be appropriate for your audience. They can’t listen to you while they’re trying to figure out what you said. If you speak in circles around them, they may never fully catch up. If you can’t avoid the use of jargon or a technical term, be sure to explain what it means when you introduce it, and don’t introduce too many at once.

6. Being too wordy or rambling

Don’t use up an hour of time when 20 minutes will do. Respect people’s time and get to the point. Be concise and don’t ramble. But don’t rush, either. Yes, it’s a fine line.

7. Going over your allotted time

This is a simple matter of respect. If your presentation goes over your allotted time, there’s a good chance your audience will lose interest and leave anyway – or at the very least, stop listening because they’ll be focused on other commitments and trying to figure out how they will adjust.

8. Lack of focus

Your slide deck should help you stay on track. Use it as a guide to make sure you move logically from one point to another.

9. Reading slides verbatim

In all likelihood, your audience can read perfectly well without your assistance. If you’re just going to read to them, you might as well save everyone some time and just send them a copy of your slide deck. This isn’t the place for a bedtime story.

Challenge yourself to put as few words on the slides as possible, so that you can’t read from them. Could you do your entire presentation with only one word on each slide? If not, this is an indication that you may not know your materials well enough.

10. Poor slide design

PowerPoint gets a bad rap because 99% of slides are very poorly designed, but it’s not Bill Gates’ fault that the world lacks design skills! Just because a feature is available in PowerPoint, doesn’t mean you need to use it.

In fact, when you start designing a presentation, it’s best if you don’t even open PowerPoint. Use Microsoft Word to create an outline first. Focus on the content and structure, and only when that is outstanding, move to PowerPoint and start designing your slides.

If you don’t know how to design good slides, find someone who does or learn. While poor slide design probably won’t make or break your presentation, it can undermine your credibility and distract your audience – or worse – help put them to sleep.

Depending on the type of presentation, you may want to consider the   10/20/30 rule from Guy Kawasaki . Ten slides for a 20-minute presentation with fonts no smaller than 30 points. It’s not appropriate for all types of presentations, but it’s a nice guideline and slide-to-duration ratio.

Be careful when buying PowerPoint templates – while they may look pretty, more often than not, the design is not conducive to great presentations. The fonts are almost always too light and/or small to be read at the back of a room and the designers often cram too much on one slide. Buying presentation templates only works if you understand good design. Don’t trust that just because a “professional” designed it, that it’s any good. It can take longer to fix a poorly designed slide than to just build one from scratch.

11. Cramming in too much information

If the audience can’t make sense of the data, or if they have to stop listening to you so they can read, you’re doing it wrong. Simplicity and white space are your friends. Think, “How would Apple design a slide deck?”

12. Incorporating too much data

Ask yourself, “Why am I including this data?”, “What action do I want to inspire?”, and “If I removed this, could I still make my point?” to help determine if the data relevant enough to include.

“We have met the Devil of Information Overload and his impish underlings, the computer virus, the busy signal, the dead link, and the PowerPoint presentation.” – James Gleick

13. Relying on PowerPoint as your only presentation tool

Even when used correctly, PowerPoint should not be your only tool. Use flip charts, white boards, post-it notes, and other tools to engage your audience. Try to break up the amount of time the audience spends staring at a screen.

14. Making it about you

As the presenter, you are the least important person in the room. When you understand that and focus on the goal of helping your audience, you can eliminate a lot of the nervousness that comes with presenting.

15. Being a Diva

To be a great presenter, one could argue that you have to have a slightly inflated sense of ego and tough skin. It’s not easy standing in front of a room full of people (often complete strangers) who will critique your performance without knowing anything about you or the kind of day you’ve had. That inflated ego can be useful in protecting you when things don’t go well.

But your ego doesn’t give you permission to act like you’re more important than everyone else. You’re the least important person in the room, remember?

The best presenters are those who are authentic and who truly want to help people. Try to accommodate the organizers and see things from their perspective when they need you to adapt. Make it easy for people to work with you and they will ask you to come back.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

16. Not practicing enough (or at all!)

“Winging it” works well for very few people. The people who successfully speak without much practice are those who are fantastic natural speakers  and   who know their material inside out and upside down. Even if you’re one of the lucky few, you need to get the timing right – so practice anyway!

17. Apologizing or drawing attention to your fears or shortcomings

When you’re having an “off day” it’s natural to want to say something like, “I didn’t sleep well last night so forgive me if I seem tired.” But when you do that, you’re undermining your own credibility because your audience might not have even noticed you were tired. But now that you’ve drawn attention to it, they will focus on it, look for clues, and may even include a comment on your feedback form. Don’t give them reasons to complain!

18. Technical difficulties

There are no excuses for not preparing technology ahead of time. Make sure you’ve tested everything before your presentation. Always carry extra batteries for your presenter remote (if you use one).

If you arrive late, you’re setting yourself up for failure and run the risk of starting off stressed, which can have a domino effect on the rest of your presentation.

19. Overusing animations and transitions

Many people struggle with vertigo, motion sickness, and nausea. Out of respect for those people, never  move   text; if you must animate it, the text should remain static on the screen as it fades or wipes in. This allows people to fix their eyes on a focal point and start reading before the animation finishes. Don’t make your audience follow bouncing, flying, zooming, spinning, growing, or floating text… or anything else for that matter!

Transitions are quite unnecessary, but if you must use them, only use a quick fade. If your transitions are too slow, they’ll interfere with your normal speech pattern.

Remember – no one will leave your presentation and think, “Wow, those animations were great!”. They will comment on the content and your ability to present it. And the food… or lack thereof.

20. Not using enough relevant stories

Connect with people on a personal level to build rapport and trust. People will remember your stories much more easily than they will remember any facts you present. Just make sure the stories are relevant to your presentation or you’ll risk annoying people for wasting their time.

21. Making your stories too long

Don’t drag out your stories with useless details. The worst stories begin something like this:

“So last Tuesday I was walking the dog and… or wait, was it Wednesday? No, it must have been Tuesday. Hmm, now I’m not sure. Oh, wait. I was wrong. Actually, it was Monday and I know that because I had just come back from the gym. Right. So, last Monday, I was walking the dog and…”.

By now your audience is ready to pull their hair out. To make your stories more interesting, keep them succinct and only include relevant information. If you mess up unimportant details that don’t affect the outcome of the story, don’t correct it – just keep going.

End strong with a punch line, a twist, a lesson, or a call to action.

22. Lack of eye contact

Obviously, you want to be sensitive to different cultures, but In North America, lack of eye-contact can make people distrust you. If making eye contact adds to your nerves, pick three main focal points around the room (one on the left, one in the centre, and one on the right). Move from one focal point to the other as you speak, making eye contact with a few people from each area.

23. Failing to pause

A pause is like the mount on a diamond ring. The diamond is the message, but the mount is what presents it to the world and helps it shine! Help your message shine with a well-placed pause.

24. Poor use of humour

Humour can enrich any presentation, as long as it’s appropriate. Self-deprecating humour is almost always safe. Poking fun at yourself also helps put people at ease, and when you hear laughter, it can help you relax.

25. Ending with Q&A

This is a mistake that almost everyone makes. If you end with a Question and Answer session, what happens if you can’t answer the last question? What if the answer isn’t one the audience likes or wants to hear? Ending with Q&A risks ending on a negative note. Instead, do your Q&A a few slides before finishing up so that you can end strong.

26. Summarizing the entire presentation

If you can recap your entire presentation in 5-10 minutes, why did you waste an hour of the audience’s time? Emphasize only the main ideas very briefly.

27. Not including a call to action

What was the purpose of your presentation? Were you trying to teach something? Did you wan to persuade the audience to take an action? Whatever the goal, make sure to tell people what you want them to do next.

28. Not asking for (anonymous) feedback from the audience

Feedback is useless unless it’s anonymous. If you just want people to tell you how great you are, ask them in person. You’ll rarely find anyone who won’t be willing to tell a little white lie to save face. But if you actually want to improve your presentation skills, ask for honest, anonymous feedback in writing. This is where that tough skin comes in handy, but it’s the best way to learn. And over time, as your presentation skills improve, so will your feedback.

“There are always three speeches for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.” – Dale Carnegie

************

To improve your presentation skills in a safe environment with the guidance and feedback of an experienced presenter, register for PMC’s   Skills for Effective Presentations  course. This workshop will help you gain the confidence you need to go from average to outstanding presenter – sign up today!

“The instructor was welcoming and knew how to provide feedback without intimidating or embarrassing participants.” – Anonymous participant

“This workshop was well structured. The number of students was perfect, don’t need more as small group is excellent. The instructor was well informed – very interesting and would recommend this course for sure!” – Carol

• 4 Ways To Have More Effective Meetings
• 6 Facilitation Strategies to Solicit Participation in Meetings

Related workshops

Let us help you create your training solution, hello we'd love to hear from you.

Complete the form below or reach us at: [email protected] , or 613-234-2020

Contact details

To help you.

• I wish to subscribe to PMC Training content.

Welcome to our new website!

We appreciate your patience as we add the finishing touches. In the meantime, go and explore!

Cookie Usage Disclaimer: This website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience. By continuing to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies. For more information, please review our Privacy Policy .

Bad Presentations: How To Avoid Common Presentation Pitfalls In 2023

Table of contents.

It’s easy to make a presentation, but it’s difficult to make a good presentation.

There are simple mistakes that are made when it comes to the fine art of designing and performing a presentation if you haven’t been doing it for the past 15 years, over and over, like we have!

In this article we explore the common pitfalls most presentation designers/presenters make , and how you can avoid them.

What Impact Can A Bad Presentation Have?

Bad presentations and good presentations have something in common, they’re memorable. Whether it’s a speech at a wedding, or pitching to investors, if it’s bad, it stands out.

The impact a bad presentation can have on your, your business or your brand is profound. It’s more than just the performance on the day. In today’s world, everyone is connected and people talk. It’s difficult to shift your image if you make the wrong impression.

Below are just a few hurdles you can expect to face if your presentation bombs.

Loss Of Confidence In You Or Your Company

When you have or give a bad presentation, it’s easy for your audience to lose confidence in you. After all, at that moment in time, you’re the face of the company and a direct representation of who you represent.

If you drop the ball, that’s what your audience is going to expect you to do if they decide to partner with you. How can they do business or trust in you if they don’t have confidence in you.

Fortunately, we understand how much hard work, time, and dedication it takes just to get the opportunity to deliver a presentation to your audience, your clients, your investors, or your own company. Which is why our presentation design services will help take care of the visual and organizational side of your slides.

We Can Make You Look Goood!

You Can Develop A Negative Reputation

Ineffective presentations are a waste of time, and as we all know, time is valuable. Simple things like unpreparedness, lack of audience engagement, talking too much, a poorly structured or visual presentation design.

These things DO NOT go unnoticed and you will develop a reputation that will most certainly work against you professionally. It takes a lot more work to repair damage that it does to put your best foot forward in the first place.

Slower Business Growth

If your presentation misses out on the key points and the words you’ve chosen for your slides are poor, you will experience slower business growth as there is less information for your audience about your brand. If they are missing out on the key idea because your slides are too simple, they won’t want to buy into your brand.

Here Are The Most Common Mistakes You Can Make With Your Presentation

There’s common mistakes that are both easy to make and easy to avoid if you know what you are looking for. There are common mistakes presenters make because most presentations have too much information, pictures and the information that you as the presenter are trying to communicate gets lost in the jumble of the presentation.

Talking Too Much About Yourself

Presenters who spend too much time speaking about themselves while they present is one example of a common mistake. The audience members want the informative information about your brand, not the informative information about you as the speaker.

Focusing Too Much On Facts And Not Storytelling

You want to engage your audience by using both facts and storytelling to sell them on your brand. If you focus too much on facts, it’s the worst thing you can do for your presentation because you’ll quickly lose your audience’s attention.

Poorly Designed Visual Aids

Visual aids are important to making a great presentation, but not if they are poorly designed. It’s important to have engaging visual aids, dark text on white background is a great way to focus the audience’s attention. Make your presentation your own by choosing well designed visual aids that add to your presentation as a whole.

Disorganized Information (No Logic Or Order)

Are your slides all over the place? Your examples don’t make sense to your brand? The worst presentations are hard to follow, confusing and distracting from the main points. An audience wants to sit through an engaging presentation, and by having order and logic to your slides with words that point back to your idea, you will capture their attention and keep them captivated.

Too Much Information

If you have too many points on your slides, or paragraphs that you’ll be reading off during your presentation, you have too much information. Have less on the slides, keep to the point and spend more time talking directly to your audience rather than reading to them.

No Engagement Or Interaction

A common pitfall that is easy to fall into, is not interacting with the audience members, by making eye contact, allowing time for questions or asking questions to the audience. They are sitting right in front of you (Physically or Virtually) so interact with them right from the beginning so they expect it throughout the presentation. If you need some tips on how to make a presentation interactive , we’ve got you covered.

If you’re looking for a few tips on, this article on being a better presenter can help.

Reading Directly From Your PowerPoint Presentation

When you read directly from the PowerPoint Presentation, your body language is not open to the audience, and it means that you aren’t engaging with either the material or your listeners. If you spend time in preparation and writing out what you will be saying, you can speak directly to the audience and portray confidence in your brand. By purposefully making eye contact, you are connecting with those who are listening to you.

Ending The Presentation Abruptly

When you finish your talk and forget to allow time for questions, you are sending a message that you don’t care about the audience’s understanding of the material you have presented. All it takes is one slide to finish a presentation well and leave space for the audience to ask questions.

Animation Overload

When you overload on animation, you make your presentation look cheap and distracting from your important points. It’s an easy way to make ineffective presentations, as it’s distracting to the main goal of your presentation. Keep animations to a minimum and bullet points on your slides instead to create engaging presentations.

So Is A Bad Presentation Worth The Risk?

Don’t talk too much about yourself, but tell stories about your brand so the audience can connect with you as the presenter and your company. You want to engage with the audience through well chosen visual aids, and keep order to your information both in your slides and your speech. Don’t overload in cheap looking animations and always leave room for your audience to ask questions at the end.

It’s best to be prepared, put our best foot forward and invest the time/money in making sure you’re well rehearsed and have some kick ass slides to back you up. Effort and intent are noticed, as long as they’ve been put it.

Are You In Need Of A Good Presentation To Give The Right Impression?

Your slides are more than just beautiful graphics, they’re opportunities for you to share your stories/ideas. Leave the PowerPoint, Prezi, Google Slides to us and focus on nailing the public speaking part!

Just click the button below and get the conversation started today! We’re here to support you, so connect with a Presentation Geek and take the first step towards a presentation that blows your competition out of the water.

Author:  Content Team

Related posts.

FREE PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX.

Subscribe for free tips, resources, templates, ideas and more from our professional team of presentation designers.

We use essential cookies to make Venngage work. By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.

Manage Cookies

Cookies and similar technologies collect certain information about how you’re using our website. Some of them are essential, and without them you wouldn’t be able to use Venngage. But others are optional, and you get to choose whether we use them or not.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are always on, as they’re essential for making Venngage work, and making it safe. Without these cookies, services you’ve asked for can’t be provided.

Show cookie providers

• Google Login

Functionality Cookies

These cookies help us provide enhanced functionality and personalisation, and remember your settings. They may be set by us or by third party providers.

