25 ways to annoy, bore or simply lose your presentation audience

A presentation audience doesn’t want or expect a perfection presentation. They don’t want to see a slick, memorised, polished presenter, ‘perform’. The best presenters are mindful of their presentation audience wanting to connect with and relate to them emotionally as well as intellectually.

Presentation audiences want to learn something new. They want our passion, insight and empathy.

The journey to connecting emotionally with a presentation audience begins with authenticity.

The best presenters spend time honing their skills. Even the most experienced presenters and speakers are continually learning. A powerful way to continually developing our presentation skills is  to understand what most presentation audiences don’t want.

Here are 25 of the most common ways to annoy, bore or simply lose your presentation audience, along with what to do instead.

1. Using too many bullet points

The moment a presentation audience sees a list of bullet points their hearts sink.

Bullet points are a signpost that they need to brace themselves for a long, boring presentation.

Solution – Use images instead!

2. Inflicting ‘Death by PowerPoint’

Death by PowerPoint is something every presentation audience has experienced. It’s broader than the bullet point phenomenon. Imagine a slide fraught with text, numbers, charts, or data. A slide crammed with data is annoying and unnecessary.

Solution – One idea per slide; no more. Don’t clutter slides; less is more.

3. Forgetting the purpose and power of visuals

The mediocre presenter believes that their slides are their presentation. PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides or any other visual aid software is not your presentation. High-quality presentation software can help your presentation audience receive your content more effectively. This software exists to help rather than replace you as a presenter.

Solution – Remember that your audience have come to hear you, not to see your slides. If visuals don’t add significant value to your audience, don’t use them.

4. Poor preparation

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin

Solution – Prepare, prepare, prepare.

5. ‘Winging it’

Some presenters believe that ‘winging it’ is their way of improvising. This may work for you but it’s not fair to your audience. It’s highly likely that your audience will see that you are unprepared, and they won’t thank you for it.

Solution – Don’t rely on your charm or talent. Do the work.

6. Poor content

In a previous article, ‘Presentation Content – make sure yours is compelling’ I wrote:

‘The prerequisite to a brilliant presentation, before focusing on delivery, is to ensure that your message is supported by rich, relevant and rewarding content.’

The primary purpose of any presentation is to share information with your audience. Disorganised, boring or irrelevant content is the fastest way to annoy, bore or lose your audience.

Solution – Make your presentation content rich and compelling

7. Having no clear intention

How do you want your audience to feel?

If you don’t have a very clear answer to that question, it’s highly unlikely that you will feel it yourself.

If you don’t feel it the moment you begin to craft and deliver your presentation your audience won’t either.

There are two types of presenter. The mindful minority understand the power of intention.

Solution – Set a clear and meaningful intention for how you want your audience to feel emotionally.

8. Having no clear objective

What do you want your audience to do when you have finished presenting?

If you don’t have a very clear answer to that question, it’s highly likely they won’t do anything at all with the information you share with them.

Solution – Set a clear and meaningful objective for exactly what you want your audience to do at the end of your presentation. Make sure you tell them.

9. Having no clear message

What is your message?

What is the one thing you want your audience to take from your presentation when they return to their car or desk?

If your audience could ‘Tweet’ the content of your presentation with one, clear message what would they ‘Tweet’.

If you don’t know the answer to that question your presentation will probably be forgotten in a heart beat.

Solution – Set a clear, rich and compelling message. Make sure that everything you share supports it and don’t forget to repeat it.

10. Not internalising your message

‘The mediocre presenter believes that they can run through their presentation a couple of times beforehand and if it makes sense to them then it will be fine for their audience.

The Mindful Presenter does everything they can to make their content a part of themselves and so they spend many hours rehearsing.

Not memorising, just rehearsing.

They know their content inside and out and leave no stone unturned in ensuring that everything they have crafted to say and the way they say it will be of significance to their audience.

Mindful presenting is about internalising our message.’

Solution – Own your message – Internalise your message. Practice the verbal and non-verbal expression of your presentation.

11. Presenting irrelevant content

Have you ever sat through a presentation wondering what on earth the presenter is droning on about?

If you have, it’s likely that the content was simply not relevant to you. It can be extremely frustrating listening to irrelevant content. Imagine how you would respond if an audience member stopped you half way through your presentation and asked; ’ Why exactly are you telling us this, how will that information help me?’

