How To Fix The 12 Most Common Presentation Mistakes

Today brings a must-read book for anyone who makes presentations at work, a club, a non-profit, or to any group of individuals the presenter wants to persuade to take action.

The book is, Presentation Ready, by Terri L. Sjodin, one of America’s leading experts on persuasive presentations. Her specialty is blending communications theory, field research, and practical sales experience to help professionals and non-professionals become more polished and persuasive presenters.

When you read the book, you’ll discover the 12 common sales presentations mistakes and you’ll learn why the mistakes happen, why the mistakes are damaging, and how to avoid the mistakes. Presentation Ready is divided into three sections:

Building your case – the foundation of your persuasive arguments and content.
Leveraging creativity – How your persuasive message resonates with listeners (storytelling, visual aids, structure, curiosity)
Honing your delivery – Your unique style, movement, personality, and ability to execute effectively.

“This book is formulated for the busy professional,” explains Sjodin. “The book’s material will help you quickly evaluate challenges in your presentations and make simple corrections that can expand your influence and generate better outcomes.”

One of my favorite parts of the book is where Sjodin teaches how best to use visual aids in your presentations. She explains that:

Visual aids energize your listeners and help them understand your points faster.
Visual aids are for the benefit of listeners, not a crutch to help presenters get through their own content.
A visual aid is intended to show something visually that you can’t verbally express in the same way.
Don’t rely on your visual aids to do all the work. Place them strategically and tie them to a specific purpose within your presentation.

Sjodin also cautions presenters from using word redundancy and filler words and using too much industry jargon or acronyms. Finally, she adds that, “Whether your next presentation is three minutes of 30 minutes, that’s not a lot of time, and brevity is your friend. Ultimately, it’s not about the specific time allowed but rather making the most of the time you have."

Be sure to make good use of the helpful forms toward the end of the book, especially the Presentation Outline Worksheet.

Terri L. Sjodin

Today, Sjodin shares these insights with us:

Question: Of the 12 most common mistakes made when making a presentation, which one challenges the most people and why?

Sjodin: Great Question! The answers will be different depending on if you’re coming from the perspective of the Presenter or the Listener. The top confessions from Presenters are: “Winging It” and “Being Overly Informative Versus Persuasive.” However, Listener observations identify “Being Boring” as being the highest ranked challenge.

There are lots of reasons why, but the biggest takeaway here is that we don’t always see ourselves with the same perspective that we see others.

Question: If an eager learner wants to improve their presentation skills but doesn't have time to tackle correcting all 12 mistakes, which one or two should they first concentrate on?

Sjodin: That’s a tricky question because the answer will be different for each person. The goal would be for the reader to do a self-assessment and identify which of the mistakes are most problematic for them. As they explore each mistake in the book, they might think, “that’s me,” or “that’s not me.” That’s okay. Start by addressing the mistakes that are most pertinent for that situation and focus on improving in those areas.

Questions: So many presenters default to PowerPoint as their presentation tool. What are the pros and cons of using PowerPoint?

Sjodin: Visual aids can significantly enhance a presentation when used effectively. They are not designed to be a crutch to help get a person through their content. Remember, you are the star and the visual aids are the bit players. They are there to enrich the message and say something visually that you cannot communicate in the same way verbally. Tragically, most presentations are dominated by text and bullet points and do not visually create a wow factor.

Question: You've likely heard that presenting is reported to be more feared than dying for many people. What couple tips do you give to a person who is fearful of presenting?

Sjodin: Nervous feelings are natural. A speaker can feel vulnerable and feel the pressure of delivering the message and producing results. Remember the old saying, “No pressure, no diamonds.” Preparation and practice are the keys to managing nervous energy. Take a deep breath, visualize yourself delivering a successful presentation, and use your voice for good. Don’t worry, just do your best and keep moving forward.

___

Sjodin is the founder of Sjodin Communications and is a New York Times bestselling author, award-winning speaker, and consultant for Fortune 500 Companies. She is a frequent guest on radio and television talk shows and industry podcasts throughout the country.