Performance Cookies

These cookies help us analyze how many people are using Venngage, where they come from and how they're using it. If you opt out of these cookies, we can’t get feedback to make Venngage better for you and all our users.

• Google Analytics

Targeting Cookies

These cookies are set by our advertising partners to track your activity and show you relevant Venngage ads on other sites as you browse the internet.

• Google Tag Manager
• Infographics
• Daily Infographics
• Popular Templates
• Accessibility
• Graphic Design
• Graphs and Charts
• Data Visualization
• Human Resources
• Beginner Guides

Blog Beginner Guides How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

How To Make a Good Presentation [A Complete Guide]

Written by: Krystle Wong Jul 20, 2023

A top-notch presentation possesses the power to drive action. From winning stakeholders over and conveying a powerful message to securing funding — your secret weapon lies within the realm of creating an effective presentation .  

Being an excellent presenter isn’t confined to the boardroom. Whether you’re delivering a presentation at work, pursuing an academic career, involved in a non-profit organization or even a student, nailing the presentation game is a game-changer.

In this article, I’ll cover the top qualities of compelling presentations and walk you through a step-by-step guide on how to give a good presentation. Here’s a little tip to kick things off: for a headstart, check out Venngage’s collection of free presentation templates . They are fully customizable, and the best part is you don’t need professional design skills to make them shine!

These valuable presentation tips cater to individuals from diverse professional backgrounds, encompassing business professionals, sales and marketing teams, educators, trainers, students, researchers, non-profit organizations, public speakers and presenters. 

No matter your field or role, these tips for presenting will equip you with the skills to deliver effective presentations that leave a lasting impression on any audience.

Click to jump ahead:

What are the 10 qualities of a good presentation?

Step-by-step guide on how to prepare an effective presentation, 9 effective techniques to deliver a memorable presentation, faqs on making a good presentation, how to create a presentation with venngage in 5 steps.

When it comes to giving an engaging presentation that leaves a lasting impression, it’s not just about the content — it’s also about how you deliver it. Wondering what makes a good presentation? Well, the best presentations I’ve seen consistently exhibit these 10 qualities:

1. Clear structure

No one likes to get lost in a maze of information. Organize your thoughts into a logical flow, complete with an introduction, main points and a solid conclusion. A structured presentation helps your audience follow along effortlessly, leaving them with a sense of satisfaction at the end.

Regardless of your presentation style , a quality presentation starts with a clear roadmap. Browse through Venngage’s template library and select a presentation template that aligns with your content and presentation goals. Here’s a good presentation example template with a logical layout that includes sections for the introduction, main points, supporting information and a conclusion: 

2. Engaging opening

Hook your audience right from the start with an attention-grabbing statement, a fascinating question or maybe even a captivating anecdote. Set the stage for a killer presentation!

The opening moments of your presentation hold immense power – check out these 15 ways to start a presentation to set the stage and captivate your audience.

3. Relevant content

Make sure your content aligns with their interests and needs. Your audience is there for a reason, and that’s to get valuable insights. Avoid fluff and get straight to the point, your audience will be genuinely excited.

4. Effective visual aids

Picture this: a slide with walls of text and tiny charts, yawn! Visual aids should be just that—aiding your presentation. Opt for clear and visually appealing slides, engaging images and informative charts that add value and help reinforce your message.

With Venngage, visualizing data takes no effort at all. You can import data from CSV or Google Sheets seamlessly and create stunning charts, graphs and icon stories effortlessly to showcase your data in a captivating and impactful way.

5. Clear and concise communication

Keep your language simple, and avoid jargon or complicated terms. Communicate your ideas clearly, so your audience can easily grasp and retain the information being conveyed. This can prevent confusion and enhance the overall effectiveness of the message. 

6. Engaging delivery

Spice up your presentation with a sprinkle of enthusiasm! Maintain eye contact, use expressive gestures and vary your tone of voice to keep your audience glued to the edge of their seats. A touch of charisma goes a long way!

7. Interaction and audience engagement

Turn your presentation into an interactive experience — encourage questions, foster discussions and maybe even throw in a fun activity. Engaged audiences are more likely to remember and embrace your message.

Transform your slides into an interactive presentation with Venngage’s dynamic features like pop-ups, clickable icons and animated elements. Engage your audience with interactive content that lets them explore and interact with your presentation for a truly immersive experience.

8. Effective storytelling

Who doesn’t love a good story? Weaving relevant anecdotes, case studies or even a personal story into your presentation can captivate your audience and create a lasting impact. Stories build connections and make your message memorable.

A great presentation background is also essential as it sets the tone, creates visual interest and reinforces your message. Enhance the overall aesthetics of your presentation with these 15 presentation background examples and captivate your audience’s attention.

9. Well-timed pacing

Pace your presentation thoughtfully with well-designed presentation slides, neither rushing through nor dragging it out. Respect your audience’s time and ensure you cover all the essential points without losing their interest.

10. Strong conclusion

Last impressions linger! Summarize your main points and leave your audience with a clear takeaway. End your presentation with a bang , a call to action or an inspiring thought that resonates long after the conclusion.

In-person presentations aside, acing a virtual presentation is of paramount importance in today’s digital world. Check out this guide to learn how you can adapt your in-person presentations into virtual presentations . 

Preparing an effective presentation starts with laying a strong foundation that goes beyond just creating slides and notes. One of the quickest and best ways to make a presentation would be with the help of a good presentation software . 

Otherwise, let me walk you to how to prepare for a presentation step by step and unlock the secrets of crafting a professional presentation that sets you apart.

1. Understand the audience and their needs

Before you dive into preparing your masterpiece, take a moment to get to know your target audience. Tailor your presentation to meet their needs and expectations , and you’ll have them hooked from the start!

2. Conduct thorough research on the topic

Time to hit the books (or the internet)! Don’t skimp on the research with your presentation materials — dive deep into the subject matter and gather valuable insights . The more you know, the more confident you’ll feel in delivering your presentation.

3. Organize the content with a clear structure

No one wants to stumble through a chaotic mess of information. Outline your presentation with a clear and logical flow. Start with a captivating introduction, follow up with main points that build on each other and wrap it up with a powerful conclusion that leaves a lasting impression.

Delivering an effective business presentation hinges on captivating your audience, and Venngage’s professionally designed business presentation templates are tailor-made for this purpose. With thoughtfully structured layouts, these templates enhance your message’s clarity and coherence, ensuring a memorable and engaging experience for your audience members.

Don’t want to build your presentation layout from scratch? pick from these 5 foolproof presentation layout ideas that won’t go wrong. 

4. Develop visually appealing and supportive visual aids

Spice up your presentation with eye-catching visuals! Create slides that complement your message, not overshadow it. Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words, but that doesn’t mean you need to overload your slides with text.

Well-chosen designs create a cohesive and professional look, capturing your audience’s attention and enhancing the overall effectiveness of your message. Here’s a list of carefully curated PowerPoint presentation templates and great background graphics that will significantly influence the visual appeal and engagement of your presentation.

5. Practice, practice and practice

Practice makes perfect — rehearse your presentation and arrive early to your presentation to help overcome stage fright. Familiarity with your material will boost your presentation skills and help you handle curveballs with ease.

6. Seek feedback and make necessary adjustments

Don’t be afraid to ask for help and seek feedback from friends and colleagues. Constructive criticism can help you identify blind spots and fine-tune your presentation to perfection.

With Venngage’s real-time collaboration feature , receiving feedback and editing your presentation is a seamless process. Group members can access and work on the presentation simultaneously and edit content side by side in real-time. Changes will be reflected immediately to the entire team, promoting seamless teamwork.

7. Prepare for potential technical or logistical issues

Prepare for the unexpected by checking your equipment, internet connection and any other potential hiccups. If you’re worried that you’ll miss out on any important points, you could always have note cards prepared. Remember to remain focused and rehearse potential answers to anticipated questions.

8. Fine-tune and polish your presentation

As the big day approaches, give your presentation one last shine. Review your talking points, practice how to present a presentation and make any final tweaks. Deep breaths — you’re on the brink of delivering a successful presentation!

In competitive environments, persuasive presentations set individuals and organizations apart. To brush up on your presentation skills, read these guides on how to make a persuasive presentation and tips to presenting effectively . 

Whether you’re an experienced presenter or a novice, the right techniques will let your presentation skills soar to new heights!

From public speaking hacks to interactive elements and storytelling prowess, these 9 effective presentation techniques will empower you to leave a lasting impression on your audience and make your presentations unforgettable.

1. Confidence and positive body language

Positive body language instantly captivates your audience, making them believe in your message as much as you do. Strengthen your stage presence and own that stage like it’s your second home! Stand tall, shoulders back and exude confidence. 

2. Eye contact with the audience

Break down that invisible barrier and connect with your audience through their eyes. Maintaining eye contact when giving a presentation builds trust and shows that you’re present and engaged with them.

3. Effective use of hand gestures and movement

A little movement goes a long way! Emphasize key points with purposeful gestures and don’t be afraid to walk around the stage. Your energy will be contagious!

4. Utilize storytelling techniques

Weave the magic of storytelling into your presentation. Share relatable anecdotes, inspiring success stories or even personal experiences that tug at the heartstrings of your audience. Adjust your pitch, pace and volume to match the emotions and intensity of the story. Varying your speaking voice adds depth and enhances your stage presence.

5. Incorporate multimedia elements

Spice up your presentation with a dash of visual pizzazz! Use slides, images and video clips to add depth and clarity to your message. Just remember, less is more—don’t overwhelm them with information overload. 

Turn your presentations into an interactive party! Involve your audience with questions, polls or group activities. When they actively participate, they become invested in your presentation’s success. Bring your design to life with animated elements. Venngage allows you to apply animations to icons, images and text to create dynamic and engaging visual content.

6. Utilize humor strategically

Laughter is the best medicine—and a fantastic presentation enhancer! A well-placed joke or lighthearted moment can break the ice and create a warm atmosphere , making your audience more receptive to your message.

7. Practice active listening and respond to feedback

Be attentive to your audience’s reactions and feedback. If they have questions or concerns, address them with genuine interest and respect. Your responsiveness builds rapport and shows that you genuinely care about their experience.

8. Apply the 10-20-30 rule

Apply the 10-20-30 presentation rule and keep it short, sweet and impactful! Stick to ten slides, deliver your presentation within 20 minutes and use a 30-point font to ensure clarity and focus. Less is more, and your audience will thank you for it!

9. Implement the 5-5-5 rule

Simplicity is key. Limit each slide to five bullet points, with only five words per bullet point and allow each slide to remain visible for about five seconds. This rule keeps your presentation concise and prevents information overload.

Simple presentations are more engaging because they are easier to follow. Summarize your presentations and keep them simple with Venngage’s gallery of simple presentation templates and ensure that your message is delivered effectively across your audience.

1. How to start a presentation?

To kick off your presentation effectively, begin with an attention-grabbing statement or a powerful quote. Introduce yourself, establish credibility and clearly state the purpose and relevance of your presentation.

2. How to end a presentation?

For a strong conclusion, summarize your talking points and key takeaways. End with a compelling call to action or a thought-provoking question and remember to thank your audience and invite any final questions or interactions.

3. How to make a presentation interactive?

To make your presentation interactive, encourage questions and discussion throughout your talk. Utilize multimedia elements like videos or images and consider including polls, quizzes or group activities to actively involve your audience.

In need of inspiration for your next presentation? I’ve got your back! Pick from these 120+ presentation ideas, topics and examples to get started. 

Creating a stunning presentation with Venngage is a breeze with our user-friendly drag-and-drop editor and professionally designed templates for all your communication needs. 

Here’s how to make a presentation in just 5 simple steps with the help of Venngage:

Step 1: Sign up for Venngage for free using your email, Gmail or Facebook account or simply log in to access your account. 

Step 2: Pick a design from our selection of free presentation templates (they’re all created by our expert in-house designers).

Step 3: Make the template your own by customizing it to fit your content and branding. With Venngage’s intuitive drag-and-drop editor, you can easily modify text, change colors and adjust the layout to create a unique and eye-catching design.

Step 4: Elevate your presentation by incorporating captivating visuals. You can upload your images or choose from Venngage’s vast library of high-quality photos, icons and illustrations. 

Step 5: Upgrade to a premium or business account to export your presentation in PDF and print it for in-person presentations or share it digitally for free!

By following these five simple steps, you’ll have a professionally designed and visually engaging presentation ready in no time. With Venngage’s user-friendly platform, your presentation is sure to make a lasting impression. So, let your creativity flow and get ready to shine in your next presentation!

Discover popular designs

Infographic maker

Brochure maker

White paper online

Newsletter creator

Flyer maker

Timeline maker

Letterhead maker

Mind map maker

Ebook maker

Unsupported browser

This site was designed for modern browsers and tested with Internet Explorer version 10 and later.

It may not look or work correctly on your browser.

• Business Plans

15 Bad Business Presentation Mistakes (And How to Avoid Poor Results)

• Bahasa Indonesia
• العربية/عربي

You've got to inform and persuade those around you daily. They need to believe in your vision (and more importantly, believe in you) to get more money, notoriety, or internal resources.

Sometimes you're trying to win new customers. Other times, you're trying to get new investors or land press at a conference. And sometimes you're simply providing the quarterly numbers to your boss. 

One of the best ways to persuade people is through a presentation.

Presenting complex information in an easy-to-digest format isn't easy.  To make matters worse, it's rarely taught in any formal schooling either—which means you're left to fend for yourself (and mess up often).

Sure, having a good presentation design is a nice place to start. The right  PowerPoint presentation template  can give you a tremendous head start.  

However, there are a ton  of other variables that ultimately determine if your presentation will be a success or failure. It's all too easy to put in a lot of effort, only to end up with a bad presentation.

15 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Business Presentations

Here's 15 of the most important presentation ideas to avoid critical mistakes, along with a few tips to improve each issue. Learn how to address proper presentation writing, quality of design, common speech mistakes, audience engagement, and more.

But first, if you want to take these tips further, be sure to download our free eBook: The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . It'll help you master the complete presentation process.

The last thing you want to do is deliver a bad presentation, so let's make sure to avoid these poor presentation mistakes: 

Mistake 1. Not Scripting Your Presentation

All good presentations and speeches start with a tight script.

Believe it or not, there’s some method to this madness when writing out a professional presentation.

It’s somewhere between an outline and a full document that helps you lay out the foundation or groundwork, before providing supporting materials and finally transitioning into the conclusion.

Don't make the mistake of not writing out your presentation first. There's a reason why CEOs sound so polished giving keynotes and presidents craft their speeches. Learn more about the presentation writing process: 

Note: That’s especially true when you’re going to be giving a more formal, structured presentation like with a business plan .

Mistake 2. Reading, Not Speaking

The goal of the presentation, whether there’s two people you’re meeting with or 100, is to make a connection. You want each person to feel like you’re speaking directly to them; building the audience’s confidence in both you and the information you’re speaking about.

However, all that connection and credibility disappears when your head drops, your eyes look down, and you begin speaking in a monotone voice, reading directly from paper, your slides, or note cards.

First and foremost, if you've got to read the content on the slide, there’s too many words ( but we’ll come back to this in a second ).

