do's and don'ts in presentation skills

Video Editing

• Animation Tips
• Website Tips

14 Dos and Don’ts for an Effective Presentation

Renderforest Staff

16 Jun 2021

7 min read  

Giving a presentation can be stressful. There are just too many balls to keep in the air: an effective opening, audience engagement, body language, visual aids, anxiety management. The list goes on. 

On a positive note, public speaking and presentation skills can be learned and refined. That’s why we put together a list of 14 dos and don’ts that will help you deliver a killer presentation. If you already have your presentation idea and are wondering how to effectively develop and deliver it, this article is for you.

Let’s jump right in and explore the basic rules of making and giving a presentation.

Focus on the Key Message

From the very beginning, the audience should feel that your speech is leading to something important. This is what will spark their curiosity and keep their attention focused. 

Of course, to achieve such an effect, you should actually have something important to communicate. Otherwise, your audience will feel like they wasted their time (and would be right to think so). The material you present should resemble an arrow with a clear point, not an unending loop of words that leads to nowhere. 

But having something worth telling is only part of the job. You also need to make sure that your entire presentation is woven around that key idea. From beginning to end, your core message should be your guiding light. Each sentence should move the audience closer to it, and by the end of the speech, leave them with a sense of illumination.

Recommended Reading

• A Guide to Presentation Outline [Infographic] 
• Best Corporate Presentation Designs

Plan the Structure

Planning your speech beforehand is the only way to avoid getting sidetracked. As you think about your message, try to structure it in a way that makes its delivery most effective for the audience.

So, how do you structure a presentation? Consider both the logical and emotional implications of your structure. First, you want to give your listeners enough background information to help them get better acquainted with the topic, but not so much as to get them bored. Once all the need-to-knows are out of the way, make a seamless transition to your main message and start laying out your arguments in a convincing way.

Also, think about the emotional effect you want to achieve in each part of your presentation. The best way to go about it is to capture your audience’s attention right off the bat, which is often considered to be the hardest part of giving a presentation.

“How do I begin a presentation?” is a question you’ve surely asked yourself.  Once you’re done introducing yourself, you can jump into the presentation with a story or an intriguing question. Then, build suspense throughout the speech and release it at the end with a well-grounded closing statement.

Tell a Story

How do you present a topic? As human beings, we’re attracted to stories. This is why we go to the movies, read fiction and, yes, become all ears when hearing gossip. Thus, it’s always a good idea to begin your presentation with a story or even spice it up with one in the middle. This can make all the difference between an engaged and indifferent audience. 

Need some proof? Watch this TED talk and see how the presenter wins the audience over in less than 3 minutes using the magic of a personal story (admittedly, a relatable one).

Keep a Conversational Tone

Many first-time public speakers try a bit too hard to make their speech expressive. As a result, their presentations appear showy and even pompous to the audience.

To prevent this, simply use a conversational tone. Feel like you are communicating your message to individual people, rather than a large alien audience. This will not only ease you up but will help the audience connect to you as well. 

After all, when you really look at it, you are talking to individual people, not their aggregation.

Remember the Takeaway

What is the one thing you’d wish the audience to take away from your speech as they leave the room or the auditorium? Define it in a single phrase or sentence, using straightforward, accessible language, and present it at the end of your presentation. Keep that takeaway in mind when planning your speech, and put a special emphasis on it during the wrap-up.

Source: TED talk by Angela Lee Duckworth

Time your speech.

There’s probably a specific timeframe within which you should complete your speech. Even if it’s not rigidly set, the audience will have certain expectations as to how long your presentation will take. 

Therefore, it’s important to plan beforehand the approximate time your speech should take and set a timer during rehearsals. If your presentation lasts longer than expected, make sure to leave the inessential parts out. 

As you memorize your material, your speech will get smoother and faster. This will also shorten the time required for it. Thus, before making any adjustments to the length of your script, rehearse it a few times.

Do Your Rehearsals  

Practice your speech as many times as necessary to build confidence. This is not to say you should memorize every single word or sentence, but you should know exactly what you need to cover at every point. 

When you’re confident enough about your speech, there’s one less reason to be nervous during the presentation. You can now relax and focus on building rapport with your audience.

• 100+ Creative Presentation Ideas
• Best Presentation Software: Ultimate List

Perhaps, the worst thing you can do during a presentation is to read your script. Even glancing at a paper or screen far too many times is distracting enough. What’s more, your audience will find it difficult to connect to your message, as it will all feel mechanical and staged.

The solution? It’s fairly simple: rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.

Don’t Rely on Slides

A slide should never be the main source of information for the audience. Use it as a mere extension that makes your speech more engaging or credible. Always keep in mind that your audience needs to learn from you , the speaker, not from your slide.

It goes without saying that you shouldn’t stuff any slide with text. Or include so much information (whether textual or visual) that your audience gets overwhelmed and stops following your speech. When it comes to slide design, minimalism is your best friend. 

To know if you’re relying heavily on your slides or not, ask yourself this question: “Will my presentation still make sense without the slides?” If the answer’s no, then you should rethink your script. But, there’s also a fun side to this. When you free your slides of the burden to inform, they can now be used creatively and even enhance the effect of your speech.

Notice how the presenter in the video shown above only turns to slides to highlight or demonstrate a point she made. And if you remove all the slides? The presentation will be just as complete and impactful.

Don’t Use Fancy Slideshows

How a good presentation should look like? Nowadays, there are lots of advanced presentation software and screen-sharing tools one can use to “wow” the audience. The problem with them? “Wowing” your audience with something as trivial as slides is hardly why you’re making your speech. The fewer distractions there are in your presentation, the better. Keep this in mind, and avoid using anything showy. 

Don’t Talk Too Fast (or Slow)

While presenting, it’s recommended to maintain a consistent pace that’s neither too fast nor too slow. Talking fast might cause unnecessary tension in the audience, and excessively slow speech is sure to annoy them.

While different people naturally speak at different paces, it’s still something that can be worked on and modified with enough practice. You can refine your pacing during rehearsals until the preferred pace is second nature to you.

Don’t Forget Backup Slides

You’re about to start your presentation, but the internet connection is too slow, and your slides won’t load. On top of it, you didn’t follow our advice about not relying on slideshows. What do you do?

Well, if you’re considerate enough, you will have a USB flash drive with backup slides. Next time you feel like forgoing this little step, recall this scenario.

Don’t Neglect Body Language

The way you move your body on stage tells a story. And if that story is incoherent with the one you’re telling with your words, disharmony arises. Imagine a speaker is talking about peace and tolerance, yet their every movement is abrupt, hasty, and aggressive. Sure, this might be the result of nervousness, but would you still be able to connect to their message? The answer’s likely to be no.   

When rehearsing your speech, don’t neglect body language. Practice standing tall, keeping your hands open, and your movements relaxed. Avoid pacing on the stage during your presentation, as it may distract or, worse yet, annoy your listeners. 

Check out this TED talk by Emily Esfahani Smith. Pay attention to how her empathetic facial expressions and open hand gestures help to reinforce her message.

And, of course, don’t skip eye contact. Instead of glancing over the entire audience, pick a few individuals from different parts of the room, and establish your eye contact with them. This little trick will help you feel like you’re speaking to one person at a time. And that’s far more manageable than speaking to everyone at once.

To emphasize a point, sometimes, what you need is not words but their absence. Take a pause after you ask a question or make a strong statement. Spare your audience a moment to think, reflect, and ponder. Or leave a gap of silence right before you present something exciting to build suspense and anticipation.

No one expects you to go on talking for 10-15 minutes without a pause. Take a few seconds once in a while to breathe. Draw in deep breaths to collect your thoughts and calm your nerves if the situation calls for it. This is one of the most effective ways to relax when presenting.

These were the things good presentations include. Hopefully, you’ve learned enough from our tips and are now ready to get to work. Delivering effective presentations is not an easy task, but definitely, one that’s worth the effort. If you’d like to create a presentation for your speech or even online platforms, give these customizable templates a try.

More Templates

Dive into our Forestblog of exclusive interviews, handy tutorials and interesting articles published every week!

Create Professional

Presentations, Graphics,
Videos, and more

with Renderforest
All-In-One Branding Platform.

12 best Powtoon alternatives

11 min read

19 Jul 2024

The 13 best Canva alternatives 

13 min read

18 Jul 2024

11 best Animaker alternatives

17 Jul 2024

• Personal Finance
• Practice Management
• Early Career and Young Professionals
• The Specialist Series
• Business Management Resources
• Personal Finances Resources
• Podcasting Resources
• SoMeDocs: Doctors on Social Media
• Online Courses
• Recommended Books
• Recommended Blogs, Websites, and Podcasts
• Work with Me
• The Scope of Practice Podcast
• All Episodes
• The Sunday Special
• Women in Medicine
• Apply to be a guest on The Scope of Practice Podcast
• Recommended Podcasts
• Invite Brent to be a guest on your podcast

Written by Brent Lacey on July 5, 2020 . Posted in Early Career and Young Professionals , Practice Management .

17 “Do’s” and “Don’ts” for Giving a Great Presentation

Public speaking is the #1 fear for a huge percentage of people .  It’s above the fear of dying for many people.  How can you think about giving a great presentation when you’re worried about even giving a basic presentation?

I’ve been doing public speaking events for over a decade, but it definitely wasn’t an easy journey.  It’s hard to get comfortable talking in front of groups of 10 people, let alone a hundred or a thousand.  Still, this is a skill that you can learn and even master with some study and practice.

Let’s look at some major “do’s” and “don’ts” for creating a great presentation.

11 “Do’s” for Giving a Great Presentation

1. believe that giving a great presentation is a learnable skill..

Giving a good presentation is a learnable skill.   Even true introverts can give excellent presentations.   In fact, introverted people actually tend to plan better presentations though they may be more afraid to give them.  Extroverts are more likely to “wing it” but are more naturally comfortable being on a stage.

Both approaches have value, but both have their pitfalls.  Learning to give a great speech isn’t like putting a hammer to a nail.  It’s an organic process, and it takes time to get good at it.  But, through practice and repetition, you can be an amazing presenter !

2. Prepare for the presentation!

It takes a tremendous amount of work to make something appear effortless.  My general rule of thumb is to allocate 45-60 minutes of preparation time for every 5 minutes of speaking time .  So, for an hour-long presentation, I may prepare 10-12 hours ahead of time.

One important question is whether script the entire speech.  It depends on what you’re speaking about, but it’s generally advisable to not script 100% of your remarks.  It’s good to rehearse but not “sound rehearsed.”  Outline the presentation, make notes of any stories you want to tell and major points to drive home.  But, it’s not critical that you script every single word.

You can also prepare by having great-looking slides that will impress your audience.  That will give you more confidence going into the presentation.

3. When you’re with your peers, it’s ok to “speak your geek.”

Know your audience!  If you’re speaking to a group of colleagues, you don’t need to “dumb things down.”  It’s good to speak in layman’s terms with patients and audiences who are unfamiliar with your work.  However, with peers, feel free to use technical jargon that’s widely understood.

4. Use stories to transform your communication.

Listeners will only remember data 5% of the time, but they’ll remember stories 60% of the time .  That’s because stories are how we naturally communuicate !  Our brains are wired to think that way.

Listen to the podcast episode with Nancy Duarte to learn the formula for creating the most memorable story.  

Every presentation is more memorable with stories.  In fact, stories may be the only parts of your presentation that anyone remembers.  One thing you can do is build a “story library” for yourself.  Basically, that’s a collection of 10-20 stories that are memorable/impactful to you that you can pull out and use in a variety of different presentations when the need arises.

5. Develop a good “pre-talk ritual.”

Immediately prior to your presentation, what are you doing to get yourself ready to go up on stage?  Some people like to “pump themselves up,” and others prefer to “calm themselves down.”  I’m more of a calm-yourself-down kind of presenter.

If I’m presenting at a conference, for example, I like to sit in on the presentation right before mine and just listen.  I shut my brain off and don’t think about my presentation at all.  It’s helpful for me to be calm and just relax.  Otherwise, I find that I “get in my head” too much and I start getting anxious.

I know other people that prefer to listen to some Rocky music and box an imaginary punching bag.  Whatever your needs, pick a pre-talk ritual that helps you get in the right frame of mind so you can go out on that stage and crush it!

6. Follow the structure of a great presentation as outlined in Nancy Duarte’s podcast episode.

Jump to 19:52 to hear Nancy eloquently express the formula of a great presentation.  This is backed by thousands of analyses from the greatest speeches in history.

7. Use repetition, familiar phrases, imagery, and metaphors to help transport the audience.

If you’ve ever listened to Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, you’ll hear him use a lot of references that would have been familiar to his audience.  These references include Scriptures, hymns, and cultural references.

He also used repetition to great effect.  The phrase “I have a dream” appears 8 times in his speech.  That repetition made the speech more memorable and helped transport the audience to a new plane of comprehension.

8. Have the right level of emotional appeal to fit your audience.

Passion and emotion are good, but it needs to fit the “mood” of the audience to some degree.  You’re probably not going to do well giving a eulogy if you’re yelling and pumping people up like it’s halftime at the Super Bowl.

Emotional appeals are good and can help audience members  feel  the weight of your words in a more high-impact way.  Just make sure to “read the room” as you consider how to bring emotion into the presentation.  Sitting in the presentation before yours can be a great way to gauge how the people in the room are feeling.

9. Use your presentation to translate to real growth in your business.

If you’re doing public speaking, what’s the point?  That is, what value does the speaking engagement bring to your business?  If you’re just in it to make money or get some experience, that’s fine as far as that goes.  But, a speaking engagement could be more valuable in propelling your business growth forward.

Are you going to a conference ?  You can network with other presenters and look for opportunities to collaborate.  You could meet the attendees and perhaps earn some new clients.

Speeches can also help establish you as a thought leader.  If your speech is being recorded, a great presentation can even be an opportunity for free promotion.

Whatever your plan, be intentional!  If you get invited to speak at an event, take that opportunity and use it for real business growth!

10. Use a speaking coach.

I haven’t used a speaking coach before, but I’ve definitely been considering it since my interview with Nancy Duarte .  Even the most seasoned veterans can benefit from coaching.

A good speaking coach can show you how to change your inflection, insert pauses and places to emphasize your points, and help you craft the structure of your speech.  You might not be able to afford one when you’re first starting out, but it’s worth considering if you’re going to be doing public speaking on a regular basis.

11. Use data to support your presentation.

Data are important to support the validity and authority of your talk, but you’ve got to weave it effectively into the story structure.  Don’t just spout random bits of data with no context.  Offer the data as supporting evidence within your story narrative.

6 “Don’ts” for Giving a Great Presentation

1. don’t be the hero in your story..

Always be the guide in your story !  The  audience is the hero.  You don’t want to be Luke Skywalker!   You want to be Yoda!!  The hero is the lead character in the story.  If you make yourself the hero, the audience who already thinks of themselves as the hero sees you as competition in the story.

If you play the guide instead, the audience looks to you to help them solve their problems.  Always be the guide, not the hero!!

2. Don’t be afraid to speak “off the cuff” occasionally.

I don’t generally advise “winging it,” but sometimes a little extemporaneous speaking is called for.  This is where the “story library” idea can come in handy.  You may be able to tell the same story in a variety of settings and emphasize different aspects of the story each time.  This strategy can give the feel of spontaneity but with the confidence of you generally knowing what you’re going to say.

3. Don’t create slides in a “linear fashion.”

When you’re creating a slide deck, don’t just do it in a linear fashion (e.g. slide 1, slide 2, etc).   Start with the “guiding light” or main central point, and then every slide serves to drive home that central point.  You should be constantly driving your audience towards that central point.  All slides support that central point because it may be the only point your audience remembers.

4. Don’t read directly off the powerpoint slides.

I have gotten up and left in the middle of lectures when the lecturer was reading directly off the slides.  It’s so boring!  I can read faster than they talk.  They aren’t saying anything new by the time I’m finished reading, so I’m ready to move on to the next thing.

Powerpoint slides are fine, and you can even use it as a sort of teleprompter, but just don’t read directly off it!  Did you know you can hit the “B” button to turn your screen black or “W” to turn the screen white?    Then, you could use the powerpoint as a teleprompter and the audience doesn’t see it.

Put one central point on each slide and use it as a way to jog your memory for what you want to say.  You can have a couple of hundred slides with only one point or image per slide and it’s better than having 20 that are jam-packed with too much info.

5. Don’t use the podium as a crutch.

Move around the stage!   It projects confidence and keeps the audience engaged.  The best way to feel comfortable moving around the stage is spending a lot of time preparing the presentation beforehand.  Then, you’ll feel more confident breaking away from the podium.

6. Don’t be so afraid of public speaking that you never give it a try!

Public speaking is a genuine fear for a lot of people, but it’s so much fun!  You can do it!  Just give it a shot!

Final Thoughts

Public speaking isn’t an innate talent, and it’s not limited to extreme extroverts and “naturally charismatic” people.   Anyone can learn to be a public speaker.   If you’re worried about how it’ll go, start small.  Join the Toastmasters or similar club in your area.  Get with a speaking coach.  Read, study, and learn the tips and techniques of the best speakers.

Then, start looking for opportunities to speak to others.  Start with yourself, your friends, and your family.  Move up to local clubs and organizations, then gradually step it up from there.  There’s so much value in being good at public speaking, and I think it’s worth it to step out in faith and try!

Further Reading

• Listen to the companion podcast episode with Nancy Duarte
• 5 Big Mistakes Physicians Make with Social Media
• What Makes a Great Physician Leader?  10 Lessons from a Surgeon General.

Please leave a comment below!  What’s your top tip for someone interested in public speaking?

Full Disclosure: Some of the links to the resources listed above may be affiliate links, which means that I will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. But it doesn’t cost you anything extra—it’s just a way to show you appreciate what we do here. Thanks for this.

Related posts:

business , dentist , leadership , marketing , personal growth , physician , practice management

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Post Comment

• Early Career & Young Professionals
• All Articles
• Additional Resources
• Specialist Series
• Subscribe to Network
• Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2024 The Scope of Practice. All Rights Reserved.

• Presentation Design

Presentation Do’s and Don’ts: What You Need to Know

Camille del Rosario

Giving a presentation can be a nerve-wracking experience, especially if you’re not fond of public speaking. Luckily, there are ways you can improve your talk and give maximum value to your listeners. Your public speaking skills — like speaking clearly and minding your body language — are important. But you also have to complement this with good and effective presentation design .

There are a lot of things that you can do to improve your presentation design and delivery method, from using attention-grabbing images and PowerPoint graphics to enhancing interactivity with the audience. In this article, we list all the important do’s and don’ts when giving a presentation to amplify the value that listeners will get from your pitch.

Presentation Do’s 

1. plan the structure.

You might have a lot of information you want to share with your audience. The first part of your preparation should be planning your structure.

• You can’t deliver a huge load of information at once, so create an organized guide for you to follow throughout your talk.
• Start with providing your listeners with background information about you and the topic.
• Next, highlight your main message or key point and then supplement it with data-based arguments backed by verified sources.
• Finally, plan your concluding thoughts or CTA to maximize your presentation’s impact.

With all the points that you need to make, it’s easy to get sidetracked and lose your train of thought. If there’s one thing you can take away from these tips, it’s to never give a presentation unprepared.

2. Use the Rule of Thirds

Have you ever seen a presentation deck so rife with information that it becomes too much? There’s a reason minimalism is good practice when designing your slides. If there are too many things going on on your presentation deck, you run the risk of distracting your listeners and overloading their brains with too much information.

Generally, you should keep it simple by using centered or symmetrical layouts. But sometimes, your content doesn’t allow for a strictly symmetrical layout. Your slide may end up looking unbalanced or unfinished.

Using the rule of thirds is a good principle to counter that. Imagine that your slide is divided into three equal parts vertically and horizontally. Place text, images, or other objects on each section of the grid to make the slide as balanced and aesthetically pleasing as possible. This helps you align the objects in your deck in a way that’s easy on the eyes and gives room for white space.

3. Use Negative Space Generously

Negative space is the “blank” part of a design — no elements whatsoever. But just because they’re blank doesn’t mean they don’t serve a purpose. Negative space, also known as white space, is an important functional element of your design. They help clear up the layout so that the audience’s eyes are drawn only to the most important parts.

Using negative space will greatly improve your audience’s ability to absorb and retain information. It’s a common beginner design mistake to fill up every corner with text and graphics, but don’t give in to the temptation!

4. Think Twice When Choosing Stock Photos

Overcrowded layouts and big blocks of text are off-putting for audiences. If you saw walls of text in a PowerPoint presentation, most likely, you wouldn’t be motivated to read every single line from start to finish. That’s why you need to add attention-grabbing visuals.

When adding visuals to your presentation, stock photos are a good resource. But make sure that you maintain a selective attitude when using them. Instead of settling with the first photo that pops up after a query, conduct a more specific search and find photos that are relevant to your topic.

Images have been shown to increase retention by up to 24%, so adding them to your presentation will keep your listeners engaged. Try to keep the text as minimal as possible and instead incorporate more images or visuals that are captivating, high-resolution, and relevant to your presentation.

5. Choose Your Fonts & Colors Carefully

The fonts and colors you use in your presentation deck can make or break its ability to engage your audience and provide important information. In line with keeping your slides simple, choose fonts that are readable and use only colors that are easy on the eye.

Make sure your color choices are on-brand — or at the very least, relevant to your topic. Pastel colors and monochromatic palettes are a trendy choice these days. So are neon elements on dark backgrounds. But as long as they provide enough clarity and contrast, it’s totally your choice!

When it comes to fonts, go for the simplest choices. But your font doesn’t have to be boring! A great way to tell if a font is appropriate for a presentation is to do a size test. If a font is easy to read at a very small size, then it’s workable. (But that’s just a test — in your actual presentation, remember to keep your font sizes big and friendly!)

6. Let Your Passion Shine Through with Storytelling and a Conversational Tone

Even if you’re speaking about a formal or technical topic, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be casual in your presentation. People appreciate listening to someone who’s human and who they can relate to, making story-telling a valuable skill in public speaking. Stories also help people retain information better!

Engage your audience by telling a story that’s related to your main point. You can start your presentation with a backstory or capture attention halfway through. And while you’re story-telling and providing value to your audience, make sure that you’re showing them how interested and passionate you are about the topic at hand.

7. Use Audience Engagement Strategies

As much as possible, you want to keep your audience engaged from start to finish. Aside from adopting the best practices in speech delivery and presentation design, you may also want to make your talk more interactive. Here are a few ways you can do this:

• Involve your audience in the conversation. Ask them questions every couple of minutes or tell a short story or two to keep their eyes and ears on you.
• Make eye contact with your audience and pay attention to your own nonverbal cues like gestures, posture, and facial expression.
• Rehearse and time your speech. It’s easy to lose track of time during a presentation, so make sure you know how much of your audience’s time you’re taking by conducting a timed rehearsal. As a bonus, this will also help you gain clarity about the flow of your talk or even help you anticipate questions and reactions.

Information is not hard to come by, especially in the digital age. Your audience can easily get access to and learn about the topics you’re going to talk about from other resources. So what makes your presentation special? In the end, there’s still nothing that can compare to hearing it from a professional who can deliver this information in a more intimate and engaging manner.

8. End Your Presentation With a Key Question or Call to Action

You can’t always guarantee that your audience will remember everything you discussed in your presentation. So it’s important that you identify your main point — the one thing that you want to leave your audience with.

So before presenting, make sure you’ve identified “the one idea to rule them all.” Summarize what you discussed in a single statement, which can be in the form of an insight, question, or action. Doing this will get your audience thinking and allow them to appreciate what your presentation was really about.

Presentation Don’ts

1. don’t use too much text.

You’re not writing a book — your slides are meant to be observed for several seconds with minimal effort from the viewer. You have a limited hold on your audience’s attention. Don’t risk being boring via information overload and keep text at a minimum.

For more complex information, use short sentences divided into three to five bullet points per slide. You can also use data visualizers like charts and graphs, but remember to simplify these as well by only using a few variables at a time.

And if you really want to provide lengthy content, consider providing your audience with presentation aids like printed handouts or links to digital documents that they can study at their leisure after your presentation.

2. Don’t Just Read the Slides Out Loud

If your slides contain absolutely everything you want your audience to know, then what are you there for? Trust us — you don’t want your audience sitting there thinking, “This could have been an email.” Make the most of their time by making your presence valuable.

Giving a presentation is more than just about relaying information. It’s also about engaging with your audience by provoking wonder, emotion, interest, and action. Your presence is needed to lend credibility and authenticity to the information you’ll provide. So refrain from reading your slides out loud! You’re a human talking to humans. Make your front-and-center moment matter.

3. Don’t Talk Too Fast or Too Slow

If you’ve ever attended a talk where the speaker spoke too fast, you were probably tense the whole time only to end up without a single takeaway from the presentation. Or if the speaker spoke too slowly, you might have found yourself dozing off halfway through.

Speak at a moderate, conversational speed to help your audience understand you clearly. Don’t forget to modulate your pitch and volume. It’s okay to get excited — but don’t let emotion get in the way of your delivery. Even when you’re at your most passionate, avoid bellowing, screeching, or whispering.

Basically, clear speech is a matter of avoiding all extremes. You can do it with practice, practice, practice!

4. Don’t Overuse Charts and Graphs

Charts and graphs are valuable visual cues that help you express important numbers or statistics — but there is such a thing as overusing them. Sure, your audience will be able to absorb information from one to two charts, but if you use them more than ten times in your entire presentation, for example, the chances of your audience being able to understand and retain that information are slim.

Again, if you really think your audience should have a truckload of information at hand, then email or print out the relevant documents for them. If you manage to capture their genuine interest during your simplified presentation, they are more likely to seek out additional information later on.

5. Don’t Use Hard-to-Read Fonts

Your audience will rely on your presentation to guide them through understanding the topic you’re discussing. Make sure that your points are readable and clearly state the key points. You don’t have to use the most aesthetic font available. Stick to basic and easy-to-read options.

Broken fonts can really ruin a presentation, so here’s a little secret. For maximum portability, use easily accessible web fonts like Google Fonts . This way, you’ll be able to have access to them no matter what device you use to present — all you need is an internet connection.

6. Don’t Use a Low-Contrast Color Palette

Contrast is one of the main principles of design. It can be expressed in different ways — through size, shape, texture, and most commonly, color. Contrast helps establish hierarchy, effectively informing viewers what they are looking at.

With low contrast, it’s difficult to tell the difference between two colors that are side by side. The highest contrast possible is black and white, which is why many presentations simply use black text on white backgrounds (or vice versa).

But plain black and white presentations can get really old, really fast. Using a more diverse color palette will add interest to your presentations. Just make sure to amp up the contrast by using dark colors on light colors and light colors on dark colors.

7. Don’t Use Too Many Effects

One of the exciting features of presentation software is your ability to add transition effects to your slides. While these were fun in high school, they’re not necessarily at home in formal pitch decks and corporate presentations.

Using too many effects can distract your audience and deter them from absorbing the more important points of your presentation. Keep the dazzling effects to a minimum and make your slides as simple as possible.

8. Don’t Use Irrelevant and Low-Resolution Images

Stock or custom images are a very good way to keep your audience engaged, but you have to make sure to use good-quality images that are actually relevant to the topic at hand.

Using blurry, pixelated, or low-quality photos will set you up for a negative impression. And irrelevant images make it pretty obvious that you didn’t spend enough time on your deck. Weird or off-topic image choices can really impact your credibility. Fortunately, there are loads of creative resources available online today, many of them free or affordable.

Ready to Put Your Presenter Hat On?

These tips will definitely help you position yourself as an expert in your subject matter. You don’t need to be a graphic designer to create truly engaging presentations that are easy on the eye.

But we know that the fear of public speaking is one of the most common phobias — this means that for most people, having to design and present slideshows can feel like a little too much work! So if you need a boost, we’re here to help. With Design Pickle’s Presentation Design services, you can win over your audience with engaging, well-designed, and on-brand presentation designs that stand out from the competition. No sweat!

Related Posts

10 Types of Motion Graphics You Can Create With Design Pickle

10 Types of Graphic Design to Help You Get the Content You Need

How to Design a Presentation

Sign up for email, get the inside scoop on creative leadership and killer campaigns.

Hosted by Russ Perry, CEO & Founder of Design Pickle, Jar of Genius is a podcast that uncovers the strategies and mindsets of today’s most innovative creative leaders. Get actionable insights on groundbreaking business models, successful campaigns, and the cutting-edge tech that’s changing the game. Learn how to build a thriving creative business in this fast-paced world.

Simplify the way your design work gets done.

We’re an all-in-one platform with a built-in global design workforce , trailblazing the path to easier, faster, and more efficient creative .

• Designer Application
• Referral Program
• Graphic Design
• Custom Illustrations
• Motion Graphics
• Video Editing

Contact Sales & Support

• +1 877 331 1272
• +61 4 8000 8268

Design Samples

Request a demo, help center.

• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• System Status
• Product Updates

Don’t Present Without These 16 PowerPoint Dos and Don’ts

Table of Contents

Have you ever struggled to hold your audience’s interest during a presentation? Painstakingly created slide after slide only to be met with bored, disengaged faces? 

Even the most confident speakers can falter when it comes to crafting compelling PowerPoint decks. Without proper slide design best practices, it’s easy to lose your audience in a sea of dense text, chaotic graphics, and disorganized content.

You don’t have to suffer through presenting lackluster slides anymore. In fact, following simple PowerPoint best practices can totally transform your deck from meh to marvelous.

In this post, we’ll share 16 PowerPoint dos and don’ts to level up your presentations and captivate audiences. These tips will help you create professional, visually striking slides your viewers will remember.

16 Dos And Don’ts Of Powerpoint Presentations

Here are some important 16 presentation dos and don’ts you need to keep in mind while creating slides and presenting them.

PowerPoint Dos

Let’s start with the best practices and strategies to implement when designing PowerPoint presentations . What techniques should you use to create memorable, polished slides?

1. Keep It Simple With Minimalist Design

Let’s start with a common mistake – overcrowded, distracting slide design. We get the temptation to tart up slides with fancy backgrounds. But resist the urge! Fancy templates with complex colored patterns or photos unrelated to your content just make it harder to digest key information.

Instead, embrace the power of simplicity. Stick to minimalist templates and avoid template themes with extra decorations. Use neutral backgrounds and empty negative space to let your content shine. Remember, your audience came for your message, not for clip art kittens. Keep slides clean and attention stays where it should be.

2. Cut the Clutter – Follow the 6×6 Rule

Now for another slide buzzkill – mammoth blocks of dense text. You may be tempted to pack slides with long sentences and paragraphs. Don’t give in! Text-heavy slides are guaranteed to lose audiences fast.

For easy-to-digest nuggets, follow the handy 6×6 rule. Limit slides to just 6 lines of text maximum, with each line containing 6 words max. Anything more turns into an overwhelming wall of words.

Stick to concise phrases, short sentences, and bulleted lists. Use just keywords and supporting stats – leave nonessential info out. With this less is more approach, key points will stick better.

SlidesAI is a text-to-presentation add-on tool that converts walls of text into beautiful slides. It does this automatically generate condensed phrases and bullet points from your text ensuring clutter-free slides throughout your presentation.

3. Boost Engagement With Quality Visuals

Speaking of key points sticking better…you know what helps even more? Quality graphics and visuals!

Research shows we process images 60,000 times faster than text. So reinforce your points with strong visuals. Use high-resolution photos, charts, illustrations, and infographics. But avoid clipart or random stock photos – ensure every graphic clearly supports your narrative.

Well-designed visuals make presentations more memorable and engaging. Just remember to optimize graphics for high-resolution viewing and include alt-text (alternative text) descriptions for accessibility. Then watch those visual aids boost information retention and audience interest.

SlidesAI has a library of 1.5M high-quality premium stock images that you can select and include in your slides.

4. Create Brand Consistency With Formatting

Imagine a presentation where every slide had a totally different layout, colors, and font… no visual consistency at all. It would look sloppy and amateurish, right?

Formatting matters – big time! Brand your presentation by using consistent design elements throughout all your slides.

Pick one professional font combination and stick to it. Limit your color palette to 2-3 colors max. Maintain alignment and space elements consistently.

With unified branding, your deck will feel polished, intentional, and visually pleasing. Bonus – consistent branding also boosts memorability as the audience becomes familiar with your “look”.

SlidesAI ensures complete branding consistency across all presentation slides by applying your color schemes , fonts, etc to designs through artificial intelligence.

5. Check Accessibility Settings

Speaking of memorability, if some audience members can’t actually view your slides, they certainly won’t remember your message.

Ensure your presentation is inclusive and accessible to all by checking key settings. Use color contrast and legible fonts so those with visual impairments can still grasp the content. Optimize images with alt text descriptions. Verify videos are captioned.

It may take a bit more effort up front but making your presentation accessible opens your message to a wider audience. It also demonstrates corporate responsibility.

6. Create Custom Icons and Illustrations

Most PowerPoint templates come with generic icons. However, you can amplify brand personality and memorability by creating custom icons and simple illustrations.

Don’t just use a generic checkmark when you can insert your own branded indicator relevant to your company. Design illustrated characters to represent concepts. Even use emojis strategically to inject fun and improve recall.

Handcrafted visuals, even if basic in style, make presentations stand out and drive home key points better than generic clip art ever could.

7. Use Subtle Animations – But Not Too Many!

Animations, when used well, can help guide the audience’s eye and transition between ideas smoothly. Emphasize key points and important transitions with subtle animations.

Entrance and exit effects can focus attention while builds and motion path animations can demonstrate processes dynamically. Use sparingly and subtly for the best impact.

But avoid going animation crazy with sounds and excessive movement. That becomes more distracting than engaging. Limit animations so they enhance content rather than detract.

8. Pace Your Delivery

Creating stellar slides is an excellent start but don’t stop there. The live delivery is just as crucial. Invest time practicing your presentation with your slides.

Rehearse the flow and pace of your narrative. Refine and memorize transitions between slides . Nail your timing to keep the audience engaged. Get so comfortable delivering your content that the slides become natural visual aids.

With great slides and honed delivery skills, your audience will hang on to your every word from the introduction to a powerful conclusion.

Create presentation slides with AI in Seconds in Google Slides

10M+ Installs

Works with Google Slides

PowerPoint Donts

Just as important as the dos are the don’ts. What pitfalls should you avoid when designing PowerPoint presentations?

9. Don’t Use Distracting Backgrounds

Remember our tip to embrace minimalism? Well, the opposite is using distracting backgrounds. Avoid loud colors, complex patterns, or images totally unrelated to your content. At best, they are distracting. At worst, they make key info harder to comprehend.

Stick to simple, neutral backgrounds. If using an image, ensure it directly reinforces your narrative. Anything extra risks your message getting visually lost. Keep backgrounds clean so content remains the focal point.

SlidesAI avoids using distracting backgrounds like crowded templates or unrelated images in the presentations. It focuses on simple, clean backgrounds to keep attention on your key content.

10. Don’t Overwhelm With Walls of Text

We covered the 6×6 text limit rule earlier. But even with 6 lines and 6 words, slides can become text walls without good visual breakdown. Big blocks of text are tiring to read and make retainment tough.

Instead, thoughtfully chunk text into concise sections. Use headers, subheaders, and bullet points to organize key bits. Align text left for easier scanning. Supplement with supporting imagery. Breaking up text improves comprehension drastically.

11. Don’t Rely On Boring Bullets

Speaking of bulleted lists, bullet overkill is another issue that turns slides into snore fests. Slides crammed with back-to-back bullet points lose audiences fast. The endless text blurs together with minimal memorability.

For memorable content, limit bullets to key takeaways only. Then reinforce each point visually – a photo, icon, chart, etc. Quality visuals boost memorability way more than a slide stuffed with 11 bullet points ever could.

12. Don’t Use Inconsistent Formatting

Remember, formatting matters! Shifting layouts, fonts, and color schemes appear disjointed and sloppy. The mismatched design screams amateur hour.

Establish a visual style and stick to it slide to slide. Use the same fonts, limit your color palette, and space elements consistently. Most importantly – maintain alignment across all slides. With unified branding, your presentation will look polished and professional.

SlidesAI ensures your presentation formatting stays consistent slide to slide by applying your preferred color palette, fonts, etc through its intelligent algorithms.

13. Don’t Include Unnecessary Animations

Animations can be great for guiding the viewer’s eye and demonstrating motion. But avoid going overboard. Excessive animations, sounds, and movement become more distracting than engaging.

Use animations subtly and intentionally . Emphasize only key points and important transitions with simple builds or entrance effects. Anything superfluous, whether flying text or whooshing sounds, pulls attention away rather than enhancing content.

Keep it simple and purposeful. Let smooth, minimal animations work behind the scenes rather than take center stage away from your narrative.

14. Don’t Use Unsupported Graphics

Only include images, photos, charts, etc that directly support the ideas and messaging in your presentation. Don’t insert fluffy visuals that have no clear tie to your content.

Every visual aid you present should clearly reinforce your narrative rather than derail tangents. Unsupported graphics quickly become distractions. They also undermine your credibility if audiences can’t grasp the connection.

Keep it focused. Be intentional about every visual you include. Remove anything superfluous that doesn’t serve a purpose.

15. Don’t Plagiarize Content

While it’s fine to find inspiration from other presentations, copying chunks of text or visuals without proper attribution is unethical. Never pass off someone else’s hard work as your own.

Always credit sources directly within your presentation if incorporating external ideas, quotes, charts, images, etc. Also, avoid violating copyright laws by inserting visuals without licensing them appropriately first.

Your presentation should showcase your unique ideas, voice, and message. Ensure you create original content or properly cite anything derived from others. Your integrity depends on it.

16. Don’t Wing Your Speech

With great slides completed, don’t just wing it on presentation day. The live delivery is just as crucial. Invest time to refine your pacing, transitions, slide timing, and flow.

Practice your speech thoroughly with the deck so your narrative and movements feel natural. Nail down transition phrases between slides. Get 100% comfortable presenting your content.

With stellar slides and a well-rehearsed delivery, your presentation is sure to wow audiences from start to finish.

There you have it – 16 PowerPoint dos and don’ts for creating memorable, professional PowerPoint presentations. Apply the dos to make high-impact slides, and avoid the don’ts for mistake-free presentations.

Put these PowerPoint best practices into play and watch your ordinary slides transform into extraordinary visual stories. Your audiences will be engaged from start to finish.

But even with these tips, crafting stunning presentations can be time-intensive. Instead, let SlidesAI do the work for you using the power of AI.

SlidesAI integrates with Google Slides and PowerPoint (coming soon) to instantly generate professional presentation decks from your content. Simply input your text – SlidesAI will turn them into visually cohesive slides designed for audience engagement.

SlidesAI saves tons of time by handling slide layouts, formats, graphic design, and branding tailored to you. The AI delivers presentation-ready slides in seconds.

Take your Presentation skills from amateur to pro – try SlidesAI for free today!\

• No design skills required
• 3 presentations/month free
• Don’t need to learn a new software

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the dos and don’ts of powerpoint presentations.

Key PowerPoint dos include simple designs, concise text, quality visuals, consistency, accessibility, custom icons, subtle animations, and practice. Don’ts involve distracting backgrounds, walls of text, boring bullets, inconsistent formatting, excessive animations, irrelevant graphics, plagiarism, and winging it.

What is the 5 by 5 Rule in PowerPoint?

The 5 by 5 rule recommends having no more than 5 lines of text per slide and 5 words per line. This keeps each slide focused and text easy to digest. Too much text overwhelms audiences.

What is the 7 Rule on a PowerPoint Presentation?

The 7 rule states that your slides should have no more than 7 bullet points. Like the 5 by 5 rule, this maintains simplicity for the audience. More than 7 bulleted items become hard to retain.

What are the 5 Rules of PowerPoint?

5 key rules are: don’t cram slides with too much text, minimize slides for emphasis, utilize quality visuals, stick to a consistent format, and limit animations. Following these makes presentations professional, clean, and engaging.

Save Time and Effortlessly Create Presentations with SlidesAI

6 dos and don’ts for next-level slides, from a TED presentation expert

Share this idea.

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)

Want to prevent yawns and glazed-over eyes? Before you deliver your next speech, pitch or address, learn how to create exceptional slides by following these rules (with real before-and-afters).

Slides are an expected and crucial part of most speeches, presentations, pitches and addresses. They can simplify complex information or messages, showcase relevant images, and help hold an audience’s attention. But quite often, the best slides aren’t those that make people sit up and comment on how good they are; instead, they’re the ones that people take in without really noticing because the content is effortlessly conveyed and matches the speaker’s words so well.

These days, showing high-quality slides is more important than ever. “We’re living in a visual culture,” says Paul Jurczynski , the cofounder of Improve Presentation and one of the people who works with TED speakers to overhaul their slides. “Everything is visual. Instagram is on fire, and you don’t often see bad images on there. The same trend has come to presentations.”

He says there is no “right” number of slides. However, it’s important that every single one shown — even the blank ones (more on those later) — be, as Jurczynski puts it, “connected with the story you’re telling.” Here, he shares 6 specific tips for creating the most effective slides. ( Note: All of the examples below were taken from the actual slides of TED speakers. )

1. Do keep your slides simple and succinct

“The most common mistake I see is slides that are overcrowded. People tend to want to spell everything out and cover too much information,” says Jurczynski. Not only are these everything-but-the-kitchen-sink slides unattractive and amateurish, they also divert your audience’s attention away from what you’re saying. You want them to listen to the words that you slaved over, not get distracted by unscrambling a jam-packed slide.

“The golden rule is to have one claim or idea per slide. If you have more to say, put it on the next slide,” says Jurczynski. Another hallmark of a successful slide: The words and images are placed in a way that begins where the audience’s eyes naturally go and then follows their gaze. Use the position, size, shape and color of your visuals to make it clear what should come first, second and so on. “You don’t just control what the audience sees; you have to control how they see it,” says Jurczynski.

BEFORE: Too crowded 

After: easy to absorb.

2. Do choose colors and fonts with care

Colors and fonts are like the herbs and spices of your presentation. When used wisely and with intention, they’ll enhance your slides; but when tossed in haphazardly, they’ll make it an unappealing mess.

Let’s start with color. “Color is a key way to communicate visually and to evoke emotion,” says Jurczynski. “It can be a game changer.” Your impulse might be to pick your favorite hue and start from there, but he advises, “it’s important to use color with a purpose.” For example, if you’re giving a presentation about a positive topic, you’ll want to use bright, playful colors. But if you’re speaking about a serious subject such as gun violence or lung cancer, you’d probably go for darker or neutral colors.

While it’s fine to use a variety of colors in your presentation, overall you should adhere to a consistent color scheme, or palette. “The good news is you don’t need a degree in color theory to build a palette,” says Jurczynski. Check out one of the many free sites — such as Coolors or Color Hunt — that can help you assemble color schemes.

With fonts, settle on just one or two, and make sure they match the tone of your presentation. “You don’t have to stick to the fonts that you have in PowerPoint,” or whatever program you’re using, says Jurczynski. “People are now designing and sharing fonts that are easy to install in different programs. It’s been an amazing breakthrough.” Experiment. Try swapping a commonly used font like Arial for Lato or Bebas , two of many lesser known fonts available online. Most important: “Use a big enough font, which people often forget to do,” advises Jurczynski. Your text has to be both legible and large enough to read from the back of the room, he recommends — about 30 points or so.

BEFORE: Weak and hard-to-read font, muddy colors 

AFTER: Strong font, color that’s striking but not jarring

3. Don’t settle for visual cliches

When you’re attempting to illustrate concepts, go beyond the first idea that comes to your mind. Why? The reason it appears so readily may be because it’s a cliché. For example, “a light bulb as a symbol for innovation has gotten really tired,” says Jurczynski. Other oft-used metaphors include a bull’s-eye target or shaking hands. After you’ve come up with your symbol or idea, he advises people to resist the lure of Google images (where there are too many low-quality and clichéd choices) and browse other free image sites such as Unsplash to find more unique visuals. One trick: If you do use stock, amp it up with a color overlay (as in the pic at the top of this article) or tweak it in some other way to counteract — or at least muffle — its stock-i-ness.

One potential source of pictures is much closer at hand. “If it fits the storyline, I encourage people to use their own images,” says Jurczynski. “Like one TED Talk where the speaker, a doctor, used photos of his experience treating people in Africa. That was all he needed. They were very powerful.” Major caveat: Any personal photos must support your speech or presentation. Do not squander your audience’s precious time by showing them a gratuitous picture of your children or grandparents — beautiful as they may be.

BEFORE: Fake-looking stock photo to illustrate teamwork 

After: eye-catching photo of nature to illustrate teamwork.

4. Don’t get bogged down by charts and graphs

Less is also more when it comes to data visualization. Keep any charts or graphs streamlined. When building them, ask yourself these questions:

What do I want the audience to take away from my infographic?

Why is it important for them to know this?

How does it tie into my overall story or message?

You may need to highlight key numbers or data points by using color, bolding, enlarging or some other visual treatment that makes them pop.

Maps are another commonly used infographic. Again, exercise restraint and use them only if they enhance your talk. “Sometimes, people put a map because they don’t know what else to show,” says Jurczynski. He suggests employing labels, color schemes or highlighting to direct your audience where to look. He adds, if you have the skill or know an artist, “you may even consider a hand-drawn map.”

BEFORE: Yikes! What’s important?!? AFTER: The takeaway is clear

5. don’t be scared of blank slides.

It may seem counterintuitive, but at certain points in your speech or pitch, the best visual is … no visual at all. “At the beginning, I was not a fan of blank slides,” says Jurczynski. “But the more talks I’ve seen, the more a fan I am of them, because sometimes you want all the attention on yourself and you don’t want people distracted by what they see in the slides. Or, you might use them to give the audience a visual break from a series of slides. Or maybe you want to shift the mood or tempo of the presentation.”

The blank slide is the visual equivalent of a pause, and most stories could use at least one. And with blank slides, Jurczynski has one main “don’t”: “You cannot use white blank slides, because if you do, people will see it and think something is broken.”

6. Do remember to practice

The easiest way to figure out if your slides really work? Recruit a colleague, friend or family member, and run through your entire presentation with them. Sometimes, people can get so carried away with rehearsing their delivery and memorizing their words that they forget to make sure their slides complement and synch up with what they’re saying.

“Even if you have the best visual s in the world, you need to practice in front of someone else. Once you start practicing, you may see, ‘I’m talking about a sad story, but on the slide behind me, I have something funny and that doesn’t make sense,'” says Jurczynski. “Or, ‘Oh, this could be a good place for a blank slide.’”

About the author

Amanda Miller manages curation for partner events at TED.

• business advice
• data visualization
• idea visualization
• presentation literacy
• public speaking

TED Talk of the Day

How to make radical climate action the new normal

3 strategies for effective leadership, from a former astronaut

Feeling unseen by your boss? Here’s what you can do 

Let’s stop calling them “soft skills” -- and call them “real skills” instead

There’s a know-it-all at every job — here’s how to deal

The 7 types of people you need in your life to be resilient

Perfectionism holding you back? 3 ways to shift the habit

The unseen forces that can cause your great new idea to crash and burn

Have you quietly quit? Your next step: Go to the neutral zone

6 ways to give that aren't about money

7 Zoom mistakes you might still be making -- and how to raise your video skills

Want to speak from the heart? Answer this question first

Before your next presentation or speech, here's the first thing you must think about

The 2 kinds of praise we all need to get at work

• Our Pillars

Think fast, fluently and structurally

Communicate with confidence and charisma

Navigate workplace challenges with ease

• Comparative Analysis
• Success Stories

Navigating Presentation Success: The Do’s and Donts in Presentation Skills

• Presentation Skills
• May 13, 2024

In every aspect of your life, there will be certain do’s and don’ts such as ‘Do help others’ and ‘Don’t use firecrackers’ or ‘Do lead your team’ but ‘Don’t be autocratic’, etc.

Similarly, there are certain do’s and don’ts in presentation skills as well. Presentation skills mean being able to express ideas, share information, and connect with others. 

In an organisation, presentation skills go beyond just talking in front of a group. They include using words and body language to make others feel confident, explain complex things clearly, and bring people together.

Whether you want to inspire your team, use a persuasive argument to sway stakeholders, or simply make eye contact with each member of your audience to build rapport, mastering presentation skills is a great asset.

Whether you’re explaining a project, leading a team meeting, or talking to important people, being good at presenting is a big deal.

In the upcoming sections of this blog, we’ll examine the details of presentation skills, the do’s and don ts in presentation skills , to help you improve this important skill.

Importance Of Presentation Skills

A well-delivered presentation can capture attention, convey information clearly, and leave a lasting impact on your audience.

Let’s explore the importance of presentation skills here in detail.

1. Communication Proficiency

Presentation skills are the essential pillars of effective communication. It’s not just about speaking clearly; it’s about expressing ideas in a way that others can easily understand.

Regular presentations can help you choose the right words, organise thoughts logically, and use body language to enhance the message. When you can articulate your ideas with clarity, you foster better understanding among your audience.

Regular presentations can help you choose the right words, organise thoughts logically, and use body language to enhance the message . When you can articulate your ideas with clarity, you foster better understanding among your audience . Whether you are preparing for a client pitch or a team meeting, understanding what you want to convey to the audience and tailoring the presentation accordingly can significantly impact its effectiveness. Additionally, if you pay attention to your delivery and ensure that both verbal and nonverbal cues are aligned with the message , you can enhance engagement and leave a lasting impression on the audience .

2. Professional Credibility

In the professional world, credibility is gold. When you present confidently and effectively, you establish yourself as a knowledgeable and reliable individual.

Your ability to deliver a presentation with poise and precision reflects positively on your expertise. Colleagues, superiors, and clients are more likely to trust and respect someone who can present ideas convincingly, contributing to the development of professional credibility.

3. Career Advancement

Presentation skills often serve as a catalyst for career advancement. In many workplaces, individuals who can present ideas convincingly are perceived as leaders.

Whether you’re vying for a promotion, leading a team, or pitching a project, the ability to present effectively can set you apart. Employers recognise and value individuals who can communicate persuasively, making career progression more attainable for those with honed presentation skills.

4. Building Trust And Rapport

Trust is the foundation of any successful professional relationship. Effective presentations can build trust by demonstrating transparency, competence, and authenticity.

When your audience feels that you are well-prepared, knowledgeable, and genuine in your communication, it fosters a sense of trust and rapport. This trust is invaluable for collaboration, teamwork, and overall positive workplace dynamics.

5. Influence And Persuasion

Influence and persuasion are powerful tools in the professional world. Your ability to persuade and influence others is often directly linked to how well you can present your ideas. A compelling presentation not only conveys information but also inspires action.

Whether you’re seeking buy-in for a project, negotiating a deal, or proposing a change, strong presentation skills enhance your ability to influence and persuade others to align with your vision.

For these reasons, presentation skills are extremely critical, and it’s important to do everything possible to improve them.

However, to become an expert at any skill, just knowing what to do is not sufficient. You also need to know how to do it effectively and what not to do. Let’s look at these do’s and don’ts in the next section.

Presentation Skills – Do’s

Being an effective presenter involves embracing certain best practices and avoiding major pitfalls. The following ‘Do’s and Don’ts of Presentation Skills’ are essential guidelines that can elevate your presentation game, ensuring that your message is not only heard but also remembered.

Incorporating these practices will not only enhance your confidence but also leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Now, let’s explore each key ‘Do’ in detail:

1. Know Your Audience

Understanding the audience is like having the key to a successful presentation. Research shows that it can take as little as 5 seconds for the audience to determine whether a presenter is charismatic or not. Tailor your content, tone, and examples to match the interests, knowledge level, and expectations of your listeners.

Adapting your message to resonate with your audience increases engagement and ensures your presentation is relevant and impactful. For example, if presenting to a group of executives, focus on high-level insights and strategic implications, whereas with a team of interns, you may need to provide more foundational information and context. 

2. Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice is the secret recipe for effective presentations. By practising delivering your presentation aloud, preferably in front of a mirror or recording device, you can identify areas for improvement in your delivery style, pacing, and timing and refine your presentation.

Anticipate potential questions, objections, and technical issues, and prepare appropriate responses and contingency plans. Remember, the more you practise, the more confident and comfortable you will become with your material, allowing you to deliver a seamless and compelling presentation that resonates with your audience.

3. Use Visual Aids Wisely

Visual aids, such as PowerPoint slides or props, can enhance your message, but moderation is key. Keep your slides clean, uncluttered, and visually appealing to emphasise key points, convey data, or illustrate complex concepts.

Incorporate visual storytelling techniques, such as before-and-after comparisons, timelines, and case studies, to illustrate concepts and evoke emotional responses. Remember, visual aids should enhance, not detract from, your presentation; use them judiciously to support your narrative and amplify your message.

4. Engage Your Audience

A successful presentation is a two-way street. Actively involve your audience through questions, discussions, or interactive elements. This engagement not only keeps your audience attentive but also fosters a connection between you and them.

Use varied delivery techniques, such as humour, anecdotes, and real-life examples, to inject energy and personality into your presentation. Encourage questions and participation, creating a sense of ownership and investment in the discussion to make your presentation more dynamic and memorable.

5. Speak Clearly and Confidently

Your delivery style significantly influences how your message is received and perceived by your audience. Speak with clarity, articulating each word distinctly and projecting your voice to ensure everyone can hear you. Use appropriate eye contact and purposeful gestures to emphasise key points and convey enthusiasm and conviction.

Additionally, maintain a confident posture, standing tall with relaxed shoulders and open body language, exuding authority and presence. A confident speaker instils confidence in the message.

During Tesla’s Battery Day event in September 2020, Elon Musk delivered a captivating presentation unveiling groundbreaking advancements in battery technology. Musk tailored his presentation to his audience of investors and technology enthusiasts, engaging them through interactive demonstrations, detailed explanations, and visionary storytelling.

He effectively used visual aids, confident delivery, and meticulous preparation to instill confidence in Tesla’s innovations, leading to a surge in stock price and investor optimism.

While knowing what to do in a presentation is crucial, avoiding common pitfalls is equally essential. 

Presentation Skills – Don’ts 

The following ‘Don’ts of Presentation Skills’ highlight key mistakes to steer clear of during your presentations.

By sidestepping these pitfalls, you can ensure a smoother, more effective delivery that keeps your audience engaged and focused on your message.

Now, let’s explore each critical ‘Don’t’ in detail:

1. Don’t Read Directly From Slides

Reading your slides word-for-word is a surefire way to disengage your audience. Doing so not only diminishes your credibility as a presenter but also robs you of the opportunity to establish a genuine connection with your audience. Slides should complement your spoken words, providing visual reinforcement rather than duplicating your script.

Use slides to highlight key points, share visuals, or provide data, but avoid turning your presentation into a reading exercise. Your audience is there to hear from you, not to read along with you.

2. Don’t Overload Slides With Text

Less is more when it comes to slide content. Overloading slides with text overwhelms your audience and diminishes the impact of your message.

Aim for simplicity, using concise bullet points or visuals to convey key information. This not only keeps your audience focused but also allows them to absorb and remember your message more effectively. Limit text to essential points and use images, graphs, and diagrams to enhance understanding and retention. Remember, your slides should support your presentation, not overshadow it.

3. Don’t Ignore Body Language

Your body language speaks volumes and can either reinforce or undermine your message. Avoid negative body language, such as slouching, crossing your arms, or avoiding eye contact, as these signals convey disinterest or lack of confidence.

Instead, adopt open and confident body language, standing tall with relaxed shoulders and making deliberate eye contact and gestures to emphasise key points. By aligning your verbal and nonverbal communication, you enhance your effectiveness as a presenter and command the attention of your audience.

4. Don’t Wing It

Winging a presentation is a risky endeavour. Effective presentations require careful planning, rehearsal, and refinement. Failing to prepare not only undermines your credibility but also increases the likelihood of mistakes, technical issues, and missed opportunities.

Adequate preparation ensures you are familiar with your material, able to handle unexpected questions, and can adapt to changes on the fly. By approaching your presentation with thorough preparation and professionalism, you instil confidence in your audience and ensure a successful outcome.

Bonus Tip: Don’t worry in case you have to deliver an idea impromptu. Just use the CARE framework to structure your thoughts and deliver the content impactfully!

5. Don’t Talk Too Fast (Or Too Slow)

Pace is critical in maintaining audience engagement and comprehension during presentations. Talking too fast can leave your audience struggling to keep up, while speaking too slowly can bore or frustrate them. Finding the right balance is crucial for delivering a dynamic and impactful presentation.

Find a comfortable rhythm and vary your pace to emphasise key points, allow for reflection, and maintain interest. Practice proper breathing techniques and vocal control to regulate your pace and maintain clarity and coherence in your delivery. By speaking at an appropriate pace, you ensure that your audience can follow along and fully absorb your message.

In conclusion, mastering presentation skills is a journey that requires dedication, practice, and a willingness to step outside your comfort zone. As Winston Churchill once said, “ Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts .” By following the do’s and avoiding the don’ts outlined in this blog, you can elevate your presentations from good to great, leaving a lasting impression on your audience and achieving your professional goals. 

Muskaan Oswal

Muskaan is a Content Developer and Soft Skills Trainer at Kapable, driven by a profound passion for fostering personal growth and empowerment. With a strong academic foundation in Psychology and a fascination with organisational and counselling Psychology, she brings a deep understanding of human behaviour to her role. With a genuine commitment to helping individuals unlock their full potential, Muskaan strives to make a lasting impact by nurturing essential life skills and fostering a sense of empowerment among all those she interacts with.

Mastering Business Negotiation Skills: Strategies for Best Practices and Powerful Execution

Mastering presentation skills in business communication for corporate success, kapable updates.

July Cohort Orientation

Develop Must-Have Skills To Navigate Workplace Challenges And Build Executive Presence

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Explore topics.

• Presentation Skills (21)
• Stage Fear (3)
• Conflict Management (17)
• Emotional Intelligence (13)
• Communication Skills (22)
• Public Speaking (12)
• Leadership (52)
• Persuasion (10)
• Self Confidence (17)
• Negotiation Skills (28)

Recent Posts

Self Confidence Swami Vivekananda Quotes: Wisdom and Inspiration

• 16 February 2024

Contingency Theory Of Leadership: Meaning, Approach, Models, and Examples

• 20 October 2023

Exploring Public Speaking Topics: Interesting Ideas for Students and Beginners in English

• 22 January 2024

Inspiring Leadership Stories: Short Narratives with Moral Lessons

• 15 January 2024

Behavioral Theory of Leadership: Definition, Approach in Organisational Behavior

Begin your transformational journey, you can also check out.

Leadership in OB – Organizational Behavior: Styles, Meaning, Skills and Actionable Steps

Distributive Negotiation Examples: 6 Strategies in Distributive Bargaining

10-Step Framework For Public Speaking Tips

Frequently asked questions.

We train working professionals on enhancing the essential skills so that they become better thinkers, communicators, and leaders. Our comprehensive programs cover key aspects of leadership including strategic thinking, effective communication, and management capabilities.

Our programs are ideal for anyone looking to enhance their executive presence, lead teams effectively, and communicate with confidence and charisma to make a significant impact in their organisation.

9 Dos and Don’ts of Presenting

Henry Caplan explains what you should and shouldn’t do during your next presentation.

1. Do – Manage your nerves

Often our nerves are internalised. There is always a difference between our perception of ourselves and how others see us. Sometimes this perspective can help with nerves as well.

So seek out feedback from people you trust when practising, but during your presentation take your time and try to enjoy your moment; chances are you don’t look anywhere near as nervous as you feel.

Remember, trying to deny nerves makes them worse. You can use nerves as energy.

2. Don’t – Use filler words

Many presentations begin with ‘so… um…’ and we all have moments where a filler creeps in. They take up space and they make us look unprofessional or unprepared, even when we’re not.

Instead of saying ‘errr…’ as you move to the next point or answer a question, take your time and take a breath if you have to. Silence for a couple of seconds is more powerful than a ‘well, er, anyway…’ ever will be.

3. Do – Move your hands but not without purpose

Failing to move your hands during a presentation is a sure way of making you look stiff and nervous.

I recommend starting with a relaxed one hand over the other about at the belly button in front of you. This is hands at rest; a fixed position when we want to be still.

Next position is hands in motion. You can have quite an impact when you use your hands to illustrate a point. Then when you complete a gesture, back to hands at rest.

I am not a fan of holding a pencil, pen, notes, clicker, clasping a podium. It tends to either be distracting or deaden our energy.

The only question I ever ask around hands is… Are you moving them with purpose? A sure-fire way to know if you are moving with purpose is if a gesture has an end. If not, you’re probably fidgeting.

Can you have your hands by your side? Absolutely, as long as they are not behind your back, in your pockets, flailing around or clasping onto something for dear life.

4. Don’t – Visualise your presentation going badly

It can be very easy for some people to get caught up in thoughts of their presentation going badly, and because they become preoccupied by their own fears, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Try to focus on what you’re saying and what’s coming up next, but if you start to become self-conscious remember to take your time and find your position, and that it’s probably going better than you might fear. Resist the desire to analyse your progress whilst still giving your talk.

5. Don’t – Panic if you make a mistake

If you need to reiterate a point you perhaps garbled or gave incorrect information for, calmly correct yourself and don’t apologise; apologising is unnecessary, wastes time, and can make you look weak.

6. Do – Humanise your audience

If you can ask a question as you set up, you are already building the relationship and establishing rapport. By humanising your audience, you can also manage nerves. Sometimes even starting a talk with a question can create a response that helps you focus outward and reduces nerves.

If you build the audience up in your mind as a room of brutal critics, and fail to recognise that they’re human and have flaws and worries of their own, you risk overloading your nerves and failing to reach out to them.

7. Don’t – Let your guard down

Especially relevant after your presentation has finished, relaxing is good but letting your guard down with a ‘thank God that’s over, I hate public speaking,’ sort of phrase won’t do anything for your professional image.

The credibility of your presentation can be severely damaged if you become too friendly with the audience or reveal things you shouldn’t afterwards.

They don’t need to know how nervous you were. Relax and remember you’re still presenting until you leave the room.

8. Do – Ask questions

The question and answer session is easily forgotten at the end of a presentation, but is vital to demonstrating your knowledge and settling any problems. Answering questions clearly can really give the audience the sense that you know what you’re talking about.

The final Q & A is important, but it’s also good to ask questions throughout the presentation. This keeps the audience engaged and can be a useful tool if you forget anything or need a moment to find your place.

Henry Caplan

9. Do – Enjoy it

It’s a tough call for many people who dread giving presentations, but try to enjoy it! You’ve got a room full of people listening to you!

If you are too nervous or can’t enjoy it, try to learn from it, and just think – next time you’ll be a little bit better.

With thanks to Henry Caplan, an Interpersonal Skills Consultant at Working Voices

Recommended Pages

• All Templates
• Persuasive Speech Topics
• Informative
• Architecture
• Celebration
• Educational
• Engineering
• Food and Drink
• Subtle Waves Template
• Business world map
• Filmstrip with Countdown
• Blue Bubbles
• Corporate 2
• Vector flowers template
• Editable PowerPoint newspapers
• Hands Template
• Red blood cells slide
• Circles Template on white
• Maps of America
• Light Streaks Business Template
• Zen stones template
• Heartbeat Template
• Web icons template

• Tips & news
• Infographics

The Do’s and Don’ts When Giving a Presentation

Average: 5 ( 1 vote)

Making a presentation is simply expressing your thoughts or ideas in front of an audience. But, sometimes it doesn’t feel that simple, does it?

Whether you’re a student, board member, or key employee of an MNC; you will probably be asked to give a presentation at some point in your career.

Some people are comfortable with their skills in presenting and can deliver with ease, but there are many who find it difficult to sustain a good performance.

Presenting isn’t easy, but these tips will help you connect with your audience when you are presenting.

Here are some tips to practice for your next presentation:

Confident body language

Stand tall with your head high, pull your shoulders back, and put your feet shoulder-length apart.

Keep your arms relaxed and free to gesture naturally as you speak.

Positive expressions

Lively eyes that gaze around the room will make the audience feel connected to you.

Smile when it is appropriate for your content.

The more the audience feels you are engaged with them, the more they will be invested in what you say.

Goal shaping

Surely, you have an idea of what you would like to say in your presentation.

But, what is just as important is how you say it.

Consider what the goal of your presentation is: to inform, to evoke emotion, or to persuade.

Shape your phrasing, and choose the appropriate words, to accomplish this goal.

Audience engagement

Engaging the audience is key.

According to a study by Microsoft, the average attention span for a human being was eight seconds in 2016.

In 2000, it was twelve seconds.

Now, even more, a presenter must be captivating to keep the attention of its audience.

So, when you are ready to give a presentation, consider the infographic created by Walkerstone called Do’s and Don’ts of presenting .

About the Author: Sarah Brown  is good at marketing and communications and likes to think that most people leave inspired if they hear her speak.

See the original posting  here.

What are some of the crucial lessons you’ve learned about being a speaker? We'd love to hear your stories (and maybe feature you in an upcoming article!) Contact us here.

What to read next

7 Things comedians can teach you about public speaking

Q+As: What to do when you don’t know the A

12 Ways to handle a heckler as a professional speaker

Interested in becoming a listed public speaker, trainer, or moderator on SpeakerHub? Sign up here.

• How to get your audience to participate
• Get over your pre-performance jitters [Infographic]
• 10 Tips for Successful Public Speaking in 2017

• Business Planning

Is It A Good Time To Start a Business During a Pandemic?

A Brave New Entrepreneur for A Brave New World

Things Entrepreneurs Should Watch Out For

• Accounting & Finance
• People & Culture
• Sales & Marketing

Why Women Entrepreneurship Boosts Caribbean Economic Growth

How Do You Navigate The Business Landscape Post COVID-19?

How Do You Build Your Business Recovery Roadmap?

Leading with Integrity; Leading by Example

Integrity and the Entrepreneur at Work

Creating a Business-Friendly Environment – Part 2

• About Navig8
• Entrepreneurs Business Builder Programme
• Export Development Partnership
• UWI and Republic Bank Management Challenge
• Business Development Loan
• Commercial Mortgage
• Debt Consolidation
• Start-Up Costs
• Ad Spend ROI
• Facebook Engagement
• Instagram Engagement
• LinkedIn Engagement
• Home-Owner’s Guide To Securing A Mortgage
• Getting Business Credit From Your Bank
• Succeeding in the Low Touch Economy
• Get Going With Ecommerce
• Mindset To Success
• Business Bites

Do’s and Don’ts Tips for an Effective Presentation

Provided by the  International Finance Corporation

Good presentation skills are vital to your success at work, both individual success and the company success. With poor presentation skills you cannot inspire and retain your employees, sell your products, attract the funding you need for your new venture, nor evolve in your career.

Improve your presentation skills with the following tips:

• Know your audience.
• Make an outline of what you will present with 3 or 4 main points.
• Familiarize yourself with the location and equipment before presenting.
• Use simple sentences.
• Use examples to illustrate your ideas.
• Practice your presentation.
• Breathe deeply, relax and smile at your audience before presenting.
• Use body language to reflect the content of the presentation.
• Make eye contact at random with audience.
• Talk to audience, don’t talk about them.
• Give the audience chances to join in your presentation.
• Use humor, when appropriate.
• Use too much jargon or specialized words/expressions.
• Turn your back to the audience.
• Have no eye contact during your presentation or fix your eye contact on one person.
• Talk and do something else at the same time.
• Move constantly in front of the audience.
• Distract your audience by doing something like jingling any metal objects in your pocket.
• Move your hands too much.
• Fold your arms either on your front or your back.
• Keep your hands in your pockets during your presenting.
• Dress yourself gaudily or wear too many ornaments.
• Imitate someone’s style.

For more resources:

• Find out how to close successfully your sales by  honing your sales presentation skills
• Explore ‘ How to get what you want through effective communication ’
• Learn  how to run an effective meeting
• Save time and money with those  tips about better managing your time

Copyright © 2000 – 2017, International Finance Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

2121 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, www.ifc.org

The material in this work is copyrighted. Copying and/or transmitting portions or all of this work without permission may be a violation of applicable law.  IFC does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability or completeness of the content included in this work, or for the conclusions or judgments described herein, and accepts no responsibility or  liability for any omissions or errors (including, without limitation, typographical errors and technical errors) in the content whatsoever or for reliance thereon.

Want to be on our mailing list?

Business stage, commercial banking links, additional links.

• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions

© 2023 Republic Bank Limited. All Rights Reserved.

• Financial Calculators
• Digital Media Calculators
• Fireside Chats

Presentation Guru

5 dos and don’ts of presentation design.

Three out of every 5 people are visual learners. The human brain processes visuals 60,000X faster than any amount of text. And we remember 80% of what we see , compared to 20% of what we read and only 10% of what we hear. That’s why presentation design – from the intentional stringing together of text into a compelling narrative to the precise selection of relevant and attention-grabbing visuals – should be an essential aspect to any presenter’s agenda. There is a science, an art, a simple list of best practices to designing a presentation with impact. Below are five Do’s and Don’ts of presentation design that every presenter needs to know:

1. Do use the Rule of Thirds

The effective employment of this design tactic doesn’t involve experience with design software, much less a background in design.

Envision an image or slide as a grid, which is split up into three chunks of equal size horizontally and vertically . If you want to elevate yourself from amateur to professional presenter, utilize the vertical Rule of Thirds and place the object of an image to the left or right side. With an image of an animal or a person, always put the eyes in the horizontal upper third of the imaginary grid.

This design principle helps a presenter effectively harness the influence of their deck’s visuals, while creating opportunity for more white space.

2. Do include visuals

Minimal text, more images – every presenter’s new design mantra. Rightly so, considering that images increase retention by 42%.

To enhance whatever message you are trying to get across to an audience, always incorporate a relevant visual . Research has determined that if you present a piece of information with just text or in a verbal manner, your audience will only remember 10% of it three days later. However, include a relevant image and members will remember 65% of the information a few days after the presentation.

3. Do choose stock photography wisely

Have you ever witnessed a presentation where most every slide looked like the designer was trying to choose an even stockier photo than the one before it? Selecting the most appropriate stock image for each slide can seem like a daunting task. The ability to spot the differences between an insanely hokey stock image and a professional and alluring one separates the savvy from the lazy.

When searching for a stock image, you will likely have to revise your search terms until you receive a solid search query. Instead of searching for office desk, try office desk black and white or office desk modern.

To find stock images, check out iStock and Fotolia and purchase photos for under $10 per image. Or, make a compromise on library size and image options for free resources such as Pexel or Flickr .

4. Do continue learning

Just because you may not have adequate presentation design skills now, doesn’t mean you can’t ever obtain them. Take advantage of low-cost online education opportunities like those offered through Lynda.com and enhance your design software capabilities.

Start small by learning how to precisely crop an image in Photoshop. Or start big and learn how to design a data visualization in Illustrator. Virtually anything you desire to know is literally at your fingertips.

5. Do update old presentations

Busy professionals and presenters likely don’t have gobs of time to devote to producing embellished, wholly unique content for every media channel that exists today. The good thing is, all of the time spent on one deck isn’t in vain if you continue to revisit it in the months and years following a presentation. Update the design to reflect current trends. Then, use the deck and elements of it to distribute quality content on social media and LinkedIn.

1. Don’t overload slides with text

Take a cue from human psychology and minimize the amount of text you put on any one slide. According to Cognitive Load Theory, the more complex information a presenter places on a slide, the more easily our brains will become overloaded as we try to process the information chunk.

A simple way to cut down the extraneous load of content starts with providing an overview of what your audience can expect to hear throughout your talk. According to Matt Abrahams of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, audiences can retain structured presentations 40% easier than freeform presentations. Other strategies include presenting one idea per slide, eliminating jargon from your deck, and of course, utilizing visuals.

2. Don’t use bullet points

The whole premise of bullet points is that an individual is attempting to display more than one piece of information on each slide. Therefore, if you are adhering to the guidelines outlined in Don’t #1, you should have no use for the dreaded bullet points at all. If that isn’t enough to persuade you away from those little dots, take into account this 2014 study , which discovered that audience members experience enhanced difficulty paying attention to bulleted lists, as well as agreeing with and recalling them.

A relevant, high-quality visual will relay whatever point you want to make more effectively and efficiently than any bulleted list could even dream of accomplishing. Friends don’t let friends use bulleted lists…and we consider you our friend.

3. Don’t rely on templates

Presentation templates are tempting. But don’t give in to their ease and conveniency. Once you get started working within one, you’ll swirl into a rabbit hole of bullet points and lackluster slide designs.

On top of that, templates convey one ugly truth to your audience. That you don’t care about the presentation you are giving. That you didn’t even try. Swap the restriction of a template for a bold background image and a little bit of large text.

4. Don’t use low-resolution images

Spreading low-resolution images and subpar photography throughout your presentation will only set a negative tone. Primarily, it will project unprofessionalism, a lack of expertise, and an altogether lack of enthusiasm in your own ideas and thoughts.

All of that to say… Put the time and effort into selecting high-resolution images and well-intentioned photography. Because the majority of your audience will be visually-driven, the clarity and quality of your images is paramount to the ultimate success of your presentation and message.

5. Don’t abuse charts and graphs

You’ve seen it before. Some presenter has shown you an atrocity of bar and line graphs and pie charts (oh my!). Despite their best intentions, you probably didn’t retain the message they hoped you would from that slide. According to a recent study conducted by Harvard and MIT researchers, people prefer unique data visualizations over traditional formats. Consider displaying information with a clean, crisp, creative data visualization .

You can design an engaging, professional, and elegant presentation – whether you graduated with a degree in graphic design or have never opened up an Adobe Creative Suites program. If you keep these 10 tips and tricks in mind, you will be one step closer to delivering a compelling, creative, and timeless deck.  

• Latest Posts

Gabrielle Reed

+gabrielle reed, latest posts by gabrielle reed ( see all ).

• The 8-Step Guide to Approaching Presentations with a Journalistic Mindset - 21st June 2016
• 5 Dos and Don’ts of Presentation Design - 12th May 2016

18th June 2016 at 7:08 pm

Good basic tips that anyone can put into practice. Taking charts out of ppt and into illustrator is a sure way to improve the quality of them and having a limited colour palette immediately makes them look more professional…oh and not too many different type sizes.

27th July 2016 at 11:57 pm

Just keep the context and audience of the presentation in mind. While overloaded graphics are bad either way, simply putting one number on the screen will have an academic audience ask “Where’s the data?” and unique visualizations have to be finely tuned so as not to generate the impression as to be an effort to distract with high quality visuals from low quality data… Us scientists are a suspicious lot 😉

Mulesoft Course

10th August 2021 at 4:24 pm

Hello, this post has valuable information. Appreciate the efforts you put into writing this, and sharing with us.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow The Guru

Join our Mailing List

Join our mailing list to get monthly updates and your FREE copy of A Guide for Everyday Business Presentations

The Only PowerPoint Templates You’ll Ever Need

Anyone who has a story to tell follows the same three-act story structure to...

5 iMPORTANT Do’s and Don’ts of presentation skills

5 important do's and don'ts of presentation skills, table of contents, introduction to presentation skills.

In this blog, we will learn about the Do’s and Don’ts of Presentation Skills. Effective presentation skills are essential for successfully communicating ideas and engaging audiences. Whether you’re delivering a business pitch, giving a lecture, or speaking at a social event, knowing the do’s and don’ts of presentation skills can make all the difference. Let’s explore some key guidelines for mastering the art of presentations.

Presentation skills are more than just speaking in front of a crowd, they involve conveying information effectively, engaging the audience, and leaving a lasting impression. In this article, we’ll delve into the do’s and don’ts of presentation skills to help you become a more confident and impactful presenter.

The Do’s of Presentation Skills

Do: Know Your Audience

Understanding your audience’s preferences, needs, and expectations is essential for tailoring your presentation to resonate with them effectively. Conduct thorough audience analysis to ensure your message resonates with your listeners.

Do: Practice and Prepare

Practice makes perfect. Practice your presentation repeatedly to master the material, pace, and execution. Adequate preparation boosts your confidence and ensures a smooth delivery on the day of the presentation.

Do: Use Visual Aids Wisely

Visual tools like slides or props can improve comprehension and increase audience involvement. Use them sparingly and purposefully to complement your message, rather than overwhelming your audience with too much information.

Do: Engage Your Audience

Interactive elements, such as polls, questions, or group activities, can captivate your audience and foster a more dynamic presentation environment. Encourage participation and interaction to keep your audience engaged throughout your presentation.

Do: Practice Confidence

Confidence is key to a successful presentation. Projecting confidence not only enhances your credibility but also instills trust and captivates your audience. Practice confidence-building techniques, such as positive visualization and power poses, to boost your self-assurance.

Do: End Strong

Make a memorable impact by finishing your presentation with a strong conclusion. Summarize key points, deliver a powerful closing statement, or leave your audience with a thought-provoking question to ensure they remember your message.

The Don’ts of Presentation Skills

Don’t: Overload with Information

Avoid overwhelming your audience with too much information. Keep your content concise and focused, highlighting key points without delving into unnecessary details that may confuse or distract your audience.

Don’t: Wing It

Refrain from improvising your presentation without adequate preparation. Winging it increases the risk of mistakes, inaccuracies, and lack of coherence, undermining your credibility as a presenter.

Don’t: Rely Solely on Visuals

While visual aids can enhance understanding, relying solely on them can detract from your message. Balance verbal communication with visual aids to ensure your presentation is comprehensive and engaging.

Don’t: Let Nerves Take Over

Nervousness is natural, but letting it overpower you can hinder your performance. Practice relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or visualization, to manage nerves and maintain composure during your presentation.

Don’t: Fizzle Out

Avoid ending your presentation abruptly or without a clear conclusion. Leave your audience with a memorable takeaway, whether it’s a call to action, a powerful quote, or a thought-provoking question, to ensure your presentation resonates with them.

Mastering the art of presentations requires a combination of practice, preparation, and confidence. By adhering to the do’s and avoiding the don’ts outlined in this article, you can elevate your presentation skills and leave a lasting impression on your audience.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

1. how can i conquer anxiety before delivering a presentation.

Before your presentation, practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or visualization to calm your nerves. Concentrate on the message you wish to deliver, instead of fretting over your own concerns. Remember that it’s normal to feel nervous, and even experienced presenters experience stage fright.

2. What should I do if I forget my lines during a presentation?

Inhale slowly and take a moment to gather your ideas. Use your slides or notes as a reference to guide you back on track. Don’t panic; it’s okay to momentarily forget your lines. Stay composed and continue with your presentation.

3. Is it okay to use humour in a presentation?

Yes, using humor can be an effective way to connect with your audience and keep them engaged. Always stay mindful of cultural nuances, steering clear of any jokes that could potentially offend or be deemed inappropriate. Use humor sparingly and ensure it is relevant to your topic and audience.

4.How can I improve my vocal delivery during a presentation?

Practice varying your tone, pitch, and pace to add interest and emphasis to your speech. Capture your presentation on video and review it to pinpoint areas that need enhancement. Consider taking voice training or public speaking courses to refine your vocal delivery skills.

5. What should I do if I receive negative feedback on my presentation?

View feedback as a chance to learn and grow. Reflect on the feedback and consider how you can incorporate it to improve future presentations. Don’t take negative feedback personally; instead, use it constructively to enhance your presentation skills.

6.What is the 6 by 6 rule for a presentation?

The 6 by 6 rule suggests limiting each slide to no more than six bullet points, with each bullet point containing no more than six words. This helps keep slides concise and prevents information overload, ensuring better retention and understanding by the audience.

7. What is the 777 rule in a presentation?

The 777 rule recommends having no more than seven words per line, seven lines per slide, and a maximum of seven slides per minute of presentation time. This rule helps maintain audience engagement and prevents overwhelming them with too much information on each slide.

8. What are the 5 Ps in presentation skills?

The 5 Ps in presentation skills stand for Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. This emphasizes the importance of thorough preparation, including researching the topic, organizing content effectively, practicing delivery, and anticipating potential challenges.

For more tips and tricks, check out the Instagram Page   here .

