Even confident speakers can fall into bad habits when presenting. Whether it’s rushing, reading slides, or losing your audience’s attention, small mistakes can weaken your impact. At The Presenter Studio, we help people become more polished, effective communicators. Here are the most common presentation mistakes — and how to avoid them.

Overloading your slides. If your slides are packed with text, your audience will read rather than listen. Keep visuals clean and simple. Use slides to support what you say — not replace it.

Speaking too fast. Nerves often cause people to speed up, making it hard for others to follow. Breathe deeply, slow your pace, and use pauses. It gives you more control and helps your message land.

Lack of structure. A clear beginning, middle and end is essential. Without a strong structure, your audience can quickly lose track. Set expectations early and guide them through with clarity.

Reading a script. Reading word-for-word sounds unnatural and prevents you from connecting. Learn your key points and speak in your own words — it keeps things more human and more engaging.

Ignoring your audience. Presentations aren’t one-way. Check in with your audience, make eye contact, and adapt your tone and pace based on how they respond.

With the right coaching, these issues are easy to fix — and doing so will make a huge difference to how you come across.

For more information about our training programmes visit: https://www.presenterstudio.com/business-presenter-training/presentation-skills-training