The big sin is the disengagement that happens, as people’s eyes glaze over when they’re hit with a barrage of information. This can lead to a bad presentation that doesn't make an impact.

You should work to avoid that, though, and aim to make a  presentation that persuades . 

That being said, you’re not expected to memorize the entire thing either. Instead, highlight three to five major talking points and get comfortable speaking off the cuff to add in context and examples.

Mistake 3. Not Practicing Enough

Writing out a basic script or outline for your speech is a nice start. But it won’t come off smoothly until you actually sit down and practice it.

A speaker once told me that you should practice or rehearse around one hour for each minute of a speech. Twenty-minute speech? Twenty hours!

While that seems on the high side, running through your speech with notes (at first), and later without notes, from beginning to end, over-and-over-and-over, will drill the information into your memory and make it become second nature.

With repetition, you also start noticing the little details that can make a big difference in a presentation. For example, the transitions between different sections. The pauses to highlight key points. And even the ‘blocking,’ or getting used to how your stance, movement, and gestures will look on a stage. 

If you need more presentation practice and are having some anxiety about public speaking, you should know that's a normal feeling. Lean how to overcome it:

The other benefit of frequent practice is that you should be able to easily spot...

Mistake 4. Going Over (Or Under) Time

...your timing.

Nothing reeks of amateurism more than a speaker who fails to hit their time mark.

In a large setting, being way under time and not having enough material is one of the fastest ways to erode your credibility. And in smaller settings with a client or boss, not respecting their time by trying to hold too them long can be a deal killer.

If you’ve been practicing frequently, you should start using a timer as you get more proficient to see where your material lands.

Sometimes you might have to go in and add a few more examples or stories to illustrate your points (and drag out the time a little). While other times you might have to cut entire slides or sections, and speak a little quicker, to make sure you’ll be under.

The key isn’t to guess. You should know, before you even get to presentation day, exactly how long your presentation will take to deliver ( within a minute or two ).

Mistake 5. Boring, Unprofessional Design

It only takes people about 50 milliseconds to form a first impression, and incredibly about 94% of that comes down to your design. 

In a presentation, that means your slide deck is the obvious starting point. 

Chances are, those investors or savvy conference attendees have already seen that same default PowerPoint template hundreds of times over the past few years.

Fortunately, we’ve got you covered with a few simple, modern PowerPoint presentation templates  with premium-quality designs: 

Case-in-point: look at this creative PowerPoint presentation template, Sparrow . As you can see from the screenshot, the slides have little text and use mostly images and visual elements to illustrate the point.

Using a professionally made PowerPoint template is a great way to ensure you avoid some of the most common presentation mistakes. For example, almost all of the templates on Envato Elements use the best presentation practices and have an attractive design as well as making sure that no slide is overcrowded with text or uses clashing colors.

Another good business presentation template example that'll help you avoid giving a bad presentation is the Oriola template , which uses professional typography that'll enhance the readability of your presentation.

Mistake 6. Not Working Out the Technical Kinks

There are two things you can count on when giving a presentation.

The first, is that you’ll undoubtedly be nervous. That’s only natural, and the good news is that you can harness that nervous energy to help propel your performance.

The second is that there'll be some error or technical miscue.

Professional sports teams will commonly travel a day or two early to a location and take practice on the exact field they’re playing. They’ll even go so far as to use the locker rooms and do a ‘dress rehearsal’ in the location to work out any kinks.

If you're unfamiliar with the venue or location, try to get access to the specific location you’re speaking a day earlier if possible.

That way you can practice a few times in front of all those empty chairs to get a feel for how the audience will be laid out, along with how your positioning a movement should adjust accordingly.

You can also practice with any computer connections, microphones, and other audio/visual equipment.

Ideally, when you show up on the day of the presentation, you should only be thinking about doing a great job (and not stressing over about whether you forgot that HDMI cable).

Mistake 7. Cluttered, Text-Heavy Slides

The best presentation slides are also usually the most simple and straightforward too.

That means no flashy transitions. No overloaded bullet points. And little-to-no extras likes sounds or videos.

One trick is to try and use one slide to deliver only one message or point. That'll keep your delivery streamlined, helping the audience to focus in on your message.

And another added bonus is that it'll help you eliminate using long text paragraphs altogether.

Avoid bad presentation design. Instead, think of each slide as a visual support; aiding or showing an example of what you’re talking about for each point.

A good business presentation example includes relevant graphs or charts that instantly illustrate the key message behind whatever it is you're talking about (like using a green, up-and-to-the-right arrow to equate success).

Discover more professional PowerPoint designs, with numerous slide layout and infographics options:

Mistake 8. Neglecting the Audience’s Background

Jargon can be good or bad.

If you’re speaking to people with technical backgrounds, going on and on about GIT is great. It gives you a common bond, and immediately lets those people know that you understand exactly what they do.

However, if not, mentioning a single piece of technical jargon will make sure you lose the audience within a few minutes of opening your mouth.

In an ideal world, your content should be created (or adapted) with the audience’s background and preferences in mind. If it’s a client, ask your internal champion or whoever introduced the two of you. If it’s a larger event, ask the organizer for some details on who the audience is, what their interests and pain points are, and the type or style of content they’re interested in.

Sometimes that'll be detailed case study information, while others it'll be more surface-level actionable tips. Presenting one, to the other, is a common misstep—even if your content is still good!

Mistake 9. Failing to Hold Your Audience’s Attention

The length of your speech can have a huge bearing on whether the audience is going to pay attention to the entire thing.

Your delivery—which includes everything from your volume, pausing, pacing, body language, and more—can also help captivate or bore your audience.

For example, noticeably raising or lowering the volume of words you're saying can not only make a presentation more interesting to listen to, but also add an emphasis to certain words or phrases. 

The same goes for speeding up, slowing down, and inserting longer-than-usual pauses to give people an extra second to digest what you just said. A key difference between a good and a bad presentation is hitting your timing and delivery.

Beyond those little tricks and dramatic gestures, your content itself should emotionally hook people too. 

For example, don't just launch into the 'solution' or tips. Instead, spend some extra time at the beginning—and throughout—putting this information in a larger context that relates back to the major problems or pain points in your audience's life that can be resolved.

Discover additional techniques on how to deliver an engaging presentation: 

Mistake 10. No Takeaways or ‘Next Steps’

Chances are, your audience will hit information overload.

If you’re speaking at a conference in the afternoon or it’s day three , they’re most likely already mentally exhausted.

So, make sure your presentation is easy to follow.

Start with a simple outline of the agenda at the very beginning to give people a step-by-step overview of what you’re going to cover.

If you make a key point, repeat it. Multiple times.

When you’re about to transition into a new section, reiterate what they just learned and give them a preview of what they’re going to find out in the next section.

And last, but certainly not least, give them a key takeaway or ‘next step’ to do after you’re done speaking.

The best business presentations are meant to inspire action. And ending after reciting just the facts, without organizing that information into context or explaining how (and why) they should do something with it, will make your speech fall flat.

Learn more creative techniques on how to inspire your audience to action: 

Mistake 11. Avoiding Eye Contact

Feeling nervous before your presentation is normal. However, don’t let that be an excuse for avoiding eye contact with your audience. Avoiding eye contact is one of more common presentation mistakes that happens for a variety of reasons, which include feeling nervous as well as poor preparation.

If you spend most of your time staring at your notes or at the presentation slide, your audience will quickly lose interest not to mention they'll feel like you’re not really familiar with the topic.

Establishing eye contact with your audience, even if it’s just a quick glance, is often enough to keep your audience engaged and creating a personal connection with them.

Take a look at this recording of a presentation about code architecture in WordPress. As you can see, the presenter, Mario Peshev, is not only great at moving around the stage, but also establishes eye contact with the audience ever so often.

If you’re presenting in front of a small audience, try to establish eye contact with each person in the room. If your audience is large, focus on a few key people instead.

Mistake 12. Inappropriate Humor

Using humor is a good way to break the ice and reduce the tension for yourself during a presentation. But if you’re not careful, inappropriate humor could backfire and offend your audience, which then leads to a bad presentation overall.

When it comes to humor, it’s important to remember that humor is very culture-dependent. What's funny in some parts of the world, might be highly offensive in other countries and cultures.

That’s why it’s crucial that you know your audience well before getting on stage and use humor carefully and sparingly. If you’re not that familiar with the audience, using other methods to break the ice is recommended.

Mistake 13. Speaking Incoherently

Another common presentation mistake is speaking incoherently. While you might not have any problems when speaking to your colleagues or friends, keep in mind that speaking to an audience is a whole other ball game. Nerves can get even the best of us, which leads to mumbling or rushing through the presentation to just get it done and over with.

However, neither mumbling nor rushing will help you get more sales. In fact, they'll result in a poor presentation. To avoid this, proper preparation is key as well as remembering to breathe and slow down instead of rushing ahead. If you find yourself rushing, pause for a moment to compose yourself. Take deep breaths, focus on speaking slowly, and don’t forget to enunciate each word for better clarity.

Listen to how Matt Abrahams clearly enunciates each and every word in his presentation Think Fast, Talk Smart:

Mistake 14. Dressing Inappropriately

The star of your presentation should be your topic and your slide deck, not your dress or your suit. The best advice you can apply is to dress conservatively so your audience can focus on what you’re saying.

There's nothing wrong with expressing your individuality through fashion in private. But unless your presentation is in front of a hip, fashionable audience, it’s best to stick to a professional dress code.

Men should avoid wearing flashy shirts and shorts while women should avoid low necklines, flashy jewelry, and short skirts. And no matter what, avoid wacky hairstyles.

Mistake 15. Forgetting to Introduce the Topic

Finally, don’t forget to introduce the topic of your presentation at the beginning. Don’t assume that your audience will know what your presentation is about, even if they know the title. After all, there are so many different ways to present any given topic.

In this presentation example, speech coach and speaker Steve Bustin, clearly explains what the topic of the presentation is:

As such, jumping straight in without explaining who you are, what your presentation is about, and why the topic is important is the best way to confuse your audience. Instead, take time at the beginning to share a few words about your presentation topic. This will not only help you pique your audience’s interest, but it'll also help you have a good business presentation.

Follow These 15 Good Business Presentation Tips - For Better Results

While you may have been taught years ago how to give a basic speech or presentation, an important business presentation with real money on the line is a completely different animal.

The problem is that common mistakes, like reading your cluttered, amateurishly designed slide deck in a boring monotone completely undermines your credibility. You lose the audience the moment you open your mouth.

• Script your presentation beforehand to lay out the foundation for the presentation, which will help come up with supporting materials and decide on the key takeaway and next steps your audience should take.
• Avoid reading directly from the slides. Your presentation will flow more naturally and you'll be able to better connect with your audience.
• Don’t forget that practice makes perfect. So, allow for plenty of time before the presentation. This will help you become super familiar with your topic and your slide deck. It'll also help you be more confident the day of the presentation.
• Be mindful and respectful of your audience’s time. Avoid going over or under the allotted presentation time.
• Consider using a professional PowerPoint template to avoid having to deal with a boring and unprofessional slide design. This common presentation mistake will result in your audience losing interest and having a poor impression of your brand and business.
• Be sure to test your microphone, computer, projector, and any other technical equipment needed for your presentation. Making sure that your equipment works is the best way to avoid any technical issues during your presentation.
• Keep your slides easy to read by keeping the text to a minimum. While you’re at it, use a larger font size and a font that’s easy to read.
• Your content should be created with the audience’s background and preferences in mind. Before the presentation, familiarize yourself with some details on who the audience is, what their interests and pain points are, and the type or style of content they’re interested in.
• On top of making sure your presentation isn't too long or too short, pay attention to your intonation and your body language. Doing so will help you hold your audience’s attention throughout the presentation.
• Once you’re done with the presentation, let your audience know what’s the next logical step. This will help you accomplish the main goals of your presentation and ensure you land that pitch or sell your product.
• Maintain eye contact with your audience throughout the presentation. This will help you establish a personal relationship with the audience.
• Avoid using humor unless you’re very familiar with the audience and their culture. Inappropriate humor can offend your audience, which will have a disastrous effect on your presentation.
• Take deep breaths, pause, and enunciate words carefully and clearly in your presentation.
• Dress appropriately for the venue and the setting of your presentation.
• Always remember to introduce and explain your topic before diving into your presentation.

Fortunately, you can avoid delivering a bad presentation. Start by tackling the tips above ( and add a whole lotta practice ) to make sure your next business presentation goes off without a hitch.

If you're looking for an easy place to start, check out this guide on PowerPoint templates  to make sure you've got the design basics down before progressing on to more advanced presentation techniques.

Here are a few more resources and tutorials to help you master your presentation:

Start Making Great Presentations Today

Take the tips you learned in this article further with our new eBook:  The Complete Guide to Making Great Presentations . Grab it now for FREE, along with a subscription to the Tuts+ Business Newsletter.  

Disorganized content, unclear design, and poor delivery can hinder even the best presentation ideas. Don't design a bad presentation that fails to deliver. 

Instead, learn how to write your presentation, design it like a pro, and prepare it to present powerfully. This 30-page eBook with helpful PDF checklist will walk you through the complete presentation process.

Apply These Tips to Avoid Presentation Mistakes 

Now you know some of the most common presentation mistakes and how to avoid making them. The tips in this article will ensure your presentation goes smoothly and you won’t leave a bad impression on your audience.

However, before you start working your presentation, you need to make a beautiful and engaging slide deck first. Start by checking out our beautiful PowerPoint presentation templates over on Envato Elements .

This tutorial was originally published in September of 2016. It's been comprehensively revised to include new information—with special assistance from  Brenda Barron . 

how to give the perfect presentation

10 most common presentation mistakes, avoid these basic presentation errors, 1. lack of preparation.

Too often a good presentation is ruined because the speaker has not taken the time to prepare. Preparation involves attention to both the personal and professional aspects of the presentation. Personal elements include body language, voice, and appearance. Professional aspects include researching the subject, organizing the content, and preparing the visuals. So, whether your presentation lasts for five minutes, five hours, or five days, you owe it to yourself and your audience to prepare thoroughly.

2. Poor Use of Visuals

Visuals should enhance your presentation, not detract from it. Most business people around the world today have learned how to use PowerPoint technically, but not professionally. Slides are overcrowded, unattractive, and inconsistent. They are loaded with lengthy, unnecessary words, written in sentences, instead of bullets. They include detailed information that should be provided to participants in the form of handouts. They underutilize the power of images. By taking the time to learn how to create powerful visuals, you will have a creative edge over the competition.

3. Inappropriate Humor

Off-color jokes could doom your presentation, because you are taking the risk of offending someone in the audience. Humor is culture-sensitive. What is considered funny in one part of the world may be considered private and taboo in another. So, avoid using humor in professional presentations, and consider other ways of breaking the ice and establishing rapport with your audience members.

4. Inappropriate Dress

The best advice is to dress conservatively so that the audience can pay attention to what you are saying, not what you are wearing. In your private life, feel free to express your individuality. In professional arenas, it can be disastrous to show your true colors. Like it or not, professionals around the world expect to see you dressed a certain way. It is best not to surprise them; otherwise they will be concentrating on your unusual appearance instead of your worthwhile message. Women in particular should be extra careful to present a professional appearance, and stay away from low necklines, short skirts, jangly jewelry, wacky hairstyles, and flashy colors.