Solution – As you craft your presentation, ensure that everything you plan to say, show or do is of  relevance and value to your audience. If it’s not completely relevant, leave it out.

Read a previous article I wrote on the topic: ‘Most presentations are far too long – Less really is more!’

12. Reading slides 

The moment you read text on a slide out loud to your audience, you are insulting their intelligence.

You are suggesting to your presentation audience that they can’t read and so you will do it for them.

I haven’t met anyone who likes or appreciates having slides read out to them. I have however, met countless professionals who agree it’s the ultimate presentation mistake yet continue to read slides themselves.

Solution –  Craft a conversation rather than a recital. Remember that your audience have come to listen to you speak, not to read to them.

13. Making your audience read

What could possibly be worse than being read to during a presentation?

It’s probably being forced to read information on a slide whilst trying to listen to a presenter speak at the same time. Contrary to popular belief, most human beings can’t do both effectively at the same time. Those who can don’t want to.

If you really want your audience to read, send them a document or email instead.

Solution – Use images rather than text.

14. Presenting too much information

Putting too much information in a presentation can frustrate, confuse and overwhelm even the most patient presentation audience.

A healthy amount of data is always welcomed but not at the expense of your audiences mental and emotional well-being. Have you heard of cognitive overload?

‘Cognitive Overload is, by definition, a situation where one is given too much information at once, or too many simultaneous tasks, resulting in not being able to perform or process the information as it would otherwise happen if the amount was instead sustainable.’

Solution –  Stop thinking of ‘more is best’, adopt the mantra ‘less is more’ instead. If you’re using visuals, present only one idea per slide!

15. Saving the punchline for the end

Don’t blind your audience with data waiting for the very end of the presentation to say how the information can help them. If you leave it too long you will lose them long before they get to feel the benefit of attending.

Solution – Tell them immediately what you can help them to accomplish, fix or avoid. Don’t save the punchline for the end.

If you can say it in 5 minutes don’t take 20.

16. Stop playing it safe

No one wants to hear a presenter simply ‘go through the motions’.

When you’re called on to present, you have a number of options available to you as to how you set about the task. Here are just two of them:

A) You can play follow the leader and present like the rest of your colleagues do. If they happen to be great presenters, that will serve you well.

If they are ‘just going through the motions’ and you copy them, your audience will  forget around 90% of what they heard by the time they get back to their car or desk.

B) You can find and develop your authentic style of presenting. A way of presenting that allows you to be your best self and to stand out from the crowd.

Solution – Go for option B.

17. Not knowing enough about your audience

Inscribed in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi is the maxim, “know thyself”.

At Mindful Presenter that’s always our starting point.  Once we have a far clearer insight and understanding of who we are as a presenter and communicator the next crucial step is to, ‘know thy audience’.

Don’t assume that all audience are the same and never make the mistake of believing every person in your audience is the same.

Solution – Do your homework

‘Do whatever it takes in advance to learn as much as you possibly can about your audience before you even begin to think about your presentation.

Don’t make assumptions that what you have to say will be of interest or value to them. Ask them.

Phone them or send them an email telling them what you have in mind and ask them how helpful that would be. But more importantly, ask what they want, need and expect from you.’

18. Starting and running late

One reason many presentations go over time is because they started late. Sometimes thats simply because not everyone in the audience turned up on time. Don’t make those people who turned up on time wait for those who didn’t; it’s annoying and not fair.

Running over time is arguably worse that starting late; it’s also disrespectful. There’s a good chance your audience will lose interest if you run over time. They may remain in the room physically but many of their minds will be elsewhere.

Solution – Start on time and finish on time or a little early

19. Low energy/ passion

In a previous article I wrote:

‘Energy and enthusiasm can make or break your success as a public speaker or presenter. The absence of a good level of high energy will leave your audience feeling numb, indifferent and even sleepy. The mindful presenter crafts and delivers their presentation in the belief that there is no such thing as a boring presentation, there are only boring presenters.’

“If you have zest and enthusiasm you attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back in kind.” Norman Vincent Peale

Solution – Give your presentation audience everything you’ve got!

20. No call to action

Have you ever left a presentation and returned to your car, desk or perhaps even the airport wondering what you are supposed to do with that information now?

No one should ever leave a presentation without knowing exactly what it is the presenter would like them to do with the information received.

Solution – Don’t leave your audience guessing. Tell them exactly what you’d like them to do next.