Thank you to the book's publisher for sending me a copy of the book.

Comments

How To Transform The Influences Of Your Childhood Into Your Unique And Most Effective Leadership Style

The most significant predictor (up to 80 percent) of how someone shows up in their interpersonal interactions as a leader, and as a human, is their childhood, claims Pam Manfredo Curtis, PhD , author of the new book, The Origins Of A Leader: Transforming Family Patterns Into Leadership Power . Grounded in decades of psychological analysis, executive coaching, and behavioral data, Curtis elaborates that how leaders perform today is dramatically influenced by their childhood, with patterns formed early in life continuing to shape behavior, decision-making, and relationships at the highest levels. “When you know your why , you can change your how ,” says Curtis. “Put another way, when you understand the influential factors of your life, you can choose how they affect you. Curtis encourages you to explore specific childhood environments and discover how they shaped your strengths, communication patterns, and hidden limitations. Regarding the implications o...

James G. Ellis Shares The Leadership Lessons Behind A Lasting Legacy

In his new book, James G. Ellis shares the lessons he learned throughout his career as an entrepreneur, CEO, professor, mentor, and one of the nation’s most respected business school leaders. He is the former Dean of the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business. For aspiring leaders, educators, and entrepreneurs, A Journey of Insights: Lessons In Leadership And Legacy , offers a roadmap to success grounded in real-world experience, with a focus on humility, listening, and building strong, collaborative environments. The book is both a personal memoir and a strategic guide for those aiming to leave a lasting legacy in business. At the core of his message is the central theme that listening to voices around you throughout life is the key to success. “In essence, ears can speak louder than voices,” shares Ellis. The book also explores pivotal moments that helped define Ellis’ understanding of leadership, including encounters with Pres...

How To Rewire Your Mind To Build Your Adaptability Quotient

Alec Litowitz argues that the most valuable skill of the next decade isn't IQ or even EQ (Emotional Intelligence). It's AQ: your Adaptability Quotient, the ability to question assumptions, update beliefs, and respond effectively when reality changes. Litowitz is the author of the forthcoming book (releasing on September 15, 2026) The Adaptability Quotient: Rewiring Your Mind For Success In The Next Human Era . And he shares that “AQ is a learnable way of using your mind like a high-performance machine: to model risk, absorb feedback, make faster corrections, and create repeatable advantages in conditions where most people stall out—or drown.” In short, it’s all about how to move from “making the right decision” to “making decisions right.” “As artificial intelligence, media, and scientific advances reshape the cognitive landscape, adaptability becomes the essential discipline for reclaiming human agency,” adds Litowitz. “And a s AI resha...

Encourage Personal Growth

Encourage your employees to grow professionally. If your budget allows, send them to a training program to learn a new computer skill or how to improve their customer service skills. Perhaps you don't have training dollars to spend, but you have a budget to send your employee to a trade show or industry conference. If you don't have any budget for outside training or travel, then invite your employee to sit in on a meeting or discussion where they'll be exposed to something new and enlightening.

10 Best Quotes From The 5 Levels Of Leadership

Here are some of my favorites quotes from John C. Maxwell's book, The 5 Levels of Leadership -- a book I believe should become a must-read for any workplace/organizational leader: Good leadership isn't about advancing yourself. It's about advancing your team. Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others. Leadership is action, not position. When people feel liked, cared for, included, valued, and trusted, they begin to work together with their leader and each other. If you have integrity with people, you develop trust. The more trust you develop, the stronger the relationship becomes. In times of difficulty, relationships are a shelter. In times of opportunity, they are a launching pad. Good leaders must embrace both care and candor. People buy into the leader, then the vision. Bringing out the best in a person is often a catalyst for bringing out the best in the team. Progress comes only fro...