5. Not Knowing the Audience

Custom-design your presentation to fit the needs of your audience. Find out the size and demographics of your audience beforehand. What are the ranks and positions of the people who will be attending? Who are the decision-makers? How much knowledge do they have of the subject you will be presenting? What is their native language? What other cultural expectations or protocol should you be aware of? By considering such factors beforehand, you increase the effectiveness of your presentation dramatically.

6. Non-Functioning Equipment

Since so much of our business world is dependent on technology, always check your equipment beforehand. There is nothing more frustrating than malfunctioning equipment, which can cause unnecessary delays and frustration. One solution is to have a printout of your visuals for yourself. That way, you will have the necessary information you need to deliver a presentation, even if you do not have the necessary equipment. If you solve the problem in this way, you will also gain the empathy and appreciation of the audience, who may have been in your shoes at some point in their own professional careers.

7. Starting or Ending a Presentation Late

Like you, the members of the audience have time restrictions. Respect them. In the United States and Canada, the mark of a professional is one who starts and finishes the presentation on time. However, time is viewed differently in eastern and western cultures. When traveling or presenting in an international context, consult a local partner or colleague to find out what is considered “normal”, even if it seems strange or differs from your own practices back home.

8. Using a Monotone Voice

Your voice is the primary means of communicating with your audience. No matter how interesting your material, if you speak in a monotone voice, you will lose your audience. An effective voice should be vital, audible, and clear. Of course, voice will be affected by age, gender, physiology, health, motivation, and past experience. Nevertheless, people of all kinds can learn how to make their voices more effective by learning about voice production, breathing techniques, vocal exercises and voice care. If necessary, work with a voice coach to learn how to improve your voice.

9. Too Much Material in Too Short a Time

If you have too much material, cut back or cut out. It is annoying and pointless for a speaker to try to rush through a presentation. If you have strict time restraints, be selective about what information to include. Pass on extra information in the handouts. Remove a number of detailed slides and keep only the most basic ones. Allow for the fact that you may have less time available to make your presentation due to interruptions, malfunctions, delays or other circumstances. By restricting the information flow, you will have a greater impact on your audience. They will remember more and be in a better position to speak to their superiors or take action on your recommendations.

10. Not Clarifying the Topic

Make sure you know clearly what you are expected to speak about. Second, don’t assume the audience knows what you are going to speak about. To avoid confusion, always include information about the topic of your presentation in your introduction. Get into the habit of saying, “Today, I’ll be explaining…” or ”My presentation today will show…” Do this without exception. Some members of your audience may also be global learners, who need to know the destination before they can follow along the detailed path of your presentation.

how can I custom design my presentation to an audience from another country?

By reading! There are several excellent books available that provide information about the cultural norms, habits, values and expectations of various countries. One especially useful book is When Cultures Collide by Richard Lewis, an experienced cross-cultural expert. There are also many websites that provide cross-cultural insight. You could also look for information produced by the foreign ministries of various countries, or visit a consulate / embassy and request further information. Today, depending on where you are, it may also be possible to simply talk to someone from the host culture.

I have a lot of information I need to provide in an upcoming presentation. I know I will run short on time. Is there anything I can do?

Looks like you have no choice but to reduce the amount of material. There is nothing to be gained by overloading your audience with information. Include only the most critical information on your slides and put the rest into a handout which you distribute after your presentation is over. If you hand it out beforehand, you will lose the attention of the audience as some of them will be leafing through the handout instead of paying attention to your presentation.

i am good in grammar but when i start a presentation then my voice quality is not good.means i am not a good speaker.so please tell me the best way to improve it.

About Presentation Prep

Being able to speak in public can change your life! Presentation Prep is your complete, free guide to delivering speeches, lectures, and presentations more successfully and confidently. Whether you're a native English-speaker who suffers from public speaking anxiety, or a non-native speaker who needs guidelines for presenting to international audiences, this site will give you everything you need. Presentation Prep is written by Rebecca Ezekiel, an experienced corporate trainer who specializes in the areas of communications, presentations, and cross-cultural skills. Her online English language training videos are watched by millions of students worldwide.

The seven worst presentations of all time and why they went wrong

There is a multitude of advice out there telling you how to do an excellent presentation. Articles like this one are always telling us what techniques and advice can create a fantastic business pitch or inspiring speech. Public speaking can be daunting, but companies find good presentations essential and often, there is not much patience for unnecessary mistakes. After all, you don’t want anything to distract the audience from your message.

However, sometimes the best way to know to do a good presentation is by looking at a bad one. Know what to do by knowing what not to do! We have collected some real life examples, in order to analyze and learn lessons of how to avoid the bad presentation trap. So, here is our list of the five worst presentations of all time – and why they went wrong.

1. Lung Cancer Surgery PowerPoint

Kshivets O. Lung Cancer Surgery from Oleg Kshivets

Most of us have had to sit through some bad PowerPoints during our lives. They can make or break a presentation. Denying the most basic rules of good one can be detrimental. This PowerPoint on Lung Cancer Surgery does just that, ignoring the fundamental guidelines for a successful presentation. Large blocks of text, overload of graphs, a plan and boring format: it has it all.

Charts are usually an excellent way to visualize a concept. They can captivate the audience and provide a visual aid, which is an key factor of great presentations. However, another core concept is simplicity. This PowerPoint takes the visual aids a step too far, overloading the presentation with mind numbing statistical graphs. Alternatively, they attempt to make it as complex as possible.

One slide even includes 100 charts on a single slide. Stuffing a slide full of information is never a good idea. But that they filled it with so many images side by side so the audience can’t even grasp one singularly? That is definitely what clinches this presentation as one of the worst of all time.

The lesson from this presentation: Use visual aids sparingly and effectively!

2. dragon’s den pitch by gayle blanchflower.

PowerPoints make a huge impact on the value of a presentation, but they are not the only factor. The skills of the speaker can also make a lasting impact, whether that is positive or negative. This episode of Dragon’s Den introduces Gayle Blanchflower and her product of disposable outdoor furniture. Nobody wants to give a bad presentation, and the impact of one is only amplified when shown on television. Due to poor speaking skills and the public nature of the presentation, her pitch is one of the worst of all time.

One of the most important things to remember in any presentation is that you sell yourself as much as you sell your product, concept or proposal. However, Gayle seems to make no attempt to win over her listeners. She gives defensive and unprofessional answers that dismiss her role as a businessperson. We struggle to get a sense of her personality and passion. Ultimately, because they cannot connect with her, they cannot invest in her product.

People like the personal touch; this is why storytelling is a popular way of presenting. There is a thin line between confidence and arrogance. It seems that Gayle’s desire not to be intimidated caused her to become defensive and closed off. Remember: you are not against your audience. Instead, work with them, engage and listen to what they have to say. After all, when you invest in the product, you invest in the person.

The lesson from this presentation: be personal and passionate about your product!

3. the call to learn by clifford stoll.

We all love a good TED Talk. They are inspiring, entertaining, engaging and usually full of an addictive energy from the speaker. But once again, The Call to Learn by Clifford Stoll takes a good thing too far. As he talks about his life as a scientist and passion of always learning something new, his energy on stage is certainly captivating. However, his style is also frantic and distracting, relaying a stream of consciousness that’s hard to follow.

Rather than using a PowerPoint presentation, Stoll prefers to engage with props scattered around the stage. He even performs a live science experiment. Although this is an original and creative technique, by using slides, his audience might have had a better idea of what he is talking about exactly. His full throttle energy is almost wasted on the fact that he has no clear structure and no clear point. Perhaps it would have been better to channel such energy through a more defined format by collecting his ideas and placing them beneath comprehensible headings.

One of the top tips for a great presentation is to focus on the needs of the audience. However, Stoll’s talk is more about his own wacky personality than the content of the presentation. You should be speaking for your audience, not for yourself. By lacking focus, it comes across as quite a self-indulgent talk about his own thoughts and ideas, but without passing on anything useful. The result is that the audience is left slightly baffled by the bizarre experience. His original methods might be great for entertainment, but not for a good presentation.

The lesson from this presentation: Have energy but also have structure!

4. us wireless data market powerpoint.

If there is anything worse than fitting 100 graphs onto one slide, it is fitting hundreds of words onto one slide. Once again, this PowerPoint on US Wireless Data Market fails terribly through an attempt to stuff too much information onto one page. The worst thing is that the overload of text is on the very first slide. Impressions are made within the first minute of a presentation. Without even an introduction or some friendly bullet points to ease you in, you can bet this first impression is not a good one.

Most presentation advice states that you should use no less than size 18 text. In general, the bigger the font, the better. With a whole page full of font size 10 text, this block of text is unengaging and even intimidating. There are only two results from the slide. The audience will attempt to read it and be unable, through sight or boredom. Or, the audience will read the text and the speaker will have nothing to say.

A PowerPoint should only be a guideline for the listeners. It should summarize ideas in visual, engaging ways that simplify the more complex meanings of the speaker. The presentation improves from this point, with graphs and charts that are colorful and simple enough to engage the audience. However, such a bad start is detrimental to a presentation, making this PowerPoint one of the worst of all time.

The lesson from this presentation: Use larger and more concise text to engage the audience!

5. sony presentation for ps4.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkf6JsNxFkQ

This is one of the more controversial choices for the worst presentation. Although it isn’t terrible, many people criticized the unnecessarily long length and tedious content of the 2013 Introduction of the PS4. It starts hopeful, with an engaging video that immerses the audience in the product through screens covering the whole room. However, the energy and act of captivating the audience does not extend to its speakers.

When you compare to other technology presentations such as Steve Job’s Introduction of the iPhone in 2007, you can see the huge difference in presentation standard. His presentation is much simpler, much shorter and much more impacting. Jobs makes the most of simplicity, clearly explaining the product and answering the unspoken questions of the audience.

In contrast, the Sony presentation depends upon using vague language and single words like “quick,” “curious” and “connected,” which flash on screen meaninglessly at the beginning. The result is a two-hour long presentation, sometimes impressive but never explaining the product practically. Clever visual features and technological displays can only take you so far; the content is core.

This gamer website article summarizes the flaws of this presentation well: “it leaves gamers with questions, few answers.” Ultimately, the presentation leaves the audience with questions, unanswered even by a two-hours of talking, making it one of the worst of all time.

Lessons from this presentation: Don’t get carried away by visuals, focus on content first!

6. business pitch in the apprentice by lauren riley.

You know your pitch has gone poorly when your boss describes it as “dull, dull, dull.” Those are exactly the words of Alan Sugar in Series 10, Episode 7 of The Apprentice, in which contestant Lauren Riley gives one of the worst presentations of all time. Not only Dragon’s Den stars snap under television pressure. Giving a pitch for a soft drink campaign in New York, the presentation skills of Riley and her team fell to pieces.

From the beginning, the speaker was unprepared and stuttering. With the first 40 seconds as the most important part of any presentation, this stumbling start let her down. This bad presentation highlights the importance of confidence in a presentation – in both the product and yourself. The team’s lack of enthusiasm for their poorly designed soft drink shone through in Riley’s monotone voice. Without the vocal melody that comes with energy and passion, the audience didn’t believe in the product or the people selling it.

Riley was also criticised for her lack of eye contact, which is a small but vital part of a presentation. Psychologists agree that at least 60% of our communication is non-verbal. This means body language says more about us than our words do. Regular eye contact reassures the audience, it helps them stay connected with the speaker and pay attention to what they are saying. It is important in any presentation to use gestures and the space of the room to your advantage. Walk the space and embrace your body language; that’s the key detail missing in this example, which ultimately resulted in a terrible presentation.

The lesson from this presentation: Use engaging body language to be inviting and exciting!

7. us military powerpoint presentation.

It’s not only business people and TED speakers who give terrible presentations; the US government is even guilty of it too. This US Military PowerPoint has faced online criticism for its terrible use of visuals. Ranging from overly simplified statistics to extremely complicated diagrams, the information is lost within a jumble of useless diagrams.

Visuals should be both engaging and informative, used as support for a larger point. Instead, this presentation uses them as a colorful distraction, with so many connecting lines; it is impossible to know the exact core meaning. Although some concepts may be too complex for bullet points, it is still necessary to simplify or divide the idea over multiple slides to aid the audience’s understanding.

Tiny fonts and unclear highlighted sections are similarly detrimental to a good PowerPoint. Text should summarize a concept and prompt further thoughts and discussions. Rather than aggressively telling the audience something, use bullet points minimally in a way that trigger a response from your listeners. This presentation, through its over-analysis and non-captivating style, does the opposite by displaying solid and impenetrable blocks of information.

Lessons from this presentation: Produce thought-provoking slides open for discussion!

Do not join this list!

Finally, use these examples to ensure you stay off your own list of bad presentations. Many small details can quickly transform any presentation into a terrible one. Remembering them all may seem overwhelming at first, but once you learn the ground rules for a bad presentation, they are easy to avoid. Then, along with knowing the basic rules for a good presentation, all you need to focus on is your pitching style and confidence.

If you need even more advice, videos like this one demonstrate the perfect example of a bad presentation. It raises awareness of the speaking pitfalls and unprofessional flaws to avoid. So, learn from it and these five worst presentations of all time; follow the lessons and ensure that every presentation you make is a great one!

You might also like this article: Bad PowerPoint Examples You Should Avoid at All Costs

Create professional presentations online

Other people also read

6 Presentation Styles of Famous Presenters

How to create and deliver a powerful presentation introducti...

How to create the perfect Pitch Deck presentation

One Time Code

< Go back to Login

Forgot Password

Please enter your registered email ID. You will receive an email message with instructions on how to reset your password.

10 Bad PowerPoint Slides Examples to Avoid

A presentation serves two purposes: 1) it teaches your audience something new and 2) motivates them to take action. However, achieving these goals is only possible if your audience is engaged in your presentation. Your presentation is your story, whether hosting a webinar, teaching an online course, training a new employee, pitching a business idea, or sharing a project with your team. 

What you say matters; your audience’s attention matters. A successful presentation determines how many people connect with your story, how much they remember, and improvements for next time. Various elements in a presentation can make or break its look. Knowing and avoiding practices that can make your presentation dull and non-engaging is vital. 

We’ll walk through some examples of bad PowerPoint Slides to help you avoid common mistakes while creating a presentation. 

What Makes a Bad PowerPoint Presentation?

Everyone talks about good examples, but even a basic mistake can make your fantastic-looking presentation bad. Learning from really bad PowerPoint examples can be as valuable as following the best practices of good PowerPoint examples . Let’s walk through some of the bad PowerPoint presentation slides that would make your eyes ache and content so dull it could put an insomniac to sleep. 

With these really bad powerpoint examples, you can save your presentation from being a disaster and turn them into engaging slides:

• Too much text on slides
• Too many animations
• Using too many colors on one slide
• Being too minimalistic
• Using only pictures and difficult-to-understand fonts
• Keeping the image behind the text
• Flow charts on the slides do not make sense
• No symmetry in texts and pointers
• Using only bullet points and no paragraphs
• Keeping the size of the font too small

1. Too much text on slides 

PowerPoint is a handy tool, but remember, it’s there to enhance your presentation, not steal the spotlight from you. The key here is to make it a visual assistant that doesn’t simply mimic your words but assists you in giving visual suggestions. Overloading your slides with text is the fastest way to make your presentations dull and monotonous. Those walls of text can instantly overwhelm your audience, and we’ve all been there, irritated by text-heavy slides. 