21. Offering Little interaction

A presenter who doesn’t interact with their audience will often be perceived as lecturing them. A lecture is of course, often a one-way communication. It’s where you are spoken at for a period of time without the speaker actively involving you in the conversation. That’s because it isn’t a conversation; it’s a data dumping exercise.

Most people don’t like to be lectured to.

Solution

Your goal is to make your presentation audience feel as though they are part of an important conversation.

– Ask them questions; even thought-provoking ones

– Call for a show of hands

– Canvass opinions

– Find out how they feel

– Run a poll or a quiz

– Get them to relate their experience

Do whatever you can to create an interactive experience rather than a lecture.

22. Poor knowledge

Your presentation audience don’t expect you to be the worlds leading authority on a topic. They do however, want to feel as though you know what you are talking about.

As I write this, it feels ridiculous to suggest that anyone would speak on a topic they don’t have a good level of knowledge on. Sadly, it’s far more common than many would believe.

Solution

– I realise it shouldn’t have to be stated but the key is to never put yourself in this situation. You don’t necessarily have to have more knowledge that your audience but you should know enough to respect their time and intelligence.

– Find out how much your audience know on the topic and mindfully consider how much value you can add to their level of knowledge.

– Prepare well. Ensure you have a strong enough knowledge base to enlighten your audience and answer any questions they may have.

23. Presenting someone else’s material

One of the reasons some presenters aren’t as knowledgeable on a topic as their audience would like them to be is because they are presenting someone else’s material. Keep in mind that I’m not referring to plagiarism here. Unfortunately, the following scenarios are extremely common:

– The marketing department produce the presentation content for the sales team

– Your boss asks you to step in to present her content as ‘something has come up’

– You are the only person available to present

Solution

In the ideal world, you should never present someone else’s content. I’m mindful of the fact that we don’t live in an ideal world or often even workplace culture.  Let’s look at one of these situations.

The marketing department produce the presentation content for the sales team

Sit with your marketing team who have given you the content to present and respectfully:

– Remind them that they may be the marketing expert but you are the sales authority. Remind them that it’s your client, your credibility and your reputation. Reassure them that you understand your client or potential client far better than they probably ever will.

– Continue this conversation with a request that if they insist on creating your content that they accompany you on several sales pitches/visits. Call on them to at least experience for themselves the challenges you face.

– Request that you build the content together, with their marketing expertise and input.

– At the very least, insist on their permission for you to simplify, personalise and adapt the content wherever necessary and appropriate to suit your style of presenting.

If they refuse to co-operate on any of these points to support you, consider looking for another job.

24. Too many bad habits

When it comes to public speaking and presenting, we have a very clear definition at Mindful Presenter of what these are.

‘A bad habit is anything we say or do, repeatedly, to the point of distraction.’

Nobody wants to see a slick, polished, flawless presenter. Equally, nobody wants to be distracted by something they find annoying which you do repeatedly. A presentation audience won’t thank you for repeatedly:

– Saying ‘Err’, ‘Umm’, ‘So’, ‘You know’.

– Fidgeting… playing with my wedding ring, hair, pen, etc.

– Reading slides

– Hands in pockets, behind back, clasped

Solution

Seek the help of a highly effective public speaking and presentation skills coach.

25. Lack of authenticity

Have you ever sat through a presentation where the speaker is just clearly ‘going through the motions’. They have put on their corporate spokesperson hat and are speaking to you in a way that doesn’t feel at all real, empathetic or conversational. If you have, you know how painful the experience feels.

At Mindful Presenter we believe that your audience want three things from you:

– Your knowledge, information, expertise and insights

– To feel that you not only know what you are talking about but that you care passionately about it too

– That you’ve shared your knowledge and passion in a way that leaves them feeling something emotionally

The first one is easy. The remaining two require authenticity.

Solution

Don’t just be yourself. Be your best self.

Be prepared to be a little vulnerable and give your audience at least a glimpse of the real you.

In his article, ‘How to Become an Authentic Speaker’, author Nick Morgan suggests that, what underlies an authentic speech’ is the intent to:

Be open with your audience

Connect with your audience

Be passionate about your topic

Wise advise from a highly respected and experienced public speaking coach.

If you need help ensuring you never lose, bore or annoy your presentation audience:

– Book yourself onto a powerful public speaking course.

– Invest in some really good one to one public speaking coaching.

– Get yourself some excellent presentation training

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay