5 Mistakes to Avoid at the Start of Your Presentation

The best presenters understand the importance of a strong opening, which is why they spend a majority of their time preparing an opening that is engaging and memorable. After all, the opening is the only time when you will likely have most of your audience’s attention. In fact, you have about 30 seconds to captivate your audience, so you want to make the most of those precious seconds. If you develop a great opening, that energy will likely carry throughout the rest of the presentation and will buy you more of your audience’s attention span. If you are interesting and exciting, the audience will want to hear more. Unfortunately, not all presenters know the art of developing a strong opening. Avoid these common mistakes at the start of your presentation if you want to captivate your audience. 

1. A Boring Introduction

Avoid the boring introduction that begins with, “Hello. My name is and I’m here to talk about…†This kind of generic introduction will lose audience interest before you ever begin. Instead, do something different to make an impact. Be bold, creative, and inspiring! Start with a startling statistic, a shocking statement, a meaningful quote, or a personal narrative. The most important thing is to start with something interesting. 

2. Apologizing

One of the worst things any speaker can do is to begin with an apology. So many people say things like, “I’m sorry but I’m not a great speaker,†or “I apologize for my nervousness,†or “I’m sorry I didn’t have much time to prepare.†Even if those statements happen to be true, you never want your audience to know it. Apologizing right off the bat tells your audience that you are unprepared, unprofessional, and not likely very credible. Avoid sharing any negative feelings you may have and keep all of that to yourself. 

3. Ignoring Your Audience

Oftentimes speakers get so wrapped up in talking about themselves that they forget about the needs of their audience. You need to establish what it is you want your audience to take away from the presentation and tell them. Communicate it in a way that is interesting to the audience such as through a story, a statistical revelation, or even a testimonial. Once your audience knows what they can expect from your presentation, they can relax and concentrate. 

4. Reading from a Script

Nothing says “boring†quite like watching someone read to you from a script. The minute your audience sees you reading from your notes or slideshows, they will immediately tune you out because they know they are in for a boring presentation. Instead, make it more like a conversation that feels natural. Remember to be authentically yourself, instead of a robot reading verbatim from slides.

5. Warning the Audience

Another common mistake presenters make is starting their presentation with some kind of a warning such as, “My presentation is complex so I’m going to do the best I can,†or “I know we would all rather be somewhere else so I will make this brief.â€Â  All the audience is hearing is “this presentation is going to be tedious and boring so I’ll try to end your suffering early.â€Â  Instead, approach your presentation with vigor and excitement. After all, if you aren’t passionate about your topic, how can you expect that from your audience?