Going further, scripting your entire speech on the slides can trip up even the smoothest talkers. We all know it seems easy to read word to word while giving presentations, but it kills the natural flow and direct interaction with your audience. Moreover, such text-heavy bad PowerPoint slides will result in a rigid, unengaging presentation and steal your spotlight.

Bad PowerPoint Slide Example with Excessive Text:

2. Too many animations 

There are plenty of PowerPoint animations , and they can be tricky to use. There are more than 150 animations in PowerPoint, and some presentations seem determined to test them all. However, it is vital to note that using a lot of animations and transitions can make your presentations look less polished and outdated. When everything on a slide is animated, it can be distracting and even exhausting for your audience. 

Moreover, excessive animations can be a headache for the presenter, too. If each element requires a click to appear or disappear, it’s not the most efficient approach, and it makes for a bad PowerPoint presentation example. Due to many animations and transitions, presenters inadvertently give away what’s coming next, disrupting their timing and distracting the audience, who start anticipating the next point instead of focusing on your words.

Bad PowerPoint Slide Example with Heavy Animation:

3. using too many colors on one slide.

Do not treat your PowerPoint presentation as a canvas. It is not a color pallet to mix and present different colors. Talking about color might seem like a deep dive, but you can be something other than a color theory guru to nail a good-looking presentation (though it’s a plus). Here’s the golden rule: KEEP IT EASY TO READ! 

Bright and flashy colors like red or neon might not be your best bet for a presentation.

Also, think about contrast to ensure your audience can read effortlessly. Simple combos, like black text on a white background or vice versa, work like a charm. Conversely, white text on a grey background can be a readability nightmare. Having non-contrasting colors can make for bad PPT examples, and nobody wants colors in their presentation to clash, right?

 Example of Worst PowerPoint Slide with Too Many Colors:

READ MORE: Effective Colour Palette Combination for Presentations

4. Being too minimalistic

Adding everything to your presentation is a problem, but not adding the required colors, graphics, and text is a bigger problem. It can make the slide look dull and empty. Sometimes, professionals can get carried away with the “less is more” idea. While using a variety of color palettes in one presentation can make it look unprofessional and strain the eyes, there are better options than going all-white. 

Keeping presentations too minimalistic might give off the impression – that you didn’t put in the effort. Plain slides are an example of a bad PowerPoint presentation and don’t motivate the audience to pay attention. 

Example of Bad PowerPoint Slide with Too Much Minimalism:

EXPLORE: 40,000+ PowerPoint Templates and Google Slides Themes

5. Using only pictures and difficult-to-understand fonts

Another example of bad PPT slides is cluttering the presentation with only graphics and difficult-to-understand fonts. Like with colors and animations, the “less is more” principle holds here. Your primary focus should be making your presentation easy to read and understand for your audience. Take fonts, for instance. Avoid ones like “Impact Typeface,” which have cramped letters. Fancy fonts, especially those that mimic italics, can be problematic too. 

Example of Ugly PowerPoint Slide with Difficult To-Read Font:

READ MORE: Best Presentation Fonts

Now, onto images. Stay moderate; too many images can distract your audience significantly if they overlap. When considering multiple photos, ask yourself if you need them all or if one can represent the others. Slides with an excessive number of pictures can be a visual mess. While images are great for illustrating points and reducing text, an overload makes your presentation look outdated.

6. Keeping the image behind the text

Whoever thought of using an image as a background probably missed the memo. Images and text simply don’t go well together. Overlaying text on an image makes for one of the worst PowerPoint presentation examples. Keeping the image in the background makes reading the text complex, and the main image needs to be clarified. With the mix-up of colors in the background, finding a text color that stands out is nearly impossible, and all those colors just pull your attention away from the words. To save your presentation from this disaster, avoid using images as slide backgrounds when you’ve got text to showcase.

Really Bad PowerPoint Slide Example with Invisible Text:

EXPLORE: Best PowerPoint Backgrounds Collection

7. Flow charts on the slides do not make sense

If you want to use flow charts in your PowerPoint presentation, this one’s for you. The first rule for flowcharts is simple: they should be easy to understand. A flowchart can explain things in a presentation, but a well-crafted PowerPoint should make sense. The flowchart, like the one shown below, will destroy the look of your slide and needs to be clarified. By seeing this bad PowerPoint presentation example below, you need to help understand what’s happening. What is connected to what? Therefore, even if you intend to simplify the information, it will only reach your audience with a clear flowchart. 

Bad PowerPoint Presentation Example with Messed up Flowcharts:

EXPLORE: Customizable Flowchart PowerPoint Templates

8. No symmetry in texts and pointers

The lack of balance or alignment between textual content and accompanying visual elements like arrows , bullets, or other pointers can make your presentations look unprofessional and unappealing. When text and pointers are haphazardly placed, it’s challenging for the audience to follow a logical flow of information, making up for a bad PowerPoint slide example. Without symmetry in your presentation, you’re only distracting your audience; they will be preoccupied with deciphering the relationship between the text and visuals.

Example of Bad PowerPoint Presentation with No Symmetry:

9. Using only bullet points and no paragraphs

Using only bullet points in your slide is one of the worst PowerPoint presentation ideas! In a PowerPoint presentation, simplifying paragraphs into bullet points is a smart move to make it more audience-friendly. However, it’s essential to clarify that this means more than merely slapping only bullet points and not including any paragraphs. 

Here’s a helpful rule of thumb: “Only use 5-8 bullet points”, and if you find yourself shrinking text to 12 or 10 points, you’ve got too much text on your hands, and you can’t put all of it in the bullets. Having overly lengthy bullet points might not be to everyone’s liking, and some even read like full-blown paragraphs.

Ugly PowerPoint Presentation Example with Just Bullets and No Paragraphs:

10. Keeping the size of the font too small 

Last on this list of bad PowerPoint examples is keeping the font size too small, making it look invisible. Font size plays a very crucial role in the presentation. Imagine being served a delicious pizza and handed a magnifying glass to find the toppings. Wouldn’t it kill the mood? The same applies to your PowerPoint presentation. Imagine everything in your slide is on point: the colors, the graphics, the animation, the information, but your audience can’t even read what you are presenting. A quick test is to stand at the back of the room where you’ll present, and if you can still read the font comfortably, then you’re good to go. 

Worst PowerPoint Presentation Example with Small Font:

Tips to Avoid Making the Worst PowerPoint Slides!

Creating a standout PowerPoint presentation boils down to two fundamental principles: 1) it must captivate visually and 2) convey clarity of message. Sometimes, the temptation arises to favor one at the expense of the other. The absence of a delicate balance between engagement and transparency unites all these ugly PowerPoint slides examples. Here are some things you should keep in mind:

• Avoid stuffing slides with too much text in an effort for clarity, which often results in a boring, overwhelming presentation that distracts from the speaker. 
• Refrain from overloading slides with excessive images or animations to boost engagement; it can backfire, resulting in confusion and an unprofessional look.
• Microsoft provides numerous resources to achieve a well-balanced look for your presentation, including colors, graphics, images, embedded videos, and animations. The key is to use them wisely. 
• Before finalizing any presentation, you can ask a few questions from a spectator’s perspective. Can I replace this lengthy sentence with a picture or a keyword? Are the fonts crystal clear? Do the visuals or animations prove distracting? Are the colors harmonious, or do they strain the eyes?

READ MORE: Most Important Presentation Tips

You can craft an exceptional PowerPoint presentation by balancing engagement and clarity perfectly. However, striking this balance requires a lot of practice. The best and worst PowerPoint presentation examples clearly show how to keep this equilibrium.  

As we’ve seen, it’s easy to take a presentation from good to worse by neglecting one side in favor of the other; the next time you’re gearing up to create a presentation, consider getting the help of professional presentation services . 

Presentation service providers like SlideUpLift can help you strike the perfect balance of engagement and clarity, ensuring your audience stays focused while your message shines through. Whether you want to tweak every part of your presentation or adjust the fonts and colors, going for a presentation service provider like SlideUpLift ensures that your unique style is consistently reflected in your slides. You can book a consultation call to learn more about these services.

Explore SlideUpLift presentation design services to create eye-catching PPTs. You can give the custom-slides service a shot.

Why are bad PowerPoint slides a problem?

Bad PowerPoint slides can hinder effective communication, leading to audience disengagement and a failure to convey your message. They can distract, confuse, or even bore your audience, ultimately defeating the purpose of your presentation.

What common mistakes result in a really bad PowerPoint Presentation?

Common mistakes that result in bad PowerPoint slides include overcrowding slides with excessive text or complex graphics, using small fonts, lacking visual consistency, and neglecting the balance between engagement and clarity. You can avoid this by engaging your audience, conveying your message clearly, and creating a visually appealing and well-structured presentation that supports your content effectively.

How can I improve my PowerPoint slides and avoid making bad ones?

You must focus on simplicity, use visuals wisely, maintain consistency in design and fonts, and balance engagement and clarity. In addition to all these points, getting help from professional presentation providers can help you make top-class presentations easily.

. Are there resources or services available to help improve PowerPoint presentations?

Yes, SlideUpLift is one of the most trusted professional presentation service providers. They provide design and content layout expertise, including PowerPoint templates , Google Slides templates , presentation services , custom slide services , etc. You can book a consultation call with us to learn more about these services.

Table Of Content

Related presentations.

30 60 90 Day Plan PowerPoint Template

FlowChart Templates Collection Of PowerPoint & Google Slides

Arrows Templates Collection For PowerPoint & Google Slides

Related posts from the same category.

4 Oct, 2023 | SlideUpLift

The Best And Worst PowerPoint Presentation Examples

Engaging presentations are the lifeblood of effective communication in today's information-driven world. Whether you're in a boardroom pitching a new idea, standing in front of a classroom of curious learners,

23 Aug, 2024 | SlideUpLift

The Best PowerPoint Presentation Examples To Get Inspired By!

Engaging presentations are the secret sauce of effective communication. They bring life to your ideas and transform information into inspiration. They are the heartbeat of any memorable message, connecting with

22 Aug, 2024 | SlideUpLift

Best Professional Presentation Examples To Inspire You [+ Premium Templates]

It’s crucial for professionals to deliver outstanding and engaging presentations that convey essential information to their teams and stakeholders. Most professional PowerPoint themes are the backbone of corporate presentations and

8 Dec, 2023 | SlideUpLift

10 Best Presentation Softwares

Having access to appropriate presenting tools can benefit anyone, whether a business owner, a working professional, or a student. Using the best tools for presentations can increase the recall value

6 Jan, 2020 | SlideUpLift

Top 10 Hacks On How To Make PowerPoint Presentation Attractive

Per experts, the audience gets hooked and pays more attention to the visual content of your PowerPoint slides than drab-looking, text-heavy content. This article answers the well to know question

18 Aug, 2023 | SlideUpLift

10 Best PowerPoint Templates for Presentations

In today's landscape of the corporate industry, an effective PowerPoint presentation speaks volumes and is paramount. Presentations have evolved into more than just slides and bullet points—they've become powerful tools

11 Aug, 2023 | SlideUpLift

10 Best Marketing PowerPoint Templates

In today’s day and age, where communication is paramount and impressions are everything, a compelling marketing PowerPoint presentation can be the key that unlocks success. Whether you're aiming to captivate

13 Sep, 2022 | SlideUpLift

10 Ways To Make Interactive And Engaging Presentations In PowerPoint

Professionals across the spectrum will stand by the fact that compelling presentations can be an important force of influence at the workplace. Many people at the same time also struggle

8 Aug, 2023 | SlideUpLift

10 Best Project Management PowerPoint Templates

Project management is the heart and soul of any new project initiated by the company. It outlines every aspect of your project or services, right from the ideation phase to

30 May, 2024 | SlideUpLift

10 Best Free PowerPoint Templates You Need To Check Out

The internet is full of templates for presentations, but finding a free template that matches your needs and compatibility is frustrating. Not anymore! We have compiled a list of our

Related Tags And Categories

Forgot Password?

Privacy Overview

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

7 PowerPoint mistakes that are killing your presentation

By Paul Moss

Join 100k+ subscribers on our YouTube channel and enjoy highly engaging lessons packed full of best practices.

A few careless powerpoint mistakes can dramatically impact both the effectiveness and professionalism of your presentation..

Over the course of my career in consulting and strategy (and as a PowerPoint instructor for those industries), I’ve seen a lot of slides – great slides, terrible slides, and everything in-between. And what I’ve come to learn is that there’s a handful of common PowerPoint mistakes that many people don’t realize are hurting their presentation.

In this post I’m going to talk about the mistakes I see most often. I’ll give some basic examples of each mistake, explain why it hurts the presentation, and show you what you should be doing instead.

For the list, I’ll mostly be focusing on corporate style presentations, like what you’re likely to see day to day in the business world, but many of the lessons can be applied to other types of presentations as well.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to build your own high-quality PowerPoint slides, make sure you check our our advanced courses.

FREE Slide Design Course

Enroll in our free 5-day email course and learn how to design slides like a McKinsey consultant.

Complete hands-on exercises , review a realistic consulting case study , and get personalized feedback from your instructor!

Plus get a free copy of our Top 50 PowerPoint Shortcuts for Consultants cheat sheet.

Learn More ➔

Success! Please check your email.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.

Table of Contents

1. Complicated Visualizations

Your job as a slide creator is to make it as easy as possible for the audience to understand your message, and unnecessarily complicated visuals don’t help you do that. Instead, they just confuse the audience. 

In this slide from Muckerlab there is a simple sales funnel on the left, with various sales channels on the right. With enough time I can figure out the message, but it’s a bit challenging for my brain to map sales channels to the various stages of the funnel.

“Ecommerce & Digital Marketing” Muckerlab, 2014

You might think that your visual is easy enough to understand, but remember that the audience hasn’t had the same amount of time to look at the slide as you have, so it’s much more difficult for them to grasp the key takeaway quickly. 

In the slide below from Edelman there are four different charts, but each one is communicating the same type of information. By mixing up the chart style like this it makes the slide overly complicated. Instead of showing four simple column charts, they’ve forced the audience to understand and interpret each type independently. This just makes it harder for the audience to grasp the key takeaways of the slide.

“Global Deck” Edelman Trust Barometer, 2012

Instead, ask yourself, what’s the key takeaway of the slide, and how does my chart or graphic help support that key takeaway. Avoid trying to make yourself look smart, and instead figure out the simplest way to communicate the idea you’re trying to communicate. 

This slide from Credit Suisse is a great example of keeping the chart simple and clear. It’s just a normal-looking stacked column chart with easy to read data labels, a clear background, and a simple takeaway. The result is an effective and professional looking slide that’s easy for the audience to understand. 

“Analyst and Investor Call” Credit Suisse, 2022

2. Simple Titles

The point of a title on a slide is to get a quick summary of the slide’s main takeaway, so the audience can better read and understand the details.

In this slide from BCG for example, the title says “Rising housing costs may be driving creatives out of the city”. So naturally, the audience is going to skim through the content looking for evidence of rising housing costs and creatives leaving the city, which makes for more effective delivery. (

“Melbourne as a Global Cultural Destination” BCG. For more BCG content be sure to check out our full BCG slide breakdown

But unfortunately, many titles aren’t this descriptive. Instead what I see are titles that tell me the topic of the slide and nothing else . I get an idea of what the slide is about, but I’m forced to come up with my own takeaway.

“Fixed Income Investor presentation” Credit Suisse, 2022

You see this especially on slides with summaries of data, like this slide from Salesforce about its finances. But even on these slides it’s usually a good idea to put a takeaway in the title.

“Finance Update Q4 FY21” Salesforce

In this example from Orsted , they’ve shown some annual financial data, but they’ve also summarized what they want the audience to take away from the slide – that they are in line with expectations. 

“Investor presentation Q4 and full-year 2020” Orsted, 2021

By including a full sentence for your title, ideally one that summarizes the main takeaway of the slide, you make it much easier for the audience to understand what it is you’re trying to tell them.  

3. Default PowerPoint Designs

The third mistake I see more often than I’d like is using default PowerPoint designs. The worst case of this is using old slide themes, like in this example. Anyone who has spent any amount of time in PowerPoint recognizes this design, and aesthetics aside, it just looks like the slide was thrown together last minute. 

“First 30 Days” Markstar, 2017

You certainly don’t want to overdesign your slide, but at the very least try to avoid the out-of-the-box designs PowerPoint provides for you. Many of these designs haven’t changed in years, and usually they’re meant for a different kind of presentation (like a school project). 

And the same goes for PowerPoint shapes, graphics, and even colors. They all come across as unprofessional and overused, so it’s in your best interest to avoid them altogether.  

But where I think this is most easy to mess up is with tables. A table like this for example looks fine enough, but with just a few tweaks it can be made to look significantly better.

In this example, all I did was bold the titles, turn the negative values red, left align the first column and right align the others, make the top line extra thick, then add other lines to separate the regions. The result is a much better looking, and much easier to read table. 

When it comes to design, even just a little bit of extra effort can help you avoid cliche, unprofessional looking slides.

4. Unrelated Content

In corporate style presentations, it’s completely okay to have lots of content, so long as each piece of content has a purpose. What I see way too often is stuff that’s just there to fill space, and doesn’t have an actual purpose. 

In this Starboard Value slide , there are a lot of unnecessary distractions. For example, the box at the bottom is really just a repeat of what’s in the subtitle. Likewise, there’s a lot of text in the bullet points that could be trimmed down or eliminated without changing the message of the slide. It would help the audience focus more on the key takeaways, without getting distracted by all the fluff. 

“Transforming Darden Restaurants” Starboard Value, 2014 See our full breakdown of this slide here .

But what bothers me the most is the picture at the bottom, which really isn’t adding to the slide in any meaningful way. Yes, it’s on topic – the slide is about breadsticks after all – but it’s not giving me any useful information. We all know what breadsticks look like, and this doesn’t help me understand the key takeaway any better. 

Pictures are typically the most common culprit when it comes to unrelated content. It can be really tempting to throw a picture on a slide to fill up the extra space – especially if that picture looks professional and seems to loosely match the topic of the slide. 

Even McKinsey is guilty of this sometimes, as in this example . The picture looks great, but it doesn’t help the audience understand the main message of the slide about digital manufacturing being a high priority for a majority of companies. Instead, it just distracts the audience. 

“Moving Laggards to Early Adopters” McKinsey & Co., 2018 Learn more about how McKinsey designs data heavy PowerPoint slides.

In this example from a different presentation, they kept the slide fairly simple, with only information that supports the main takeaway of the slide, and nothing else. The result is a clear and easy to understand slide with a well-supported takeaway. 

“Capturing the full electricity potential of the U.K.” McKinsey & Co., 2012

So when you’re adding content to your slide, whether that’s a picture, chart, or anything else, make sure it contributes to the message in some way. And if it doesn’t then just leave that part blank and adjust the other parts of the slide accordingly. 

5. Distracting Backgrounds

This is related to the last mistake about unrelated content but is important in and of itself. A bad background can completely ruin a presentation. At best it’s distracting, but at worst it looks horribly unprofessional and makes the content hard to look at. 

Once again this is where PowerPoint is to blame. Some of the default backgrounds make it almost impossible to read the text, especially if that text doesn’t provide any contrast.

But even simple backgrounds can be distracting, as in our previous example from Starboard Value . Shading the background makes it difficult for my eyes to know where to focus my attention. Not to mention it makes some of the text slightly harder to read. 

Even subtle text or images in the background can be distracting, as in this BCG example . 

“Projecting US Mail volumes to 2020” BCG, 2010

The general rule of thumb with backgrounds is if you notice it, you should change it. The idea is you want to reduce the number of distractions on your slide so that the audience can focus on the insights. In that regard, you can almost never go wrong with a plain white background. This keeps the audience focused on your content, and ultimately on your message. 

This slide from Accenture is a great example of a non-distracting background that keeps the emphasis on the content. Nothing is diverting my attention and I can focus on what they’re trying to tell me. 

“Fintech New York: Partnerships, Platforms and Open Innovation” Accenture, 2015

But of course, the background doesn’t always have to be white. Sometimes darker backgrounds work better for longer, live presentations, especially when those presentations are given on a large screen. 

In another example from later in the presentation, Accenture uses a darker blue background that’s simple, clear, and professional. And most importantly, it doesn’t take my attention away from the content on the slide. 

6. Not Guiding the Audience

Most modern business presentations are full of text and data, which can make it difficult for the audience to process the information on a slide and see the key insights . In a live presentation, it is even more difficult – the audience has to simultaneously listen to the speaker, read through the content on the slide, and think critically about the information. 

The easy way to manage this challenge is to guide the audience through your slide with visual cues – things like text, callouts, and boxes. Unfortunately, it is something that many people just don’t think to do.  What this leads to is dense, difficult to read slides , as in these two examples:

“Bridging the Gap Between CIO and CMO” Isobar, 2014

“Transforming Darden Restaurants” Starboard Value, 2014

And the same thing can happen with charts . By just putting up a chart with no real commentary or guidance, you make it hard for the audience to understand what it is you’re trying to tell them. 

“Fifth Assessment Report- Synthesis Report” IPCC, 2014

In many ways, this is the counterpoint to the last mistake. Whereas you don’t want unimportant pieces like your background to be distracting, you do want the important parts of your slide to be distracting, because it helps the audience quickly grasp the key takeaways. 

Returning to our Accenture example, notice how they’ve used bolded text to help call attention to what’s important. Likewise, they’ve also used a line to put emphasis on the title of the slide. 

Check out our full breakdown of this slide here .

This BCG slide has quite a bit of information on it, but they’ve made it easy to work through by drawing the most attention to the title with green font and large text, then the next amount of attention to the subtitles with bold black text and green lines underneath, and then the least amount of attention to the bullet points. It helps the process the information on the slide in the way they want them to – starting with the highest level idea, and working their way through the details. 

“Evaluating NYC media sector development and setting the stage for future growth” BCG, 2012

This chart from McKinsey is another good example of guiding the audience.  Instead of just keeping the chart plain, they’ve added callouts that help emphasize the message in the title. 

“Jobs lost, jobs gained: Workforce transitions in a time of automation” McKinsey, 2017

Guiding the audience can be as simple as adding an arrow or bolding important text. But even small changes like this can make a big difference in your presentation. 

7. Too Many Colors

It can be tempting to use a variety of colors on your slide, but doing so just distracts the audience and takes attention away from the important parts. And not only that, it can look really unprofessional. 

On this slide for example they’ve decided to separate each of these sections by color to make it easier to distinguish between them. But instead of making it easier to read, the slide is difficult to understand and hard to look at. The sections are already naturally separated, with lines, titles, and even icons. But by adding bright colors, in addition to the orange and green that’s already on the slide, they’ve reduced the slide’s readability considerably. 

“Harnessing the Power of Entrepreneurs to Open Innovation” Accenture, 2015

The best slides use color strategically, to help highlight key points and ideas.

In this Bain slide for example, they’ve decided to highlight the important columns in red, while keeping the less important columns in grey. It provides a nice contrasting effect that helps emphasize the message. 

“2011 China Luxury Market Study” Bain, 2011

Likewise, this Deloitte slide contains a minimal amount of color, making it easy to sift through the data and focus on only what’s important. Not to mention it keeps the visuals of the slide clean and professional. 

“Consumer privacy in retail” Deloitte, 2019

It’s a bit counterintuitive, but when it comes to color, sometimes less is more.

Final Thoughts

A few simple tweaks to your presentation can really make a difference in both its quality and overall professionalism. Above all, be sure to focus on your main message, and avoid any distractions that might take away from that message. If you can keep an eye out for cliché, unprofessional, and meaningless content, you’ll be well on your way to creating high-quality, insight-rich presentations.

P.S. – If you’re really looking to up your PowerPoint game, be sure to check out our full courses: Advanced PowerPoint for Consultants and Advanced Presentations for Consultants .

You can watch a video version of this article on YouTube .

• Print Friendly

PHILADELPHIA SEPTEMBER 12-13 PUBLIC SPEAKING CLASS IS ALMOST FULL! RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW

• Public Speaking Classes
• Corporate Presentation Training
• Online Public Speaking Course
• Northeast Region
• Midwest Region
• Southeast Region
• Central Region
• Western Region
• Presentation Skills
• 101 Public Speaking Tips
• Fear of Public Speaking

How to Deliver a Bad Presentation

What happens when someone forces you to deliver a bad presentation? You didn’t design the speech. You didn’t even create the endless slideshow. However, you are the one who has to stand in front of the group and deliver this gem. So, how do you deliver a bad presentation? Are there things that you can do to make a lousy presentation better? Of course. In this episode, I’ll show you some things that you can do to improve any presentation.

First, I will cover some significant mistakes that people make when they design presentations for someone else. I will also give you tips for each. Then, in the end, I will provide you with a few tips that will help you make the presentation more attractive.

Mistakes Organizers Make that Are Supposed to Help the Speaker, But Hurt the Speaker.

The all-encompassing presentation. (the most common version of a bad presentation.).

This approach eliminates one of the most vital parts of a great presentation — focusing on just what the audience needs at the moment. (By the way, the easiest way to fix this is to Design a Better Presentation . Or, you can request that the presentation designer go through one of our classes.)

One solution is to create a printed document as a “leave behind.” Then, you customize the content that you cover to the specific needs of the audience. This way, you deliver all of the material required by the higher powers, but your presentation is better. Another way to provide the presentation is to cover most of it in a cursory fashion. Then, spend more time and effort on the specific parts of the presentation most attractive to the audience.

The Highly Educated Speech.

Another challenging speech is when the organizer uses what I call, Harvard Words.” So that you know, this most often occurs when the person creating the speech is concerned about his/her education level. This can happen when someone is designing a presentation to the executive team. It could also occur if, for instance, a nurse is presenting to a group of doctors. Or if a paralegal is presenting to attorneys. Here is an example.

Saying…

Dilute the Austerity and Prolongation of Glossophobia Episodes While Orating to Vast Congregations.

Instead of…

Reducing Public Speaking Fear .

If you are looking for how to deliver a bad presentation, and this is your situation, use the “B” button… A lot. The “B” button on PowerPoint blacks out the slide. Just show the slide, refer to what you need to, and quickly black it out. Once the audience focuses on you, insert easy to understand stories that relate to the point being made. (For more details about how to do this, see How to Tell a Great Story .)

The Presentation that You Don’t Understand.

It is easier to find an expert and teach that person presentation skills. It is much harder to train a presenter to be an expert on the topic.

Years ago, a local financial planner used to come to all of my local speeches. Each time, he offered me a lucrative position with his firm. He wanted me to deliver financial planning seminars for him. I’d have to captivate the audience and build trust. Then, people who wanted more would schedule a meeting with a financial planner. The fourth time I turned him down, he offered me an ungodly amount of money. I almost accepted. It wouldn’t have worked, though. I would have had to spend years learning the industry. Eventually, I trained his employees to present. It was much easier and much cheaper.

How to Deliver a Bad Presentation that Doesn’t Fit the Above Challenges.

Insert your own person experiences and stories..

Just as with the highly-educated presentation above, stories are great at making bad presentations better. Stories and examples make bad presentations enjoyable. They make excellent presentations great. They also make great presentations exceptional. A good rule of thumb is to insert at least one good story for each point that you make.

I was at a speaker’s conference once, and one of the attendees told me, “Doug, the only difference between you and everyone else who speaks on your topic is the stories that you tell.” (Do you realize that that single sentence was a story?)

A couple of weeks ago, I was coaching a tech-support guy. He said, “Technical questions don’t lend themselves to telling stories.” I thought about his response for a minute. Then, I asked, “What is the most common tech problem that you solve on a day-to-day basis?” He answered. I then asked, “Do you remember one time when that problem came up when the solution was a real challenge?” He nodded his head. Then, a moment later, it hit him that that instance was the story.

You can do the same with your content. (For additional details, see How to Write a Persuasive Speech .)

A Real Secret to How to Deliver a Bad Presentation is to Add Analogies.

A good analogy at the proper time can make messy presentations clean, as well. (See what I did there? I gave you both a story and an analogy.) For more details about how to insert analogies into a presentation , click here.

Add a Little Humor into Your Bad Presentation.

For years, I used to encourage people that I coached to avoid inserting jokes into their presentations. Then, one Sunday morning, I was watching a Sunday news program while eating breakfast before church. When the show ended, the next program was a live broadcast from Joel Olsteen’s church in Houston. His very first words after the welcome were, “I always like to start with something funny.” He then told a corny joke. The camera’s panned the audience. He had over 20,000 people in his church, laughing.

The next Sunday morning, I paid attention to his opening. The same thing happened. It happened again the next week, and the next, and the next. He gets thousands of people to come to church every Sunday. What he is doing appears to be working. You might try it too. (For details about how to add humor to your presentation , click here.)

The Best Way to Deliver a Bad Speech is to Make the Presentation Better.

Of course, if you want to know how to deliver a bad presentation, the answer is to make the presentation better. Our expert instructors at Fearless Presentations ® can help. For a list of our upcoming classes, visit our Public Speaking Course Schedule .

Podcasts , presentation skills

View More Posts By Category: Free Public Speaking Tips | leadership tips | Online Courses | Past Fearless Presentations ® Classes | Podcasts | presentation skills | Uncategorized

Looking to end your stage fright once and for all?

This 5-day email course gives you everything you need to beat stage fright , deliver presentations people love , and land career and business opportunities… for free!

• Effective Presentation Skills Tutorial
• Common Reasons for Ineffective Presentations
• Not engaging the audience in the beginning of the presentation
• Poorly organized information (no order or logic) or lack of clear purpose
• Poorly designed presentation materials (poor color contrast, background design, font size or type, etc.)
• Incorrect or misleading graphs, charts and visuals
• Too many bullets per slide, or too many lines for each bullet
• Lack of preparation and rehearsal
• Lack of confidence and enthusiasm about the topic
• Inconsistent pace (too much time spent on one part and too little time left for the rest)
• Lack of eye contact with the audience, poor body language and looking at or talking towards the screen
• Inaudible or monotone delivery, mispronunciation of words and reading the slides verbatim
• Not knowing how to use delivery technologies or not being prepared for the technology available
• Poor or incorrect use of technology tools or spending too much to get the technology working
• Not following time limits (too much material) and lack of consideration for other presenters
• Mistakes in the content, and glaring spelling and grammatical errors in the slides
• Ending the presentation abruptly, not leaving enough time for questions and answers and not handling questions and answers well
• Preparing for the Presentation
• Organizing the Presentation
• Designing Effective Presentation Materials
• Rehearsing the Presentation
• Delivering the Presentation
• Handling Questions and Answers
• Presentation Skills Quiz
• Presentation Preparation Checklist

• Presentation Collections

How to Create a Timeline in PowerPoint? Step-by-Step Methods?