For other useful blog articles, click  here, ready to level up your skills book personalized 1:1 training now and excel in interviews, body language, presentations, and email etiquette. click  here  to get started, leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Privacy Policy
• Cancellation and Refund Policy
• Terms of service

Copyright © 2024 Learnatrix

WhatsApp us

Elevate Your Presentations: Mastering the Art of Dynamic PPT Design for Impactful Delivery

PPT designs are critical for businesses and professionals to communicate their ideas, products, and services. A well-designed presentation can help you engage your audience, persuade them to act, and achieve your goals. However, creating a successful PowerPoint presentation requires careful planning, thoughtful design, and attention to detail. In this post, we’ll cover the dos and don’ts of PPT design to help you create compelling and engaging presentations.

Why is presentation design critical?

Before understanding the dos and don’ts of ppt design, we need to understand why presentation design is critical because it significantly impacts the effectiveness and impact of your message.

Here are a few reasons why presentation design plays a crucial role:

• Visual Appeal: A well-designed presentation captivates the audience and grabs their attention. Visual elements such as color schemes, typography, images, and layout contribute to the overall aesthetics of the presentation, making it visually appealing and engaging.
• Enhances Understanding: Effective presentation design helps convey complex information clearly and concisely. Well-structured slides, visual cues, and graphical representations can make it easier for the audience to understand and retain the key points of your message.
• Supports Storytelling: Presentation design helps to tell a compelling story. Through the strategic use of visuals, text, and animations, you can create a narrative flow that guides the audience through your content, making it more memorable and impactful.
• Builds Credibility and Professionalism: A well-designed presentation reflects your professionalism and attention to detail. It enhances your credibility as a speaker and creates a positive impression on the audience, signaling that you have put effort into crafting a high-quality presentation.
• Engages the Audience: Effective presentation design keeps the audience engaged and focused. Visual elements, such as eye-catching images, infographics, or videos, can evoke emotions and connect with the audience, increasing their interest and involvement in your presentation.
• Emphasizes Key Points: Design elements can be used to highlight and emphasize important information or key messages. Strategic use of color, font size, and visual hierarchy draws attention to critical content, ensuring that your key points are effectively communicated and remembered.
• Facilitates Retention: A well-designed presentation enhances information retention. People remember visuals more effectively than text alone. By incorporating visuals, diagrams, and other graphical elements, you can help the audience better understand and retain the information you present.
• Supports Branding: Presentation design provides an opportunity to reinforce your brand identity. You can create a cohesive and recognizable visual identity that aligns with your brand image by using consistent brand colors, fonts, and imagery.

Let us now understand the dos and don’ts of ppt design that can affect your presentation significantly.

Here is the list of dos and don’ts of ppt design:

The Dos of PPT Designing:

• Define your objective : Before starting your PPT designing process, define your presentation’s objective. Determine what you want to achieve with your production and the audience’s needs, preferences, and pain points.
• Keep it simple : Use straightforward language, avoid jargon, and keep your presentation visually clean and uncluttered. Use only essential text and images to convey your message, and avoid using too many animations, transitions, or effects that distract your audience.
• Use high-quality images : Images are a powerful way to communicate your message, emotions, and ideas. Use high-quality and relevant images that support your message, and avoid using low-resolution, stock photos or generic images.
• Use consistent design : Consistency is crucial in PPT design. Use the same font, color scheme, and design elements throughout your presentation. This creates a cohesive and professional-looking presentation and helps your audience focus on your message. Understanding the presentation dos and don’ts will give better insights and help in enhancing the overall presentation.
• Use charts & graphs : Use charts, graphs, and diagrams to convey complex data or statistics in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand way. This helps your audience grasp your message quickly and also supports your credibility.
• Proofread and edit: Avoid spelling and grammatical mistakes by thoroughly proofreading and editing your slides.
• Test your presentation: Run a test presentation to ensure everything displays correctly and smoothly.

The above-mentioned are a few dos in PowerPoint presentations that should be considered and implemented to improve the effectiveness and engagement of your presentation.

The Don’ts of PPT Designing:

Now let us look in-depth into the Don’ts of PPT Design

• Use only a few bullet points : Bullet points help summarize information, but too many can overwhelm your audience and make your presentation boring. Use bullet points sparingly, and focus on the essential issues.
• Use only a few fonts or colors : Using too many fonts or colors can make your presentation look more cohesive and professional. Stick to one or two fonts and a color scheme that complements your brand identity and supports your message.
• Don’t use too many animations : Animations can add visual interest to your presentation, but too many can distract your audience and make your presentation look childish. Use animations sparingly and only when necessary to support your message.
• Don’t use copyrighted images : Using copyrighted images without permission can lead to legal trouble and damage your reputation. Use only photographs you have the rights to or licensed under Creative Commons.
• Don’t read your slides : They should support your message, not replace them. Avoid reading your slides verbatim and use them to guide your presentation. Engage your audience with eye contact, body language, and storytelling.

These dos and don’ts of ppt designs are to be considered to ensure that the content reaches the audience effectively and is kept engaging.

You can also check the do’s and don’ts ppt template free download . Also, there are multiple do’s don ts formats available on the internet that you can utilize to enhance your overall quality.

Here are a few tips to improve your presentation skills:

It is necessary to consider several other parameters mentioned below, along with the dos and don’ts of ppt, so as to improve the overall content relevance and effectivity.

• Know your audience: Understand your audience and consider their level of knowledge, interests, and expectations.
• Body language is the key: Maintaining good posture, making eye contact with your audience, and using hand gestures will improve the overall effectiveness of your presentation.
• Engage with the audience: Interacting with the audience and involving them will create a great atmosphere, and you will understand how well they grasp the content.
• Practice thoroughly: Rehearse your presentation multiple times to become familiar with the content and delivery. Practice in front of a mirror, record yourself or present it before your colleagues or friends and ask for feedback.

Remember, a well-designed and well-delivered PowerPoint presentation can effectively convey your message and engage your audience.

These tips become effective if you thoroughly understand the dos and don’ts of ppt design and implement them together.

Effectiveness of verbal communication in PowerPoint presentation:

Along with the dos and don’ts of ppt design, here are some key points to consider for enhancing the effectiveness of verbal communication during a PowerPoint presentation:

• Clarity and Enunciation: Speak clearly and enunciate your words to ensure your audience understands you. Pay attention to your pronunciation, and articulate your words with proper emphasis. Avoid speaking too fast, making it difficult for the audience to follow your message.
• Tone and Inflection: It is a good practice to vary your tone and inflection to keep your audience engaged and interested. Use a conversational and engaging tone to create a connection with your audience. Emphasize key points, use appropriate pauses, and modulate your voice to convey enthusiasm and the importance of your message.
• Eye Contact: Maintain eye contact with your audience to establish a connection and build trust. Look at different sections of the room and make eye contact with individuals to create a sense of engagement. Avoid solely focusing on your slides or notes, as it can create a disengaged atmosphere.
• Body Language: In addition to understanding the dos and don’ts of PPT design, your body language can greatly impact how your message is received. Stand tall, maintain an open and confident posture, and use appropriate gestures to support your verbal communication. Non-verbal cues such as facial expressions and hand movements can help convey emotions and engage the audience.
• Engagement and Interaction: Encourage audience participation and engagement throughout your presentation. Pose questions, ask for opinions, or encourage discussion to involve the audience in the topic. This keeps the audience actively engaged and helps create a more interactive and dynamic presentation.
• Pace and Timing: Along with the dos and don’ts of ppt, paying attention to the pace and timing of your speech is necessary. Speak at a moderate pace, allowing the audience to process the information. Avoid rushing through the content or speaking too slowly. Use pauses effectively to emphasize important points, give the audience time to absorb information, and create a sense of anticipation.
• Adaptability: Be adaptable and responsive to your audience’s reactions and feedback. Pay attention to their level of understanding and engagement. Adjust your communication style, provide additional explanations, or clarify any points to ensure effective comprehension and engagement.
• Confidence and Authenticity: Project confidence and authenticity in your delivery. Believe in your message and express it with conviction. Be genuine and authentic in your communication, allowing your personality to shine. This will help you establish credibility and connect with your audience more deeply.

Remember, effective verbal communication in a PowerPoint presentation combines clear and articulate speech, engaging delivery, audience interaction, and adaptability. By focusing on these aspects, you can enhance the impact of your verbal communication and deliver a successful presentation.

These points, if considered along with the dos and don’ts of ppt design, will surely improve the overall power point presentation and can keep the audience engaged throughout.

In conclusion, PPT designing requires a strategic approach, creativity, and attention to detail. Following the dos and don’ts of PPT design, you can create practical and engaging presentations that help you achieve your objectives and connect with your audience. A well-designed PPT with good presentation skills will help in delivering the content effectively.

Hit enter to search or ESC to close

• Presentation Design

Presentation Design Dos and Don’ts

• By: Kelly Allison

There are endless presentations out there, but very few are compelling and engaging enough to motivate audiences to action. That’s because creating a truly excellent presentation requires a level of design skill and knowledge that many people don’t yet have.

But you certainly don’t need to go to design school to create a high-quality presentation—you just need to have a strong idea of what works and what doesn’t. (Hint: Bullet points never work.)

Don’t use a lot of a text in your slides. If you pack your slides with lengthy text, then your audience is going to be straining to read what’s written rather than listening to what you have to say. Plus, large text blocks are the opposite of visually compelling.

Do use as few words as possible on each slide. Remember, the purpose of your slides is to create compelling visuals that complement your message; they’re not supposed to deliver the message the for you.

Don’t use the same font size throughout your slides. A uniform font throughout your presentation is not only a drag to read, but it fails to put emphasis on the most important parts of your message.

Do  switch up font sizes throughout each slide. Making the most important words bigger and bolder allows your audience to take in the most valuable information first before moving on to the supporting content.

Don’t use bullet points. According to a 2014 study , audiences that viewed a bullet-point presentation had a significantly more difficult time paying attention and recalling information than those that viewed graphic-infused presentations.

Do use graphics to support your points. Rather than use bullet points, convey your information through compelling visuals and graphics. In addition to being more entertaining to look at, they also make it faster and easier for your audience to process information.

Don’t use a wide range of colors. A lot of newbie presenters think that more color means more compelling, when in reality, using an overabundance of hues can lead to a visually chaotic and confusing design.

Do adhere to a cohesive color palette. Choose three to five main colors to use throughout your presentation and try not to stray from them. This will ensure your presentation looks clean and cohesive while being more satisfying to look at.

Don’t center your text. A chunk of text or an image in the center of every slide makes all of your slides blend together, making it much more difficult for your audience to separate their attention from one point to the next.

Do switch up the alignment of your visuals. By left-aligning some images, right-aligning others, and including a few center-aligned images, you’re creating much more visual interest for your audience. Just be sure that when you use left and right alignment that you use another image or color on the other side to create a balanced visual.

Don’t use very detailed images and fonts. While detailed fonts and images can be beautiful up close, they can be difficult and confusing to interpret from the perspective of your audience.

Do use simple images and fonts. The goal of your presentation is to deliver a clear and simple message, so your fonts and images should be just that. Use clean, easy-to-read fonts and simple graphics with just a few colors to ensure your message is delivered with clarity.

Want more hands-on help developing your next presentation? Then check out Ethos3’s presentation design services .

Kelly Allison

Join our newsletter today.

© 2006-2024 Ethos3 – An Award Winning Presentation Design and Training Company ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

• Terms & Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Diversity and Inclusion

eHealth Strategy & Development

Presentation skills Do’s & Don’ts

Updated December 17, 2018

The importance of presentation skills It is very sad that so many influential, bright-minded presenters with a deep expertise in their fields lose their audiences due to inadequate presentation skills. It is also about respect for the people in the audience, their time should not be wasted. Both event organizers and presenters need to do everything they can to add value to the audience. So here are some useful tips that I have accumulated over the years.

. Advice for speakers

. do’s.

• Think carefully before the event: what does this audience want to hear?  Hint: they are not interested in hearing how great you or your company are, they want to learn new things that can make them more successful.
• Use story-telling and your passion.  Find a story about people (yourself and others) that illustrates your message and tell it with your passion. Storytelling always beats lectures!
• Tell the audience not to take notes , say that you will email or post your presentation summary online immediately afterwards.
• Keep an eye contact with the audience and move around the stage , don’t hold on to the speaker stand. Use a clicker to control your presentation. Remember that 70% of your communication is in your body language!
• Engage the audience during your talk , at least every 10 minutes. For example by letting them vote on a question with their hands or green/red cards or mentometers.
• Slow down, speak slower than usual and add pauses for emphasis. This enables the audience to take in what you are saying and increases their understanding. It also gives you more respect. Never try to cram a 30-minute speech into a 20-minute time slot, that is a big no-no!
• It is important that you have a monitor with your slides in front of you, so you don’t have to turn around to see what is on the big screen. Also valuable is to have your laptop in front of you in presenter mode so that you see both the current slide and the next slide in front of you, it makes it much easier to make good transitions in your talk.
• Be visual, use pictures and videos that illustrate your points. Read my lips: less text, more visuals! You can do great presentations without any visuals,  but then you have to be a master storyteller.
• Design the slides so that they are easy to see from the back of the room. This means very big text sizes and images that fill the whole screen. The classic mistake is to sit in front of your laptop screen and design the slides for that arms-length distance, so step back 2-3 meters and see if you still can see everything. Also, avoid using borders, they are just wasted space. Remember: there are never any borders around the movie at the cinema!
• Make your slides in the 16:9 format. The old standard 4:3 is totally outdated, just look at your TV at home.
• Use a dark background on your slides, as it is easier to read for the audience and much better for the video cameras. (Yes, black text on white is considered easier to read, but that applies to large amounts of texts and we are not using that here, are we?) Also, a large projection of a white slide next to yourself in a dimly lit room will make you look darker and remove the focus from you.
• Avoid monotony by using variation and surprises in your slide styles during your presentation.
• Engage the audience.  Ask questions and have them put their hands up, in order to raise the energy level in the room.
• Focus on 2 or maybe 3 things that you want to talk about, never more than 3 things.  Explain the challenge you are working with and then tell the story and visualize the solution.
• Build your presentation based on the classic drama formula : Start with a Set-up, then Present the problem(s), then proceed to the Confrontation and finally the Resolution. This has worked for all of us humans for thousands of years!
• Hire a speaker coach that helps you improve your body language and voice.
• Use a spell checker on all your slides. Takes only a minute, saves your face.
• If you present in another language than your native, consult a language tutor to improve your pronunciation as much as possible. Getting your message out is about being understood and respected.
• Test your presentation on other people beforehand and videotape yourself. Listen to their feedback and watch yourself: would you understand and appreciate your presentation?
• If you have a Q&A session after your talk , announce that it will be short, maximum 5 minutes and that you will show a wrap-up or case story illustrating your message after the Q&A session. That way you avoid draining the enthusiasm of the audience by long-winded Q&A sessions and you keep the audience in the room
• End your presentation by showing a slide with a key question, or action point aimed at the audience, to encourage discussions afterwards. Also, show you contact details and the link to your presentation summary on your blog, or on an internet service like Slideshare.
• Create a presentation summary that can be emailed or put on your home page or blog. The summary should not be all your slides, nstead, put together 3-4 slides that explain your key messages with pictures and very short texts. Add text notes to the slides with key messages and URLs to web sites.

