Annoying things people do during presentations and speeches

Annoying stuff during presentations and speeches

Whether it is a scientific, business, social, political, religious, or any kind of presentation, the following, in my opinion and experience, are some of the stuff to try to avoid:

1. Wearing the wrong dress code. There are casual and also official dress code meetings. It is weird when you defy. While trying to look and/or feel unique from the rest of the ordinary mortals (mostly it’s just for emotional satiety), your presentation may turn you out as just a masquerading pseudo-intellect.
2. Coming with your gadgets (laptops, connectors, tablets, etc) when there is a universal one provided and communication having had done earlier to that effect. It’s more annoying when you spend half of your allotted time just trying to connect the uncooperative and at times incompatible devices.
3. Refusing to use the microphone, when everybody else is, by alleging that you can shout loud enough, only for people, even those seated at the front to keep struggling to hear you clearly.
4. Using microscopic fonts. How do you expect people to read such? It’s worse when you do this and leave an entire slide’s space empty. Too fancy font type and crazy animations and graphics are also boring.
5. Filling up your PowerPoint slides with text which nobody, including you, can read within the slide transition time. There is a reason why it is called PowerPoint; just present the powerful points only.
6. Skipping your slides without explanation; why did you include them? To skip them?
7. Failing to face the audience and also failure to judge or monitor the audience mood.
8. Overstretching your allotted time too much.
9. Rushing to finish showing your slides
10. Ending a long presentation or speech by “With those few remarks.”

Generally, the best presentation is one with both style and substance if you can’t achieve both, at least try to get one right.

Dr. Mutungi holds a PhD in Medical Sciences in Infection Research and is currently a medical researcher at The University of Tokyo.