Now, the timeline in PowerPoint is indeed valuable if you have to organize data quickly and present it in a way that your audience will understand. Whether you are working on a business proposal, following up on a project, or just looking to point out some historical events, it can make things simple by making the data fit into a clear visual image. But how do you do this? Don’t worry, as it’s much easier than you might think. And that is just what I am here to walk you through.

Timelines are always powerful in the corporate world, education, or personal projects. PowerPoint offers you a flexible platform where you can create timeline slides that not only function great but are crafted in a great UI. In this step-by-step guide, learn how to create a timeline in PowerPoint.

Why Have a Timeline in PowerPoint?

Ever tried to describe a series of events without having something visual in front of you? It’s a bit like navigating a new city without a map. Timelines make crystal clear the linearity of events, and therefore, it becomes pretty easy for your audience to follow a timeline. Besides, a brilliant design of the timeline will make your presentation outstanding and keep your audience interested.

Choosing the Right Timeline PPT Template

The other thing you need to consider is choosing the right template before creating your timeline. PowerPoint has thousands of different timeline PPT templates at your service, all serving varied needs. From a very simple and clean template to a more detailed one, picking the right template will save you hours of work in the long run and set a tone for your entire presentation.

Clean Templates: Suitable for professional, clean presentations.

Storytelling Templates: Suitable if you are in a creative industry.

Project Management Templates: Great to represent your project milestones and deadlines.

Step-by-Step on How to Make Timeline

Building a timeline in PowerPoint is easy, seamless, and—without making a tall claim—a lot of fun. Here is what you need to do:

Open PowerPoint and open a new slide where you need to create a timeline

In the toolbar, click “Insert,” and then “SmartArt.”

Click “Process” in SmartArt. Here is where one can select, under “Process,” the style he/she wants or change the order of the elements. There are numerous SmartArt choices in here for processes. Select one you like, keeping in mind you need to create a timeline.

Click in the timeline graphic text placeholders to you enter your information.

Drag timeline elements to size and space the layout as needed.

Customizing Your Timeline

One of the real strengths of PowerPoint is its customizability. You can shape your timeline to suit your brand or taste. Here’s how:

Change Colors: Change to different colors that match your brand or theme by using the “Format” tab.

Change Fonts: Make sure your fonts match other slide content.

Resize shapes: Drag some of your elements to re-size them so that nothing is over-flown from your slide.

Milestones and Events

These are the main activities of the timeline. This can be when your project is due at a significant time in history or even personal accomplishments for that matter.

Click on the timeline to add new milestones or events

Ensure that every milestone is clearly labeled to let the audience know what it represents.

Visualization by icons or symbols will help set different milestones apart.

Adding Visual Elements

Visual elements enhance readability and the feel of a timeline. Follow these steps to add them:

Images: Add images relevant to the events or milestones being represented.

Icons: Add icons that describe what kind of events or actions were made for them.

Shapes: Add shapes to add a background to your timeline or to draw attention to some sections.

Best Practices while building a timeline

While building a timeline, ensure that you adhere to the best practices

Keep it Simple: Don’t put too much on your timeline.

Consistent Spacing: The space between milestones must be consistent

Key Events The key events should pop up. The color or size should be different to help the viewer see what’s what.

Common Mistake

It’s easy to fall into some of the typical pitfalls when working on a timeline. Here are a few to be on the lookout for:

Information Overload: More information is overwhelming to your audience.

Design Inconsistency: Keep a consistent look with color, font, and layout.

Forget Scale: Make sure the timeline represents the timeline intervals between the events.

Animating for Effect

Bring your timeline to life by adding some great animations. This is how you do it:

Animate Your Milestones: In the “Animations” tab you can see how to animate each of your milestones within your timeline.

Chronologize Them: Determine the proper chronology of animations so that your events appear in the chronology in which they happened.

Subtle Animations: They shouldn’t be too flashy, though. They should be subtle to not be overwhelming and take away from the content.

Saving and Sharing Your Timeline

Now that you have composed your timeline, it is time to save and share it. PowerPoint has some options for this:

Save as PDF: This is great for distributing your timeline on its own, like sending it via e-mail or distributing it in a handout.

Export as Image: This will save the timeline as an image so you can use it within another document or on the web.

Share from PowerPoint You can share your file from PowerPoint via email or cloud services.

Who said building a timeline in PowerPoint was supposed to be difficult? With the right template and some basic steps, you can present a timeline that pops up. A student, professional, or anyone who needs to visualize any information truly needs PowerPoint timelines because of just how versatile of a tool it is—you’ll use it over and over again.

1. Can I use a timeline ppt template for personal projects?

Yes. Timeline templates may be used in tracking personal goals, event planning, and anything else.

2. How do I make my timeline more interesting?

Display visuals in the form of images, icons, and subtle animations to serve further the desire of the audience.

3. How do you make a PowerPoint timeline without using a timeline template?

Of course, you could do all that manually with shapes and lines, but this template would let you do it much quicker, and it also makes sure that your timeline will follow a clear structure.

4. How do I share my timeline with others?

Save your timeline as a PDF or image, and then share your file just by sharing your PowerPoint file.

5. How do I update my timeline to include other events?

Just open your PowerPoint file and click on the top of the timeline to add or edit any milestones you would like back.

Spread Love

Related blogs.

Jerom is a presentation content strategist with over three years of experience writing engaging content and has worked in different niches. He has a strong background in PowerPoint and Excel, so he has learned how to compact complex ideas into simple, clean design visuals in slides. He loves teaching and is always ready to share his tips and ideas on mastering PowerPoint.

Recent Blogs

What is a PPT and How to Make Impactful Presentations with PowerPoint?

PowerPoint Presentations, commonly known as PPTs, have become an essential tool in various fields such as business, education, and even...

How to Draw on Google Slides: Easy Step-by-Step Guide

Drawing on Google Slides can significantly enhance your presentations, making them more engaging and visually appealing. Whether you’re a teacher,...

How to Include Business Report with Infographic Presentation

These days because we live in a data-driven business world, to be able to express complex information concisely and effectively...

SIGNUP FOR NEWSLETTER

We Trust in Human Precision

20,000+ Professional Language Experts Ready to Help. Expertise in a variety of Niches.

API Solutions

• API Pricing
• Cost estimate
• Customer loyalty program
• Educational Discount
• Non-Profit Discount
• Green Initiative Discount1

Value-Driven Pricing

Unmatched expertise at affordable rates tailored for your needs. Our services empower you to boost your productivity.

• Special Discounts
• Enterprise transcription solutions
• Enterprise translation solutions
• Transcription/Caption API
• AI Transcription Proofreading API

Trusted by Global Leaders

GoTranscript is the chosen service for top media organizations, universities, and Fortune 50 companies.

GoTranscript

One of the Largest Online Transcription and Translation Agencies in the World. Founded in 2005.

Speaker 1: You can now make academic presentations using AI. This is how I would do it. The first thing I would do is go over to gamma.app. That is the app we're gonna be using to create our AI presentations. Not affiliated, not sponsored. I think this is a really great one, though. This is the easiest thing you can do. The first thing is if you are working on a paper, like a peer-reviewed paper to submit to a journal, which you should always be doing, by the way, you can just put this in as a file and it will generate its own presentation based on the draft of the paper you're currently writing. And that's really easy. You go here to import a file. This is the one I'm working on at the moment. This is a paper from my last postdoc before I was fired. And here we are. This is what we were working on. And you can see that it's not finished. It's got lots of tags. It's got tables. It's got lots of graphs. So here we can see what gamma.ai will do with this. So we'll upload a file. We'll click here and we'll upload the seed layer article. That's really easy. We open it here and then you can see we get into loads of options. Those options will not really dictate what's in there, but it will sort of dictate the quality of the presentation and give you lots of options as well. So here we are. This is the seed layer article that I want to transform into a presentation. And I click continue. And then they start configuring and working with your file. So here we've got the settings, which is what you should start with first. So you've got generate, condense and preserve. Here we want to condense because we've got a lot of content that we need to condense. And you can see it's got all of this information here. Now I have upgraded to pro. So I don't know why this one's down here. It was only $10 for a month. And here I've got card by card. So you can see here it's saying, well this card is based on this stuff. And then as we scroll down, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, one card total. Well, that's not what we want. So we'll go here to free form. And now we go max text per card. Now this is best for a presentation. We've got brief, medium or detailed. So we can go to brief because I want it to be super brief and then I can talk about it using my own words as opposed to just reading from a slide, which is really boring for everyone involved. And then we've got output, we've got AI images. We're not really going to be too concerned about these because it's going to produce images where it thinks it should produce images, but they're a bit rubbish. We're going to work with that a little bit later. And then we've also got image model and where we want to grab it from. Not important for us, I don't think. And then all we have to do is pick a theme. We go through, choose a theme that we like. I like this one. And then we'll say generate. And you will see it generate the slides live in front of your meaty eyes. And this is what it comes up with. So it's saying here, this is the title slide and look at this rubbish photo. No, that's rubbish. It's not very scientific, but that's all right. We're not using this for the photos. We're using it for the content. So here, metallic adhesive layers. So we've got that one. We've got optimizing silver thickness. And then we've got seed layer effects on reflectance. Then we've got morphology and adhesion. So it has done a pretty good job at separating out the things that we would want to talk about. And so then we've got adhesion mechanisms. We've got optimal seed layer and conclusion. So look, this is a good structure, but it's not done a couple of things. So the first thing it's not really done is put graphs in from our actual paper. So this is where we would need to grab this one, copy it across. We can put it into this slideshow by using the interface on the web app. So we can go here and just say, add an image, upload an image, and then put an image in. Or what I like to do is download it. So we can go up here and we can say export. And then we can export it to PowerPoint. Brilliant. And then I can work with that a little bit later. This is a really sort of like quick shortcut of getting design and getting the content and getting the story structure in one place. And then after that, you can work on getting the data properly presented in an outside program like PowerPoint. But this is not my favorite way to do it at all. This is my favorite way to work with this app. I don't think Gamma AI is very good at coming up with the story structure, a really robust sort of narrative that you can talk about during a presentation. So I prefer to use ChatGPT first. The first thing I do is head over to ChatGPT 4. This is the one that I paid for with my hard-earned YouTube money. And here I am. I'm saying I am creating a presentation for my PhD to attend a conference, give it as much context as it needs to do a good job, and need some help creating a structure. Can you help with this text? That was a bit rubbish prompt, wasn't it? But it did all right. Can you help with this text from a recent paper I wrote? Perfect. Okay, so we've got pathways of high throughput, low cost, indium three, transparent electrodes. And all I did was take this entire paper and all I did was go Select All, go Control A, there we are. And I just copied and pasted it all across into here. So I didn't actually like format it. I didn't sort of like say, I want the abstract, I want the introduction. I just sort of like mashed it all in and said, do your best. And it did do its best. This is why I like using this as a first port of call for creating the narrative structure and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, there it is or there, there it is. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Come on now. Come on, what a long paper. Okay, we're at the references. And there we go. Okay, and there it says, for creating a structured presentation for your PhD conference based on your paper, you can organize into these slides, title slide, introduction, objective. And I was like, yeah, okay, this is very, very sort of like high level. Give me the actual content. So here I said, create an outline of slides for content with 10 slides. Good, another great prompt, Andy, well done. Certainly, here's more detailed outline. So here we go. This is what I was actually interested in, title slide, presentation, introduction, research objective. So all of these are actually, look, you can see it's got actual details in it. And this is what I wanted to use to put into Gamma AI. So I copied and pasted all of this across. So there's this option where you can go paste in text. So I went here, pasted in the text, and I went through that exact same process. So then this is what happened. I went here and this was the output. And you can see it is a much more detailed, I think a much more well-rounded story than the one that was a little bit kind of just like a little bit of a scatter shot of the content that I wanted. Here I've got a nice flow, a much better flow in my opinion. So we've got the need for transparent electrodes, which is like the background. We've got the research objective and you can see it's got bullet points and then it's got materials and methods. You can see it actually has a go. It's sort of like saying how I created these transparent electrodes, which I like. But obviously here, I would just put the schematic of the process that I used and that I generated throughout my research. So then we've got electrode fabrication process, which is great. Once again, I would just use the images that I've got, but this is a good start. Key results, so figure of merit, advantages, performance testing. This is with OPV devices once again. Good bullet points, but I can flesh this out much, much more with actual detail and data and then conclusions and future directions. So I think overall, this is a really great start. It's much better than just giving it the Word document. We've allowed ChatGPT to sort of like work with the narrative a little bit more. Lovely. And now this is what I did. I went and I said, give me this in a PowerPoint presentation and here is the PowerPoint presentation. Now, you can see that this is the PowerPoint presentation and there's plenty of space for doing other stuff and get rid of made with Gamma. No, I can't go. But you can see that over here, yeah, I've got all of this space. So I can play about with these slides and importantly, I can take the information that I want. So from this one, I can say, you know what? I want this schematic. So I can go in, grab that schematic if I wanted, capture it and then in PowerPoint, where would I put it? Just down here, materials and methods. I can say, actually, I want that in there and I can't do that because I need to save it first. Enable saving. There we are. Now we're talking. This is the stuff made of dreams. Can I get rid of made with Gamma now? I can. Yes, you don't even need to pay for the full subscription if you want to get rid of that made with Gamma. Okay, where were we going? Device electrode fabrication process. This is where I want it. There we are. So I can put in my thing and I can play about with the design. I can maybe even have this at the top. Oh no, this is going to take way longer than I thought it was going to. Okay, I can have that one at the top and then I can do that one underneath and perfect. We're starting to work with the data we've got. Sometimes you don't have the full story to work with. When you do a presentation, your supervisor comes to you and says, you're going to this conference and you're like, oh my God, do I have enough data? Do I not have enough data? Trust me, you've always got data that you can present and a story you can tell, but you can use AI to make it super obvious for you and this is how you do that. Let's say you've been working for a few months. On your PhD, you've got a few graphs. They're a bit scattered. They're a bit weird, but you need to do a presentation. This is what I would do. First of all, I would put in whatever I had as an image file to chat GPT for, the one you have to pay for. I would upload these. Here you can see I've got four figures. This one is AFM data. This is IV curves. This is wavelengths of certain materials after they've been heated. These are just random things I've put in there and I've asked this. I said, I'm attending a conference and I have to give a presentation. Here is the data I have collected. Can you help me craft a compelling story from these figures? Then it does such a great job. This is why I love chat GPT vision. It just knows what these are about based on the text in the images, which is just fantastic. Here it says, it looks like you have a rich set of experimental data. Thank you very much, chat GPT, saying all the right words. It says, these materials are commonly used in the production of OPV cells, which is correct. Your data includes atomic force microscopy, current density voltage characteristic, UV viz, and x-ray diffraction patterns. Here's a story that we can use. Here we go. We've got introduction to materials, objective of the study, experimental methods. This is what I would use to generate the first draft of my presentation. And if you can see down here, I said, can you give me the content for 10 slides based on the structure above? This is what I wanted. I wanted the actual text that I would put in here. So it says, certainly, here is a detailed breakdown for a 10-slide presentation. And all I did was take this. I copied and pasted all of that in for 10 slides. 10 slides, one slide per minute. So that's what I was working on for a 10-minute sort of like quick presentation that quite often PhD students give because you end up with like five minutes for questions. Too many people put too much information in their presentations. They talk for too long. They don't have time for questions. Make sure you're on the little bit of a shorter side. Trust me, it's much better to have time at the end than to rush through your slides because it just panics everyone in the crowd. So all I did was take, no, back to this, by the way. I would take all of this. We'll copy it across. So then I would go to new, paste in text. Then I would paste in the text here and I would say presentation and I'd say continue. And then we'd wait. We'd allow the AI gods to do what they had to do. Oh, that was quick. And then we've got this, generate. Okay, no, I want to condense or I want to preserve. So reformat while keeping your original content. Let's try that. No, we'll always try our best to preserve your content. We can't guarantee an exact match. Excellent, thanks very much. Then I've got presentation format. I don't want car size to be fluid. I want this, exporting to PowerPoint or Google Slides. And then I'm going to say continue and I want, let's say it's 10 cards, there we are. And we're just going to, oh, first of all, we're going to do the design stuff. Okay, here we go. What do I want? Oh, it's professional. Let's have a look at professional. Okay, body, that one. That's pretty professional. I like that one. Boom, now we wait. We enter the AI god realm. Oh, here it is. Spitting it out in front of me. It's doing such a good job. There we are. Slide one, already done. Slide two, already done. Slide three, slide four. And this is how it works. So I'm very impressed with how it can just sort of like mash stuff together to make a presentation. And then what I would do, like you saw before, I would take this and I would then take it to PowerPoint and I would work on it in there. This is how I would use AI to create academic presentations. Super easy. You should be thinking about using something like this too because it takes away all of those first steps that are really annoying and hold you up. You can take this, work it in with it in PowerPoint and start working on the important things, which is generating the story, putting the graphs in, making sure it's obvious to your audience exactly what you're talking about. That is what you need to do. If you like this video and you're doing a presentation soon, check out this one where I talk about how to deliver a killer presentation in academic circles. Make sure you're remembered for all the right reasons. Go check it out.