Don’ts

• Don’t read word by word from your script. You will sound like a robot and miss the all-important eye contact with the audience. Use stiff cue cards with key words and starter sentences instead.
• Don’t read out loud from text bullets in your slides. If you have to use text bullets, keep them very short and very few per slide, then first let the audience read it and then expand on the subject using your own words.
• Don’t use complete sentences in your slides . Your voice shall tell the story, and the slides shall only support it.
• Don’t speak with a too low or monotonous voice.  If people can’t hear you well at the back of the room, or if you don’t have any energy in your voice, you will lose the attention of the audience in a minute. Hire a voice coach!
• Don’t talk too fast and try to cram a 45-minute presentation into a 30-minute time slot by speaking at a machine-gun pace.
• Don’t start talking immediately on top of your slides . Let the audience interpret the slide for a while, then add your insights.
• Don’t use hard-to-read fonts or garish backgrounds.
• Don’t use cute or unusual photos that are not illustrating exactly what you are talking about. It distracts the audience; nobody will hear what you are saying.
• Don’t use effects , such as texts that tumble into the slide or any other disturbing transitions. The interesting stuff should be in your content, not in the effects.
• Don’t use any acronyms without spelling them out and explaining what they mean.
• Don’t waste your audience’s time by presenting the history and organization of your organisation. Unless it is essential to understand your presentation, which is very, very seldom.
• Don’t use a corporate slide template that displays the logo on each and every slide. Such templates should be banned everywhere, and they add no value to the audience. Remember, the audience is not there to learn about your company. The only place you can put your company logo is at the end, together with your name and contact details.
• Don’t mention tips verbally like “be sure to check out the website www.fancynewstuff.com, it has great features” without displaying a slide with both a picture of the web site and the URL in big letters + a note stating that the URL will be in your posted presentation.
• Don’t hide behind the computer or speaker stand . Make sure the audience see you and maintain eye contact with them. But beware of pacing around the stage.
• Don’t stand in the projector beam, ever. It is totally distracting for the audience to see garbled text projected all over your head.
• Don’t end by simply summarizing what you have talked about . Instead, show your passion for your message and that you want the audience to succeed as a result of the message of your talk.

See also my post “ Conferences Do’s and Don’ts “

I also recommend these tips: Death by Powerpoint This Presentation Trick Makes You Sound Brilliant

Published by

Henrik ahlén.

I am an eHealth Strategist in Stockholm, Sweden I drive eHealth development projects from needs analysis and idea generation to service design and implementation. See my LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mrhenrikahlen View all posts by Henrik Ahlén

21 thoughts on “Presentation skills Do’s & Don’ts”

All of these do’s and don’ts will definitely gonna help me to make a great presentation. Thank you for making such a informative article.

• Pingback: Danti rahmawati
• Pingback: Week 12: Final Year Surveying and Geospatial Science Students on Spatial Industry Businesses – The Professional Practitioner

very fine piece ,useful for classroom of pg students

fine and simple to use in the classes

• Pingback: Updated conference and speaker tips :: Alfa Bravo

Love this post. Thereäs a lot of conferences out there, but too few to edit/lead/council them (and their staff).

Great tips! Just following this guidelines alone could really help improve a presentation. Anyone new to presenting should review each suggestion before hitting the stage.

I particularly enjoyed your tips for a seminar organizer. Great ideas to help the flow, and appear more organized! Having online participants able to join in the discussion….very cool.

You might enjoying checking this out… there is free advice and presentation training….oh and a link to a REALLY GREAT T.E.D. presentation that I think you would enjoy.

Its pretty cool: http://www.presentationgravity.com

be well! Kristin

• Pingback: A few other blog articles you might enjoy: | Presentation Training Blog
• Pingback: Updated Presentation skills :: Alfa Bravo
• Pingback: Time for Conferences 2.0 :: Alfa Bravo

Excellent tips. Thanks a lot for that. Especially number 10 in do’s: the classic drama structure. This gives the whole presentation some dynamics. And prevents the audience to drift off to somewhere else in their minds.

Hanna: I agree that the Identity 2.0 presentation is impressive, but I do not think it is an effective way of communicating a message.

The stream of images totally overwhelms the content that the presenter wants us to understand. This is eye candy and not a professional way of presenting.

I am all for using illustrative pictures with little text, as opposed to bullet-text filled slides. But every image must support the message.

Thank you for your good advices. This is also a way of using ppt for your presentation. Impressive! http://identity20.com/media/OSCON2005/

My first internet- experience was not successful. But anyway I keep posting from time to time. All information online is for people to discuss. I think this is the most important thing why internet is so popular everywhere

Henrik, an excellent range of things to keep in mind! In turn I published a “guide” about presentations ( http://www.weconverse.com/guides/presentationsteknik-sv/ , in Swedish).

• Pingback: Guide till en fantastisk föreläsning | weconverse

Many excellent points – thank you Henrik!

I was at Internetdagarna and was again amazed (and bored stiff) over speakers with slides with 15 paragraphs of 10 pt Arial-text … and then a red line around the three last unreadable paragraphs, with the comment “these are probably the most important”..!!!

I confess that I use too many slides, and rely on text to much, in my presentations. But I’m trying to get more visual.

However, I think that variation and contrast are important to a good presentation. For example, if a number of slides have been visuals or keywords, a slide with a single complete sentence – perhaps as a major conclusion, in bold, great type! – will be a stark and sudden contrast.

You could then let this slide speak for itself in complete silence for a while as a contrst to using your voice the rest of the time.

It’s always good to surprise the listener with the unexpected element. Like ONE single moving image/text/transition, at the appropriate moment. A little drama is efficient!

And could there be different optimal ppt-styles for different genres? If your aim is pure propaganda, convincing the audience – are there some styles more suited for that? If you want a true discussion, is another style better? If you just want to tell a story, give the numbers?

There was a good book on graphic design by Bob Gill, called “Forget all the rules about graphic design. Including this one.” I have always liked that zen-like approach. If you forget “this one”, the you should follow the rules. Including the rule that says you shouldn’t follow the rules …! 🙂

I really liked this one. If u ever is going to have presentation..one shoud read this first!

Really valuable information!

Henrik, That is a very efficient way of expressing how to do it and how to not do it. Instructions for presentations. Perhaps a version to have in the mobile phone, or to print on a piece of paper. Paper!? Did I just write “paper?” Your conferences were all about the web, le web – rite? Johan

Hello Henrik – really interesting reading. I think that you are totally on the right track regarding less PPT and more hands on discussions. Although I belive that the format might vary dependent on the presentation setting, I have seen some really interesting ppt’s. So adding another bullet to your do’s would be more illustrations /pictures and less bullets. Many thanks / Tomas B

Comments are closed.

Presentation Training Institute

A division of bold new directions training, the do’s and don’ts of audience interaction.

The problem with many business presentations is that they don’t have a two-way interaction.  Oftentimes the presenter simply pushes information at the audience.  While this might seem like an easy approach to presenting, the fact is it’s not effective.  The object of any presentation is for the audience to absorb and retain the information and research has shown that the best way to do this is by engaging the audience.  Therefore, speakers need to take a more interactive approach if they truly want to deliver a meaningful presentation.  The following are just a few do’s and don’ts when it comes to interacting with your audience.

DO Start with a Question

When it comes to presentations, most people are used to being talked to rather than being asked to share their own thoughts.  Opening with a question is a great way to reverse the audience’s expectation. You can start by asking the audience what they hope to get out of the presentation or why they are there.  You can also ask an engaging question that will get their minds thinking. 

DON’T Speak Immediately After the Question is Asked

All too often presenters make the mistake of answering their own question and not giving the audience time to respond on their own.  If you choose to ask the audience a question, you need to be silent for a few seconds so they know you want a response.  You are not engaging the audience if you are answering for them.  Give them a chance to think for a few minutes and provide an actual response.

DO Encourage the Audience to Ask Questions throughout the Presentation

Start your presentation by telling the audience you want their questions and you expect interaction.  Encourage them to raise their hand if they choose and also explain that you will have designated times throughout the presentation when they can ask questions.  This will help to keep the audience’s attention because they will keep coming up with questions they want to ask you.

DON’T Save all Questions Until the End

While there is nothing wrong with ending your presentation with a Q&A session, it is important to encourage questions throughout the presentation.  Otherwise, you risk losing audience attention and they may have forgotten what they wanted to ask by the end of the presentation.  Furthermore, the questions will be more relevant when they are asked while the information is being presented.

DO Get the Audience Up and Moving

When we think of presentations we typically imagine sitting in our seat for a lengthy period of time without moving.  That is exactly why movement will make your presentation more interesting and engaging.  You can use simple movements like asking for a show of hands and standing or sitting to show agreement or you can take things a step further by breaking your audience into small groups.  You can even ask your audience members to move seats halfway through your presentation.  The action of moving to a new seat helps to break up the monotony and keep the audience interested. 

DON’T Stand in One Place During Your Entire Presentation

The movement rule goes for the speaker too.  It’s quite boring to listen to a speaker who stands at the podium for the duration of the presentation.  When you are presenting, it is important to move around the stage or the room.  Walk up and down the aisles.  Move closer to the audience.  These movements will captivate the audience’s attention and help you make a connection.

DO Turn to Twitter

Social media has become a staple component of the modern business world so you might as well embrace it and use it to your advantage.  After all, you are going to be competing with the audience members’ phones for their attention so you might as well give them a reason to use their phone.  One of the simplest ways to interact with your audience via social media is to create a unique hashtag for your presentation.  Make sure it is visible during your entire presentation and encourage audience members to tweet questions or comments during the talk.  Display the tweets a few times throughout the presentation to discuss comments and answer questions.  It is a great way to get even those shy audience members to interact during the presentation. 

DON’T Simply Read from a Slide

No one wants to come to a presentation to be read to.  Therefore, if you are going to use technology you must at least incorporate in a way that will be interactive.  While it is perfectly acceptable to use a slideshow during your presentation, make sure you find an alternate means to interact with the audience.

• SUGGESTED TOPICS
• The Magazine
• Newsletters
• Managing Yourself
• Managing Teams
• Work-life Balance
• The Big Idea
• Data & Visuals
• Reading Lists
• Case Selections
• HBR Learning
• Topic Feeds
• Account Settings
• Email Preferences

Avoid These 3 Pitfalls When Giving a Sales Presentation

• Terri L. Sjodin

Lessons from a study of almost 5,000 sales professionals.

A study examined the habits of almost 5,000 sales professionals whose livelihoods depend on their ability to build and deliver persuasive presentations. The findings revealed 12 common mistakes that were consistently self-reported among respondents. Here are the top three to avoid when giving a sales presentation: being overly informative vs. persuasive, failing to close, and “winging it.”

When you work in sales, no business skill is more essential than effective communication. This is especially true when it comes to giving presentations, whether you are presenting in person, over the telephone, or via a videoconferencing platform. Getting to the point, connecting with others quickly, and making a strong pitch can be the difference between moving a transaction forward or losing an opportunity.

• TS Terri L. Sjodin is an award-winning speaker who has specialized in helping people build and deliver more polished, persuasive, and effective presentations for over 30 years. She is the principal and founder of Sjodin Communications , a public speaking, sales training, and consulting firm based in Newport Beach, CA. Her latest book, Presentation Read y , (McGraw-Hill, March 2024) expands on this material.

Partner Center

MEMBERSHIP PROGRAMS

• Law.com Pro
• Law.com Pro Mid-Market
• Global Leaders In Law
• Global Leaders In Law Advisers
• Private Client Global Elite

MEDIA BRANDS

• Law.com Radar
• American Lawyer
• Corporate Counsel
• National Law Journal
• Legal Tech News
• New York Law Journal
• The Legal Intelligencer

The Recorder

• Connecticut Law Tribune
• Daily Business Review
• Daily Report
• Delaware Business Court Insider
• Delaware Law Weekly

New Jersey Law Journal

• Texas Lawyer
• Supreme Court Brief
• Litigation Daily
• Deals & Transactions
• Law Firm Management
• Legal Practice Management
• Legal Technology
• Intellectual Property
• Cybersecurity
• Law Journal Newsletters
• Analyst Reports
• Diversity Scorecard
• Kirkland & Ellis
• Latham & Watkins
• Baker McKenzie
• Verdict Search
• Law.com Compass
• China Law & Practice
• Insurance Coverage Law Center
• Law Journal Press
• Lean Adviser Legal
• Legal Dictionary
• Law Catalog
• Expert Witness Search
• Recruiters Directory
• Editorial Calendar

Legal Newswire

• Lawyer Pages
• Law Schools
• Women in Influence (WIPL)
• GC Profiles
• How I Made It
• Instant Insights
• Special Reports
• Resource Center
• LMA Member Benefits
• Legal Leaders
• Trailblazers
• Expert Perspectives
• Lawjobs.com
• Book Center
• Professional Announcements
• Asset & Logo Licensing

Content Source

Content Type

About Us  |  Contact Us  |  Site Map

Advertise  |  Customer Service  |  Terms of Service

FAQ  |  Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 ALM Global, LLC.

All Rights Reserved.

• Law Topics Litigation Transactional Law Law Firm Management Law Practice Management Legal Technology Intellectual Property Cybersecurity Browse All ›
• Surveys & Rankings Amlaw 100 Amlaw 200 Global 200 NLJ 500 A-List Diversity Scorecard Browse All ›
• Cases Case Digests Federal Court Decisions State Court Decisions
• People & Community People & Community Q&A Career Annoucements Obituaries
• Judges & Courts Part Rules Judicial Ethics Opinions Court Calendar Court Notes Decision - Download Court Calendar - Download
• Public Notice & Classifieds Public Notices & Classifieds Place a Public Notice Search Public Notices Browse Classifieds Place a Classified
• All Sections Events In Brief Columns Editorials Business of Law NY Top Verdicts Instant Insights Special Sections The Newspaper Special Supplements Expert Witness Search Lawjobs Book Center CLE Center Video Sitemap

5 Do’s and Don’ts to Avoid a Preindictment Presentation Becoming a Trial Exhibit

How can defense counsel avoid having a preindictment presentation to the prosecutor appear on the government’s exhibit list at trial? Bonnie M. Baker of Friedman Kaplan Seiler Adelman & Robbins provides five recommendations to consider in strategizing how to most safely communicate a client’s story.

July 26, 2024 at 10:24 PM

8 minute read

Criminal Law

Share with Email

Thank you for sharing.

Experienced white-collar defense counsel well know that persuading a prosecutor not to indict a client can be fraught with peril. They must strike a delicate balance between keeping their best cards close to their vest and providing the prosecutor with enough information to understand the context surrounding the client’s alleged misdeeds and intentions.

And if, in consultation with the client, defense counsel have determined to make such a presentation to a prosecutor as they explain their client’s version of the facts to the government, it is critical to take extreme care not to lock the client into an account that may continue to evolve as the investigation progresses. Defense counsel should be mindful that in making a presentation to a prosecutor, the attorney’s work product may one day be weaponized against the client.

Want to continue reading? Become an ALM Digital Reader for Free!

Benefits of a digital membership.

• Free access to 1 article* every 30 days
• Access to the entire ALM network of websites
• Unlimited access to the ALM suite of newsletters
• Build custom alerts on any search topic of your choosing
• Search by a wide range of topics

Register Now

Already have an account? Sign In Now

*May exclude premium content

You Might Like

Legal Aid Society Attorney-in-Chief and CEO Looks Back on Second Year at the Helm

By Twyla Carter

Asylum: The Sufficiency of Death Threats in Proving Past Persecution

By Martin Flumenbaum and Brad S. Karp

New York Trial Court Weighs Necessity of New 'Zone of Danger' Tort

By Joseph D. Nohavicka

Court of Appeals Approves Auto Stops Under a Public Safety Doctrine

By Barry Kamins

Trending Stories

Ex-Law Firm Leader Headed to Prison Over Unauthorized Raises, Lavish Travel Billed to Firm

Biden Will Be First Lawyer-President Without a JD From the 'T-14' in a Century

Firm Transparency Issues Have GCs 'Fed Up'—And It's Not Just Billing

The American Lawyer

Sidley Austin Opens San Diego Office

Paul Weiss Strikes Kirkland Yet Again as It Builds Out London Funds

International Edition

• 25 Years of the Am Law 200: Is Size as a Strategy a Winning Formula?
• People, Places & Profits, Part III: Are Law Firm Financial Metrics Keeping Pace With Inflationary Growth?
• The State of Diversity in Big Law: Get a Sneak Peek on the 2024 Diversity Scorecard Results

Featured Firms

Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates P.C. 75 Ponce De Leon Ave NE Ste 101 Atlanta , GA 30308 (470) 294-1674 www.garymartinhays.com

Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone 2 Oliver St #608 Boston , MA 02109 (857) 444-6468 www.marksalomone.com

Smith & Hassler 1225 N Loop W #525 Houston , TX 77008 (713) 739-1250 www.smithandhassler.com

Presented by BigVoodoo

More From ALM

• Events & Webcasts

The New York Law Journal honors attorneys and judges who have made a remarkable difference in the legal profession in New York.

The African Legal Awards recognise exceptional achievement within Africa s legal community during a period of rapid change.

Consulting Magazine identifies the best firms to work for in the consulting profession.

