Just don’t ever consider doing any of these things. They need no more explanation than is given. Sadly, these ideas are more frequently expressed than one would expect. If you have ever considered one, just don’t.
Plan using powerpoint (to save time)
Just don’t.
Give the same presentation you gave last month.
Just don’t.
Leave it to the night before.
Just don’t.
Convince yourself your opinion isn’t valid.
Just don’t.
Re-vamp an old presentation.
Just don’t.
Cover the whole topic.
Just don’t.
Speak to only the experts in the audience.
Just don’t.
Believe that you’ll come in under time.
Just don’t.
Use just a few bulletpoints.
Just don’t.
Put your script in presenter notes.
Just don’t.
Use comic sans
Just don’t.
Apologise for a complex slide.
Just don’t.
Copy a table from the document
Just don’t.
Use prezi.
Just don’t.
Use a template.
Just don’t.
Use a blue background and yellow text
Just don’t.
Use a red rectangle to highlight a section of a table.
Just don’t.
Put a copy of the article on the screen.
Just don’t.
Put superscripts and tiny references on slides.
Just don’t.
Use a laser pointer.
Just don’t.
Read out the presentation once as “practise.”
Just don’t.
Change your whole presentation the night before.
Just don’t.
Panic and feel you need to be “just like everyone else.”
Just don’t.
Take only one copy of the presentation to the event.
Just don’t.
Wing it.
Just don’t.
Use drugs or alcohol to calm your nerves.
Just don’t.
Assume the slides will work without testing them yourself.
Just don’t.
Start with a joke.
Just don’t.
Imagine the audience naked.
Just don’t.
Focus your gaze just above the heads of the audience.
Just don’t.
Stop, because you made a mistake.
Just don’t.
Panic because it isn’t as good as it could be.
Just don’t.
Wander constantly around the stage.
Just don’t.
Rock forwards and backwards.
Just don’t.
Face the screen.
Just don’t.
Over-run because the previous speaker did.
Just don’t.
Finish by saying, “That’s all I got.”
Just don’t.
Finish with questions (but no summary).
Just don’t.
Feel you failed because you weren’t perfect.
Just don’t.
Focus on the feedback of only 1 person or 1 per cent.
Just don’t.
Listen to what “they” say.
Just don’t.
Think you’re not good enough.
Just don’t.
Run out of ti
Just don’t.
None of us is born to give a presentation. It is a skill that needs practise and development. There are some weird tips that “people” might give you to help. Just don’t.
(There are blog posts on some of the issues above. Find them thru the search option. Linking them would spoil the point of this post.)