| A resource for presentation skills tips and advice | | | | people can naturally organize things in their head, |
| including development of public speaking and | | | | but all people will benefit from putting it down on |
| communication skills. | | | | paper, even if it takes a little more time. These |
| No one willingly gives a presentation when they | | | | are the bad presentation skills that you should |
| don’t believe in their presentation skills, but | | | | avoid during the organizational phase. |
| a lot of people are forced to in their every day | | | | The next phase, delivery, has just as many poor |
| lives. Sometimes these presentations are required | | | | presentation skills. The first and most common is |
| through school or work or some other event but | | | | muttering or speaking softly. While many people |
| most people do have to give one sometime in | | | | are shy in front of crowds, muttering and |
| their life. No one wants to have bad presentation | | | | speaking quietly will only draw more attention to |
| skills either, but sometimes they just can’t | | | | you than if you were to speak in a reasonable |
| get it right and none of the instructions on what | | | | manner in the first place; on top of that it makes |
| to do is working for them. Too often guides to | | | | your presentation impossible to understand. The |
| becoming a good presenter focus only on what | | | | next example of bad presentation skills is ignoring |
| to do and what are good presentation skills and | | | | the audience. Without acknowledging they are |
| they don’t even mention what bad | | | | there or making eye contact the audience usually |
| presentation skills are. Sometimes the traditional | | | | loses interest in what you have to say fast, and |
| style of learning doesn’t work for people | | | | that will make your entire presentation wasted. |
| and knowing what not to do helps them more | | | | Finally, don’t acknowledge mistakes during |
| than anything else. Because of this need for | | | | the presentation. It’s fine to discuss and |
| information about bad presentation skills, below is | | | | reflect on how you could have done better |
| a detailed explanation of everything done wrong in | | | | afterwards, but don’t interrupt the flow of |
| a presentation and why it’s bad. | | | | the presentation to dwell on a mispronounced |
| There are always two steps to giving a | | | | word or mistake, simply correct yourself and |
| presentation, and because of that there are two | | | | move on; often times an audience won’t |
| steps in which poor choices are made. The first is | | | | even realize that you had made a mistake, so |
| always going to be the organizational phase. The | | | | acknowledging it in this fashion only makes it |
| organizational phase is when all the information for | | | | more pronounced. These are the bad presentation |
| a presentation is gathered, sorted and processed | | | | skills related to delivery. |
| into a presentation. The number one mistake here | | | | There you have it, the worst and most prominent |
| is that it is done too late. Procrastinating to the | | | | presentation skills. Often time’s people |
| night before can be hard not to do, but even | | | | won’t realize they are doing any of these |
| giving yourself an extra day can help improve the | | | | and while they’re actively utilizing the good |
| presentation drastically. | | | | presentation skills, they are oblivious to the bad |
| The next example of bad presentation skills is | | | | ones and are unable to fix them. Becoming a |
| poor ordering. Simply throwing together all the | | | | good presenter is a two step process, the first is |
| information will create a hard to deliver and hard | | | | to cease using the bad presentation skills and the |
| to understand presentation. Along with the | | | | second is to start using the good ones. Usually |
| technical aspects of the organization phase, | | | | being aware of not to do will be just as useful as |
| it’s often viewed in bad light when you | | | | knowing what to do. Knowing this is half the |
| don’t write anything down at all. Some | | | | struggle to become a great presenter. |