4 Visual Storytelling Mistakes in Presentations and How to Avoid Them

Not all of us are professional graphic designers, yet most of us create presentations at work. We naturally want these presentations to look good because strong visuals make people feel first and think second. Visual storytelling is a powerful tool for creating compelling presentations and delivering messages in a captivating way. Creating a good visual story isn't just about using attractive images; it's about crafting an overall visual experience that helps your audience grasp your message.

You don't need to be an artist to create an impressive presentation. You can make your presentations more visually appealing and purposeful by avoiding these four common mistakes:

1. Starting with Visuals Instead of Story

The first mistake is beginning at the wrong point. When creating a pitch deck, people often want to start directly with creating stunning visuals. Sometimes, they think that they already have the content, and the only thing they need is a presentation designer to create spectacular slides. This sounds like a professional approach, doesn’t it?

Absolutely no.

To create a great pitch deck, the story must come first. Focus on your narrative and streamline it from beginning to end. Only then should you consider how to visualize it. Visuals should enhance your main story, make it more digestible, and bring out its full potential and make an emotional impact. Creating pitch decks without a clear, mature narrative often leads to images that don't add real value.

2. Creating a "Frankendeck"

A more serious problem occurs when a presentation lacks a clear storyline: the dreaded "Frankendeck." This term describes a pitch deck with no clear message or call to action. Many Frankendecks I’ve seen are actually closer to project documentation than presentations. They often result from people cobbling together slides from various documents, thinking they can simply combine them for client presentations. This is how Frankendecks are born in many cases.?

I also saw very fancy Frankendecks as well, they are not always ugly. You might see beautifully crafted presentations at major events that entertain at the moment but leave no lasting impression. The audience might enjoy the show and applaud at the end, but minutes later, they can't recall the key message or purpose. These are simply nice-looking Frankendecks that fail to communicate effectively.

If you need tips about building a storyline that works, check this article from my blog:?

7 Proven Storytelling Templates for Winning Sales Decks →

3. Causing Cognitive Overload

"Let's combine these slides to make the presentation shorter." I think I hear this at least once a week. While this thought seems logical, it's one of the worst things you can do to your presentation. This common mistake has a scientific name: cognitive overload. This occurs when people receive too much information simultaneously, making it harder for their brains to process and retain information.

The solution is to keep slides simple and direct. When slides are straightforward, your audience can focus on what matters and remember more. Here's how to avoid cognitive overload in two simple steps:

?? Step I:

Include only essential information on your slides, delivering secondary details verbally.

?? Step II:

Break it up. Divide complex information across multiple slides. Don't worry about slide count, focus on making your content digestible. Think from your audience's perspective. Focus on what you want them to experience rather than what you want to show.

?? Pro Tip:

The only way to make a presentation shorter is to remove content, not compress it in fewer slides.?

You can focus on elevator-pitch techniques if you want to refine and shorten your message in a meaningful way.?

Discover 6 Elevator Pitch Examples →

4. Limiting Yourself to Slides

While presentations typically rely on slides, you can incorporate other formats to support your narrative and convey your message more effectively. Consider these proven alternatives:

Instructional Videos

Let me share a recent example from a pitch presentation. We needed to demonstrate how our clients could create graphical assets using the templates we will deliver. We created a two-minute how-to video and incorporated it into the presentation. During the pitch, we simply said, "Let's watch this video together to walk through the process." The video significantly improved their concentration and understanding of the concept.

Props

Consider moving beyond slides by incorporating physical props into your presentation. You can introduce an element of play by using LEGO bricks, marbles, or candy. Anything physical. Enhance your storytelling by using inanimate objects like dolls or stuffed animals to characterize concepts, or utilize fruits and vegetables as tangible analogies.

Here are some excellent examples of this method from Hans Rosling, an academic and masterful storyteller:

Conclusion

To create effective presentations, first develop a well-structured story, then focus on visualization. Avoid creating Frankendecks and resist the urge to overcrowd slides. Then you will already have a really decent deck, which does its job well. If you want to add more spice, consider integrating other formats like videos and props. This method creates lasting impressions that your audience will remember.