We, humans, are very confident in our abilities. However, we often fall into the same trap of making obvious mistakes in simple tasks. Sounds familiar?
Let’s try a quick thought experiment to illustrate this!
A bat and a ball together cost $1.10. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?
Chances are, the answer that comes immediately to mind is $0.10, but the correct answer is that the ball costs $0.05, and the bat costs $1.05. Together, they total $1.10, and the bat is $1.00 more expensive than the ball.
Creating a presentation is no different. We frequently make obvious "invisible" mistakes that lead to a failed presentation. Let's explore the most common of those unconscious mistakes.
Mistake #1: Not setting the goal
If you want your presentation to fail, don’t focus on the goal. Instead, concentrate on your ideas and obsess over nice-looking slides.
How to avoid this mistake:
A good way to start a presentation is to define your goal. Ask yourself, What do I want my audience to think, feel, or do after this presentation?
Tip: 1 presentation = 1 goal.
Example: "With this presentation, I want to show my work to increase my chances of getting a promotion."
Mistake #2: Not having a clear message
To fail in your presentation, try to cover many topics at once. The more ideas you try to communicate, the more likely you are to fail.
How to avoid this mistake:
Think about how you want to change your audience’s beliefs or behaviours. Then, decide on the main message you want to deliver to prompt that change.
Tip: Use our guide to create your message
Example: In one of the most convincing presentations of all time, the famous 2007 iPhone presentation by Steve Jobs, the message was simple: "We will change mobile phones."
Mistake #3: Not being strategic about your audience
To increase your chances of failure even more, don't tailor your message and content to the audience, and assume they will love your idea immediately.
How to avoid this mistake:
First, find out what your audience cares about, like user satisfaction, revenue growth, the founder's vision, or long-term strategic goals. Focus on how your solution aligns with your audience's top values. Ensure the problem you address is one they care about solving enough to help you.
There is a 99% chance, you will face challenging questions or objections from some part of your audience. That's why part of your arguments should serve as a defense.
Tip: Tailor your presentation to decision-makers.
Example: Instead of saying, “Our team is short-handed” frame it as an opportunity: “With our team’s ROI at 4.5, additional resources could unlock even greater revenue.”
Mistake #4: Choosing the wrong format
Try showing a technical, detailed presentation to a general audience, they will likely become bored very quickly. Using a simplified presentation with visuals and memes for executives may not be a great idea as well.
How to avoid this mistake:
Think about your audience, just as you would consider your outfit for an occasion. You wouldn’t wear pool shorts to a formal event. Similarly, ask yourself: Does your audience want detailed information? Do they need brief data to make decisions? Or do you need to turn a complex topic into a clear story?
Mistake #5: Using 100% of slide area
Slides packed with text, charts, and diagrams confuse more than they clarify. The more clutter, the harder it is for your audience to focus. If you want to up your design skills in no time, there's a great book for non-designers on basic design principles - The Non-Designer’s Design Book, by Robin Williams.
How to avoid this mistake:
Apply the negative space principle. Use empty space strategically to direct attention to your key points.
Tip: Limit content to one idea per slide and create more slides if needed.
Example: Kickfolio pitch deck
Mistake #6: Ending with a cliffhanger
Presentations that end on a vague note leave your audience wondering what’s next. Without a clear call to action (CTA), your message may be forgotten as soon as your presentation ends.
How to avoid this mistake:
How to close a presentation? With a specific, actionable request. Tie it back to your goal.
Tip: Format your CTA clearly: What, Who, When/By when.
Mistake #7: Adding too much unimportant details
To make your audience lose focus and forget your message, include as many details as possible about your topic.
How to avoid this mistake:
Less is more, keep it simple. When structuring your presentation only include details that support your message and provide the necessary context. Start by writing down all your ideas. Group similar ideas together, and then combine those groups into single points. Determine which details are essential; if you remove a detail, see if your presentation still makes sense without it.
Tip: Use each slide for one key idea, and add only supporting details.
Mistake #8: Assuming people know as much or as little as you
One major mistake in presentations is thinking your audience has the same knowledge as you. Imagine this: you present a crazy innovative idea, only to find out it won’t work for specific reasons and everyone knows that. We’ve all been there at least once. This is known as WYSIATI, or "What You See Is All There Is".
How to avoid this mistake:
The "curse of knowledge" is a key mistake to avoid. A good way to avoid this mistake is to "socialize" your ideas early with a broader audience. This practice is popular at Netflix. Sharing your ideas helps you get feedback and understand what people already know about your topic.
This approach helps you decide if you should create a presentation. It also makes you look knowledgeable and professional. Plus, you can adjust your ideas to match your audience's understanding.
Now, let's get to a point. How can Deckster, an AI presentation assistant, help avoid these mistakes?
Deckster's main purpose is to help you deliver persuasive presentations, consistently. We've built Deckster using knowledge of the world's best presenters, design heuristics that have stood the test of time, and psychology research.
In simple words Deckster guides you through a presentation creation process, helping you to create an almost perfect presentation draft for your specific goal and audience, and avoiding common pitfalls, we've discussed in this article.
The cherry on top is that Deckster can create all that in under an hour.
For the curious ones here's how Deckster works:
Our copilot will ask you a few questions about your goal and audience to determine the best presentation structure.
Then, keeping all your context in mind, Deckster will help you to create tailored content for each slide. It will guide you through each slide, one by one.
Next, you will be able to minimalistically style your slide.
Afterwards, Deckster will provide tips on how to achieve the best results with your presentation.
Finally, you will get your Google Slides ready-to-use draft, that could also easily be converted into a Powerpoint .ppt file.