4 All-Too Common Mistakes Presenters Make Using Visuals

By Dianna Booher

Don’t Let Visuals Dominate
Don’t let your media upstage you. Watch for thoughts like, “As long as I’m preparing slides, I may as well do 25 as 15.” Any technique—even the most creative slides—can get monotonous. As a rule of thumb, your presentation should average no more than one visual per minute. Average is a deceiving word here, however. For example, during a presentation to a group of proposal writers, I may use three slides in five minutes to present examples of unclear documents. On the other hand, I may use no visual at all for 20 minutes during a keynote address on life balance or communication. Vary number and selection based on topic and purpose. Less is more.

Your purpose is not to guide your audience from visual to visual. If this is your approach, you may as well prepare bound sets of visuals and distribute them to your audience members for self-study. You should dominate; your visuals should support.

Don’t Talk to the Visuals
Visuals are for the audience, not the presenter. Never face your visuals while talking or, worse yet, read them to your audience. Know your material well enough to be able to maintain eye contact while elaborating on the key points using your own words. The visual is the beginning point, not the end.

Don’t Get Too Fancy with Transitions and Builds
The types of builds and transitions you decide to use will affect the pace of your presentation dramatically. Transitions that “fade through black” will seem to take forever, whereas those that “appear,” “fly in,” “wipe right,” or “wipe left” will feel faster.

Limit Each Slide to One Major Concept
One purpose of a visual is to simplify complex data. If listeners have to study the visual to understand it, the visual misses the target. Sometimes more is just more.

Consider both the pros and cons before letting the possibility of what you can do dictate what you should do.

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Dianna Booher works with organizations to increase their productivity and effectiveness through better oral, written, interpersonal, and cross-functional communication. She is a keynote speaker and the author of more than 40 books (22 on communication) including The Voice of Authority, Booher's Rules of Business Grammar, Speak with Confidence, and Communicate with Confidence. Dianna is CEO of Booher Consultants, a communication training firm offering programs in presentations skills, business writing, and interpersonal communication. Successful Meetings Magazine named her to its list of “21 Top Speakers for the 21st Century.” Executive Excellence Publishing also named Dianna to its “Top 100 Thought Leaders” and “Top 100 Minds on Personal Development.” www.booher.com or call 800.342.6621.

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