Come work for the City of New Haven!This is an attorney position under the direction and supervision of The Office of the Corporation Counse...

Adams Broadwell Joseph & Cardozo is accepting applications for an Associate Attorney to practice Environmental and Land Use Law in North...

COMPANY DESCRIPTION Schepisi & McLaughlin, P.A. is a reputable law firm located in Englewood Cliffs, NJ. With over 40 years of experien...

Professional Announcement

Full Page Announcement

Subscribe to New York Law Journal

Don't miss the crucial news and insights you need to make informed legal decisions. Join New York Law Journal now!

Already have an account? Sign In

Olympic gymnastics highlights: Simone Biles wins gold medal in all-around

PARIS — It was closer than expected, but the final result was no surprise.

Simone Biles cemented her legacy as the world's most dominant gymnast Thursday night, narrowly defeating Rebeca Andrade of Brazil in the 2024 Paris Olympics all-around final to become the oldest all-around Olympic champion since 1952. Biles, 27, is also just the third woman in history to win multiple golds in the all-around, and the first to win all-around titles eight years apart. Andrade finished silver and Suni Lee took bronze .

Biles, who hasn't lost an all-around competition in more than a decade, gave herself a bit of work to do after a major mistake on uneven bars, which left her sitting third at the midway point behind both Andrade and Kaylia Nemour of Algeria. But she responded by hitting a big routine on the sport's trickiest apparatus, balance beam, and then put the competition to bed with a typically brilliant performance on floor.

"I’m getting uncomfortable guys!" says of how close she was to Andrade. "I was stressing. But I knew if I did my work it’d all be fine." 

Stop what you’re doing right NOW and watch Simone Biles on floor! 🐐 #ParisOlympics 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/yAKPJ9PVEh — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 1, 2024

Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports' WhatsApp Channel

Thursday's victory gave Biles her second Olympic gold of these Games, after the U.S. women’s squad captured gold in the team final on Tuesday, and her ninth Olympic medal overall , the most ever won by an American gymnast. In the coming days, Biles could add as many as three more golds as she is due to compete in the apparatus finals for balance beam, floor exercise and vault.

Biles, who has also won 30 medals at world championships, has said she is on a bit of a redemption tour in Paris after her experience at the 2021 Tokyo Games. Biles withdrew midway through the team final with a bout of the " twisties ," which caused her to lose a sense of where she was in the air on twisting elements. She proceeded to withdraw from most of her other remaining events and take a two-year hiatus from competitive gymnastics.

Biles has proven to be perhaps even more dominant upon her return last year. She cruised to the all-around world title last fall and has continued to push the boundaries of the sport with new skills, including her now-famous Yurchenko double pike vault – which helped carry her to gold Thursday night.

"It is crazy I am in the conversation of the greatest of all time," Biles said. "I just think I’m still Simone Biles from Spring, Texas, who loves to flip."

USA TODAY Sports brought you live results, scores and highlights throughout the team final. Check out the highlights.

Simone Biles is now GOAT of all GOATs

Simone Biles  is the best to ever do it and it’s not even close. In her sport. And in all others. Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Serena Williams and anyone else you want to throw in the mix — they all take a backseat to Biles. With her second Olympic all-around title  Thursday night, Biles surpassed all the other GOATs. She’s now, as teammate Jordan Chiles  put it earlier this week, the greatest of the greats. Read Nancy Armour's full column on Biles being the greatest of all time .

Score flashes and Simone and Suni sprint onto the podium together, holding a US flag between them. Simone is jumping up and down and waving at fans. She's only third woman to win Olympic all-around title twice, and first to do it in non-consecutive Games. GOAT of GOATs. — Nancy Armour (@nrarmour) August 1, 2024

Simone Biles' goat necklace

After Biles won all-around gold — again — she pulled out a necklace with a very blingy goat .

https://t.co/786vSan3q0 pic.twitter.com/rB9ZuckJWo — FIG (@gymnastics) August 1, 2024

When does Simone Biles compete next?

Biles has three individual finals left.

• Saturday, Aug. 3: The vault final is at 10:20 a.m. ET.
• Monday, Aug. 5: The balance beam is at 6:36 a.m. ET, and floor final 8:20 a.m. ET.

Who is competing in women's individual gymnastics finals?

Here are the individual final events the U.S. women's gymnasts team will compete in .

• Simone Biles: all-around, vault, floor exercise, balance beam.
• Suni Lee: all-around, uneven bars, balance beam.
• Jordan Chiles: floor exercise.
• Jade Carey: vault.

Simone Biles vault all-around

Simone Biles got some serious height off the table on her Yurchenko double pike — the famous (and incredibly dangerous) vault that is now among her many eponymous skills . And even with a significant hop backwards on the landing, she has already established a commanding lead.

Biles' score of 15.766 puts her more than six-tenths ahead of Rebeca Andrade Andrade through one rotation. While Andrade had a better execution score on her vault, the starting value of the Yurchenko double pike (6.40) dwarfs that of the Cheng vault that Andrade hit (5.60). 

Cleared for takeoff. 🫡 Simone Biles gets her day started on vault. #ParisOlympics 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/qOtAzKDP3P — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 1, 2024

Simone Biles' floor routine

Simone Biles held a .166 lead over Brazil's Rebeca Andrade with one rotation left, floor exercise, and she scored a 15.066 to win the gold medal.

Simone Biles' beam routine

Ice. Cold. In the trickiest event in women's gymnastics, balance beam, Simone Biles put up a big-time score under big-time pressure. Despite two small wobbles, she nailed her aerial series and had a relatively clean landing on the dismount to earn a 14.566.

Hell of a gutcheck there from Biles. In third after the botch on UB, up first on BB and then a long hold and she rocks her routine. Little wonky on wolf turn, balance check on the aerial somersault. But so confident. And the difficulty is just unreal. — Nancy Armour (@nrarmour) August 1, 2024

First up on Beam, Simone Biles 🇺🇸 turns in a champion's routine: switch to switch half to back pike. Mitchell turn. Bhs, layout, layout. One small step forward on side aerial and then that incredible dismount. Biles gets a standing ovation! 14.566. #Paris2024 — FIG (@gymnastics) August 1, 2024

Simone Biles bars routine

Simone Biles winced as she walked away from the uneven bars after a nervy moment as she transitioned from the higher bar to the lower. It appeared that she got a bit too much power on the release and got a bit too far away from the low bar, raising her knees to avoid touching the ground.

"The fact that she did not come off the bar, it's just another thing to be in awe about for Simone," NBC analyst Laurie Hernandez said on Peacock's broadcast.

Biles didn't fall, but the sequence forced her to take an additional unplanned swing and significantly hurt her execution score, resulting in a 13.733 that move her into third place (29.499) behind Brazil's Rebeca Andrade (29.766) and Algeria's Kaylia Nemour (29.566) after two turns.

Suni Lee's floor routine

Suni Lee, who sat in fourth entering the final rotation, scored a 13.666 on floor, moving her into the bronze medal position. It's her second Olympic medal in the all-around final.

All the feels for Simone Biles and Suni Lee. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/nt0hmpKxTG — NBC Sports (@NBCSports) August 1, 2024

Suni Lee's beam routine

Suni Lee had a few small wobbles — but no fall — in her beam routine to score an even 14.000.

Suni Lee's bars score

Suni Lee was smiling before she even stuck the landing on her uneven bars routine — a stellar showing that earned a score of 14.866.

. @sunisalee_ 's bars routine is just 🤌 The defending Olympic all-around champion delivers a 14.866 in the second rotation. 📺: @NBCOlympics & @peacock #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/BjrwTtHcwF — Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 1, 2024

Suni Lee's vault score

Suni Lee got things started on vault with a double-twisting Yurchenko, taking a hop on the landing but notching a solid 13.933. Vault is not Lee's strongest event, but her performance there should put her in good position heading into uneven bars.

Rebeca Andrade Olympic all-around final performance

Rebeca Andrade couldn't have asked for a much better start in the all-around final. On vault, she stuck the landing on a Cheng — the second-hardest vault being done today — and notched a big-time score of 15.100, with a 9.500 execution score (out of 10).

Game on. 🔥 Rebeca Andrade starts in style with a fantastic vault in the all-around final. #ParisOlympics 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/t9XP7SQWYK — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 1, 2024

Trailing Simone Biles by almost seventh-tenths of a point after their first rotation, she needed to be pretty much impeccable over the remaining three events to catch up. And she certainly as on uneven bars. Andrade and Biles both had the same difficulty score on their uneven bars routines, but Andrade's execution was significantly better — resulting in a score of 14.766 that was almost a full point better than Biles'.

She then turned in an impressive performance on beam, especially under the circumstances. Going last in the rotation, and having just seen Simone Biles hit her routine, Andrade managed to block out the pressure and register a score of 14.133. Despite a few balance checks and minor issues, it was a strong showing. She closed out on floor, scoring a 14.033.

Steph Curry at gymnastics all-around final

The NBA's greatest shooter of all time, Steph Curry, is the stands to watch the women's gymnastics all-around final.

Simone Biles, Suni Lee introduced at all-around final

Biles and Lee were introcued to the crowd here to huge cheers.

If your ear drums just popped, that was the introduction for Simone. — Nancy Armour (@nrarmour) August 1, 2024

How high can Simone Biles jump?

During her floor routine at Olympic gymnastics trials, Simone Biles reached 12 feet in the air at one point.

SIMONE BILES IS LITERALLY LAUNCHING INTO SPACE. 🚀 #USAGTrials24 pic.twitter.com/bDGMRauCpg — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 1, 2024

How many gold medals does Simone Biles have all time ?

Biles now has won nine Olympic medals after the U.S. women's gymnastics squad won team gold at the team final in Paris. Six of her medals are gold. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Biles won three individual golds in the all-around, vault and floor exercise and led Team USA’s “Final Five” to the team gold. She also added a bronze medal on the balance beam. At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Biles added a silver medal in the team event and an additional bronze medal in the balance beam to her hardware collection. 

Why is Simone Biles called the GOAT?

Biles is the greatest gymnast of all time . She has consistently dominated the sport for over a decade, which would have been an unimaginable feat just a few years ago as most gymnasts reach their peak in their late teens. Her ability to win is in a class of its own. With 39 Olympic and world championship medals — 28 of which are gold — Biles has won the most of any gymnast in history. She has also not lost an all-around competition since 2013. 

Biles redefines the possibilities of her sport not just in her record-breaking number of wins and medals, but also in the unmatched difficulty of the skills she completes. Biles has no less than five skills named after her — two on the vault and floor and one on the balance beam — because she was the first, and in most cases, the only athlete to complete them in competition. 

Suni Lee kidney illness: How it changed her gymnastics mindset

Suni Lee went to Auburn right after winning gold in Tokyo , wanting to have the college experience and to compete at the NCAA level. She announced in November 2022 that she’d leave Auburn at the end of her sophomore season. Before that season could even end, however, Lee developed a kidney disease that caused her to retain so much fluid there were days she couldn’t even put on her grips. She returned to Minneapolis and began working with doctors at the Mayo Clinic, who discovered she was suffering from a second kidney ailment.

Thus began a nearly yearlong nightmare of tweaking medications and Lee feeling as if she had no control over her body. At one point, she said, she’d gained 40 pounds. There were days she could train and days she could only do certain things. Then there were days she couldn’t even get out of bed. By the end of February,  Lee had returned to competition . It was an inauspicious start — she did only uneven bars and balance beam at Winter Cup and fell off both — but it let her know she could still do this.

Has anyone won two Olympic all-around titles before?

Yes, but it's been a minute. Or a half-century. Larisa Latynina of the Soviet Union was the first to win two Olympic all-around titles, winning in 1956 and 1960. Vera Caslavska of then-Czechoslovakia then won the next two, in 1964 and 1968. But it's been a new champion at every Games since then. 

In fact, there hasn't been a reigning all-around champion who's won another medal of any color since Ludmilla Tourischeva of the Soviet Union. After winning gold in the all-around in 1972, she was the bronze medalist in 1976. 

How many Olympics has Simone Biles been to?

The  2024 Paris Olympics  are  Simone Biles ' third Olympic Games.

How old was Simone Biles at her first Olympics?

Biles was 19 years old at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

What are the twisties in gymnastics?

Biles missed most of the Tokyo Olympics after developing a case of “ the twisties ,” which caused her to lose her sense of where she was in the air and jeopardized her physical safety.

Who is Simone Biles married to?

Simone Biles is married to NFL player Jonathan Owens , who will be at the all-around final today. At the team final on Tuesday, he sat with Biles' parents and wearing a T-shirt with "BILES" on it and a huge photo of his wife in action on it. He landed in Paris on Tuesday morning.

During the first rotation of Monday's team final, Owens was seen with a pen in hand, possibly recording scores, as Biles performed her vault routine. Mic’ed up on NBC’s broadcast, Owens let out a healthy “let’s go!” after Biles recorded a 14.900 on the vault, the highest score among the three U.S. gymnasts.

Simone Biles' Instagram caption deservedly put MyKayla Skinner on blast

The scorch marks on MyKayla Skinner are going to be visible for a while after Simone Biles put her on blast Wednesday. Deservedly so, mind you. The Tokyo Olympian had the audacity earlier this summer to criticize the women who eventually made the team for the Paris Games , saying they weren’t as talented and didn’t have the same work ethic as in Skinner’s day.

“Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions,” Biles captioned an Instagram post of her and her teammates — Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles , Suni Lee and Hezly Rivera — celebrating their gold medal Tuesday night.

Simone Biles' moves named after her: What to know

Simone Biles has left her mark on the sport of gymnastics, in addition to her combined 28 world championship and Olympic medals. Biles has five skills named after her: Two on vault, two on floor exercise and one on balance beam. Here’s are the Simone Biles moves named after her .

Simone Biles' Yurchenko double pike: What to know

The Biles II is also known as the  Yurchenko double pike , one of five moves named after Simone Biles . Vaults are categorized by “families,” which are based on the entry. On Yurchenko vaults, a gymnast does a roundoff onto the takeoff board and a back handspring onto the table. Biles then follows it with a double somersault in the piked position.

Few men even try this vault, which is so difficult because of the power it takes to get two somersaults as well as its lack of a bailout. If something goes awry, more likely to land on her head or neck than her knees.

Biles began doing this vault in 2021 but didn’t do it at a worlds or Olympics until the 2023 world championships. With a 6.4 difficulty value, it is the hardest vault in the women’s code.

When Biles did the vault last year, she took a half-point deduction for having coach Laurent Landi standing on the landing mat, ready to step in and redirect her into a safe position if it looked as if she was headed for a scary landing. But neither Biles nor Landi feel the need for him to do that anymore.

The most difficult vault commonly executed by other gymnasts is valued at 5.6, eight-tenths lower than the Biles II, so doing it gives Biles a huge scoring advantage.

Where Simone Biles trains and what it's like to train with her

Simone Biles trains at Champions Centre World, which is owned by Biles’ parents Nellie and Ron and is just outside Houston, has become one of the premier gyms in the country. WCC has two gymnasts on  the five-woman US team  at the  2024 Paris Olympics , Biles and Jordan Chiles, with  Joscelyn Roberson  a traveling alternate and Tiana Sumanasekera a non-traveling alternate. It also sent the most gymnasts, five, to the Olympic trials, and had three more at the  US championships .

"Training with Simone is, like, once in a lifetime," said Roberson,  who moved to WCC after the US championships in 2022 . "She's always so bubbly in the gym. Plus, she can hit. All the time. Like, she never has a bad day, which is insane to me."

How Simone Biles shattered gymnastics age stereotype

Simone Biles, 27, is seeking to become the oldest all-around Olympic champion in women's gymnastics in 72 years, and she is one of four athletes on the U.S. team who fit what used to be a rare mold, as repeat Olympians in their 20s. The other three − Jade Carey (24), Jordan Chiles (23) and  Suni Lee  (21) − all competed in college between their two Olympic appearances, which also used to be uncommon. ( Hezly Rivera , 16, rounds out the team.)

With an average age north of 22 years old, it will be the oldest U.S. women's gymnastics team to compete at the Olympics since 1952, according to USA Gymnastics.

"The longevity of this sport has been totally changed. Simone has changed that," Chiles said . not to control everything that I can’t control anymore,” Biles said.