How To Become Your Best-Self Leader Everyday

“By focusing in specific ways on five key leadership elements— Purpose, Process, People, Presence, and Peace —you can increase your time, capacity, energy, and ultimately your leadership impact,” explains Amy Jen Su , author of the book, The Leader You Want To Be: Five Essential Principles for Bringing Out Your Best Self—Every Day . Su shares both Western management thinking and Eastern philosophy to provide a holistic yet hands-on approach to becoming a more effective leader with less stress and more equanimity. She draws on rich and instructive stories of clients, leaders, artists, and athletes. And, she focuses on three foundational tenets: s elf-care, self-awareness, and personal agency . Most important, Su explores in depth, chapter-by-chapter the Five Ps : Purpose – Staying grounded in your passions and contributions, doing your highest and best work that has meaning and is making a difference. Process – Relying on daily practices and routines that honor your natural energy rhyt...

Do You Really Need To Read Leadership Books?

The answer is yes. And, fortunately, there are lots out there to select from. However, if you don't have time to read books about how to be an effective and good leader, you can select a few words from the list below and then practice what those words mean, as you lead your team every day. Leaders on the LinkedIn Executive Suite group came up with these nearly 50 words in answer to a discussion topic I posted in the group forum: " A Good Leader Is [insert one word]." A big thank you to that group for this valuable list. Accountable Adaptable Approachable Authentic Aware Bold Brave Candid Caring Clear Challenging Charismatic Compassionate Courageous Credible Decisive Dedicated Ethical Empowering Engaged Fearless Forward-Thinking Gracious Honest Humble Inclusive Influential Inspiring Intuitive Loyal Mindful Moral Motivating Objective Open Passionate Pro-active Receptive Responsible Respectful Skilled S...

What Southwest Airlines Teaches Leaders About Corporate Culture

If you've flown Southwest Airlines you know they're tops in airline customer service, driven by a leadership style that creates a company-wide culture where all employees own that culture. According to SWA Chairman, President and CEO Gary Kelly, as reported in the company's in-flight magazine, "every company has a culture, whether that culture is supportive or stifling, active or passive, fun or discouraging." " One way we do culture differently is by making Southwest's culture everyone's responsibility. In fact, we ask everyone to 'own it ,'" says Kelly. Here are some of the ways that SWA keeps its winning culture in the forefront that you can also do to keep employees motivated and to drive great customer service: 1. Form a corporate culture committee and a local culture committee that organizes low-cost employee events throughout the year. 2. Include a section related to culture on each employee's annual performance app...

Five Essential Principles For Sustaining Growth Through Innovation

Even though many companies strive for innovation, most struggle to achieve meaningful change. The largest reason for this disconnect? Playing it safe. Leaders and organizations want to implement new ideas, but too often they are held back by the fear of failure, even though setbacks are intrinsic to the innovation process. In the new book, No Fear, No Failure , by Lorraine H. Marchand (with John Hanc), readers will learn how to overcome the status quo that stifles creative thinking and how to create a culture that encourages innovation. Marchand provides a framework for sustained growth built on the “ 5 Cs ”: Customer First Culture Collaboration Change Chance She draws on more than 120 interviews with leaders across industries, real-world case studies, and her firsthand experience and shares step-by-step, field-tested strategies, tactics, and tools that practitioners can use to embed creativity within organizational cultures. Marchand is a former Big Tech and Big Pharma ex...

How To Maximize Employee Involvement

Here are 10 tips for how to maximize employee involvement : Have active ways to listen to your employees. Check often with employees to see if the information you are sharing with them is what they need and what they want. Share information about customer satisfaction with employees. Discuss financial performance with your employees and be sure everyone understands the importance of profitability and how they can contribute to profitability. Allow ad hoc teams among employees to form to address organizational problems and work with those teams to tackle the identified issues. Encourage employees to make suggestions for improvement whether those ideas are large or small. Take an idea from one employee and share it with other employees and teams and let everyone make a contribution to build upon that idea. Train! For long-term employees, find ways to keep their jobs interesting through new assignments and challenges. Conduct meetings around specific issues and brai...

Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Search This Blog