• Stack Overflow for Teams Where developers & technologists share private knowledge with coworkers
• Advertising & Talent Reach devs & technologists worldwide about your product, service or employer brand
• OverflowAI GenAI features for Teams
• OverflowAPI Train & fine-tune LLMs
• Labs The future of collective knowledge sharing
• About the company Visit the blog

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

Find centralized, trusted content and collaborate around the technologies you use most.

Q&A for work

Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search.

Get early access and see previews of new features.

How to Create Word,Excel,PowerPoint,Outlook Icons in desktop using Intune?

I used this script in Intune to create a MS Excel Icon on the desktop on users' machine.

When I try to use it for word I get an error in Intune and I don't know why?

If I want to combine all of it into 1 script how do I do this?

At the moment I've created a separate script for each of the MS application Word,Excel,PowerPoint,Outlook,Onenote

use the same script but amended the name of the file to create a shortcut on the desktop

Know someone who can answer? Share a link to this question via email , Twitter , or Facebook .

Your answer.

Reminder: Answers generated by artificial intelligence tools are not allowed on Stack Overflow. Learn more

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest.

Required, but never shown

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy .

Browse other questions tagged shell intune or ask your own question .

• The Overflow Blog
• At scale, anything that could fail definitely will
• Best practices for cost-efficient Kafka clusters
• Featured on Meta
• Announcing a change to the data-dump process
• Bringing clarity to status tag usage on meta sites
• What does a new user need in a homepage experience on Stack Overflow?
• Feedback requested: How do you use tag hover descriptions for curating and do...
• Staging Ground Reviewer Motivation

Hot Network Questions

• Maximizing the common value of both sides of an equation (part 2)
• Risks of exposing professional email accounts?
• Word for when someone tries to make others hate each other
• Invest smaller lump sum vs investing (larger) monthly amount
• Are all citizens of Saudi Arabia "considered Muslims by the state"?
• quantulum abest, quo minus .
• Why do the opposite of skillful virtues result in remorse?
• Kitchen half-wall/pony-wall receptacle height
• "The earth was formless and void" Did the earth exist before God created the world?
• How to change upward facing track lights 26 feet above living room?
• Can a quadrilateral polygon have 3 obtuse angles?
• Is it possible to recover from a graveyard spiral?
• What is the translation of a code monkey in French?
• How to resolve this calculation prompt that appears after running the drawing program?A Bug in version 14.1.0
• Can a British judge convict and sentence someone for contempt in their own court on the spot?
• What should I do if my student has quarrel with my collaborator
• If I am to use midi keyboard only, do I still need audio interface?
• Is it a date format of YYMMDD, MMDDYY, and/or DDMMYY?
• What is the difference between negation-eliminiation ¬E and contradiction-introduction ⊥I?
• Movie from 80s or 90s about a helmet which allowed to detect non human people
• Creating Layout of 2D Board game
• How to Include Mathematical Expressions like \sqrt{8} Inside \qty Command with siunitx?
• Modifying the thermostat of a regular AC to create a refrigeration room?
• The state of the art on topological rings - the Jacobson topology

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great”

• Guy Kawasaki

Remember: Less is more.

A strong presentation is so much more than information pasted onto a series of slides with fancy backgrounds. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others. Here are some unique elements that make a presentation stand out.

• Fonts: Sans Serif fonts such as Helvetica or Arial are preferred for their clean lines, which make them easy to digest at various sizes and distances. Limit the number of font styles to two: one for headings and another for body text, to avoid visual confusion or distractions.
• Colors: Colors can evoke emotions and highlight critical points, but their overuse can lead to a cluttered and confusing presentation. A limited palette of two to three main colors, complemented by a simple background, can help you draw attention to key elements without overwhelming the audience.
• Pictures: Pictures can communicate complex ideas quickly and memorably but choosing the right images is key. Images or pictures should be big (perhaps 20-25% of the page), bold, and have a clear purpose that complements the slide’s text.
• Layout: Don’t overcrowd your slides with too much information. When in doubt, adhere to the principle of simplicity, and aim for a clean and uncluttered layout with plenty of white space around text and images. Think phrases and bullets, not sentences.

As an intern or early career professional, chances are that you’ll be tasked with making or giving a presentation in the near future. Whether you’re pitching an idea, reporting market research, or sharing something else, a great presentation can give you a competitive advantage, and be a powerful tool when aiming to persuade, educate, or inspire others.

• Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist at Canva and was the former chief evangelist at Apple. Guy is the author of 16 books including Think Remarkable : 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference.

Partner Center

Watch CBS News

Google relaunches Gemini AI tool that lets users create images of people

By Megan Cerullo

Edited By Anne Marie Lee

August 29, 2024 / 12:23 PM EDT / CBS News

Google is turning its image generator function back on for some Gemini AI users, after temporarily suspending the tool over concerns it could not reliably depict White people. 

The Alphabet-owned tech company  said  in a blog post on Wednesday that the latest generation of its text-to-image tool, Imagen 3, will soon be available to users who pay for Gemini Advanced, Gemini Business and Gemini Enterprise subscriptions.  

"Over the coming days, we'll also start to roll out the generation of images of people, with an early access version for our Gemini Advanced, Business, and Enterprise users, starting in English. We've worked to make technical improvements to the product, as well as improved evaluation sets, red-teaming exercises and clear product principles," the company said. 

Users of the tool can write text prompts that Imagen 3 turns into visual images. In its blogpost Wednesday, Google provided a sample prompt and corresponding image.

"An animated image of a tiny dragon hatching from an egg in a sunlit meadow, surrounded by curious glowing butterflies. Vibrant colors, detailed scales," the science fiction-themed prompt read. 

In another example, Google instructed the tool to generate an image of a "ball gown made of paper napkins in an elegant showroom."

Google added that Imagen 3 has new built-in safeguards so that it adheres to the company's design principles, which include limiting Gemini from generating "instructions for self-harm," or in the case of Imagen 3, creating "pornography, or excessively gory images."

Google came under fire when it first rolled out its text-to-image tool and user prompts to generate historical figures, such as German soldiers during World War ll, and popes, all of whom have historically been White and male, went awry. Some of Gemini's images portrayed Nazi soldiers as  Black and Asian  and popes as  female .

At the time, CEO Sundar Pichai called its AI app problems "unacceptable." 

Google assured users that this time around, it has "made significant progress in providing a better user experience when generating images of people."

"We don't support the generation of photorealistic, identifiable individuals, depictions of minors or excessively gory, violent or sexual scenes," the company said in a statement. But it included a caveat, given that the AI-based tool is still novel and in development. 

"Of course, as with any generative AI tool, not every image Gemini creates will be perfect, but we'll continue to listen to feedback from early users as we keep improving. We'll gradually roll this out, aiming to bring it to more users and languages soon."

On Thursday, the image-generation function was not available to all Gemini Advanced subscribers. 

Prompted to depict a human being, the tool responded, "Image generation of people is coming soon to Gemini Advanced."  

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.

More from CBS News

Stocks rebound from morning slump following Wall Street's worst day in a month

Kamala Harris proposing $50,000 tax break for small businesses

HP pursues suit against tech mogul who died when his yacht sank

U.S. Steel shares drop as fate of Nippon Steel merger appears in doubt

COLLEGE FOOTBALL 25 - TITLE UPDATE AUGUST 29TH, 2024

This title update is live for all users starting august 29th at 11:00am et..

Hey College Football 25 fans! Welcome back to the Campus Huddle! Your home for all news and updates about College Football 25! We have a new Title Update that has hit your consoles today with some pretty cool updates! In addition, we wanted to give you a small preview of what you can expect with Season 2! Let's dive in!

Title Update Notes

• Slight Delay
• Large Delay
• Disable Switch Stick
• Dev Note: We will be working on an additional fix slated for the next title update which will result in further balancing. 
• Increased the responsiveness of the pass block slider for users and CPU. 
• Fixed an issue where defenders could slip through double teams without the appropriate animation.
• Dev Note: We will monitor feedback on this and make necessary changes in future title updates.
• Decreased the times the CPU calls jet touch pass.
• Increased the effectiveness of Pass Committing vs Trick Plays.
• Increased the risk of Run Committing from Man Coverage.
• Fixed an issue where players could continue to spin when using a conservative ball carrier coach adjustment.
• Adjusted the AI Logic to significantly reduce the chances of receiving a roughing the kicker penalty on punts and field goals.
• Increased the chance for Defensive Linemen to sniff out HB Screen plays
• Singleback Wing Slot Over (Uconn, Charlotte)
• Pistol Ace Double Wing (Ball State)
• Pistol Doubles Y Off Stack (Florida, Louisville, Illinois)
• Pistol Trips Over Y Off (Cincinnati)
• Pistol Full House Twins Over (NMSU, UNLV, Option, Spread Option)
• Pistol Strong Tight (Liberty, Louisville, UTEP, Rice, Kennesaw State)
• Pistol Bunch Open (Missouri)
• Pistol Ace Heavy Overload (Ball state)
• Pistol Wing Slot Over (Florida, Texas A&M, Michigan, Kennesaw State)
• Pistol Weak Slot Over (Texas A&M, Cincinnati)
• Pistol Strong Trips Over (Florida, Multiple, Cincinnati)
• Added new Jet Sweep series plays under center for Utah, Bowling Green, Kentucky
• Added more formations and plays to multiple teams’ playbooks, specifically empty and short-yardage formations (will continue through future title updates)
• Changed default personnel for Liberty’s pistol formations to have 2 HBs instead of an HB and a TE/FB
• Enabled the ability to edit ratings for non NIL players and recruits.
• Further Super Sim tuning to reduce completion percentages across the country, especially limiting quarterbacks completing more than 70% of their passes.
• Dev Note: This applies to Super Sim - Normal and Super Sim - Fast settings
• Enabled Mass Subs for Online and Offline Dynasty games when playing against the AI. You will be able to sub in either your entire 2nd unit (if your starters are in) or your entire starting group (if your 2nd unit is in). 
• Further tuning of Awards systems. 
• Fixed an issue with the Stat Display for Returner of the Year.
• Dev Note: You will be required to start a new Dynasty for the updated staff.
• Fixed an issue where the Broken Vertebrae injury was incorrectly labeled as a Strained Back.

COLLEGE ULTIMATE TEAM

• Player Upgrade & Refund animations are no longer misaligned.
• Fixed an issue that was causing Milestone Progress to display incorrectly. You would see two different milestone totals at times depending on where in the Challenge Sequence you viewed.
• Fixed an issue that was causing the filter drop down for ‘My Rank’ and ‘Top 100’ to remain on the screen after navigating away in Solo Battles.
• Fixed a navigation issue on the Live Events tab that was giving users error messages after selecting ‘Objectives.
• When viewing Team Chemistry on the Upgrade Tab of the Single Item Viewer, the required coin amount to unlock the Chem will be displayed. Previously, the amount was only shown on the confirmation popup.
• Fixed an issue with Sets that gave users server errors after trying to add an Item Set.
• ‘Open Next Pack’ is now available during the Fantasy Pack Flow. Hopefully it's a little quicker to open up some of those rewards from Season 1.
• Cleaned up truncated text on various screens.

ROAD TO GLORY MODE

• Gave players the ability to audible regardless of what position you are in when lined up on the field.
• Re-tuned starting attributes for all HB archetypes, which includes an increase to speed, agility, change of direction, and stamina (to lower the times you get pulled from the game after a big run)
• Re-tuned starting attributes for all CB archetypes, which includes an increase to speed, stamina, acceleration, and agility

PRESENTATION AND UI UPDATES

• Introducing new uniforms for Arkansas State, UAB, Western Kentucky, Louisiana Monroe, Tennessee, ECU, West Virginia, UMass, Charlotte, Ohio State (jersey swoosh will only turn diamond when in playoff games), Colorado State, Minnesota
• Updated uniform pieces for 2024 season: Charlotte, Cal, Tulsa, Miami (OH)
• Included New NIL Players for multiple teams.

ROAD TO CFP

• Additional Tier Rebalancing to reflect the 5 Tier format.

Season 2 is here!

Season 2 of College Football Ultimate Team™ launches today. Work your way up the Field Pass to earn all-new player rewards, packs, Coins and more. Dominate the new Daily Solo Seasons mode, kick off the college football season with Welcome Packs, honor Legends, celebrate Weekly Phenoms, and more.

Read more about all the content we have in store for you during Season 2.

Stay in the conversation by following us on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , YouTube , and Answers HQ .

Score the MVP Bundle*** to make game day every day, and get both Madden NFL 25 (when Early Access goes live on 8/13) and College Football 25 with bonus pre-order content.

FOLLOW US @EASPORTSCollege

Sign-up for our newsletter to be the first to know about new updates.

RELATED NEWS

College football 25 season 2, college football 25 - title update august 8th, 2024, college football 25 team builder deep dive.