The Worst Advice for Presenters. (Virtual or in person.)

Over the last decade and a half, I've spent my time helping people overcome their fear of presentations and tell their stories. With the rise in video meetings, many of the pitfalls of in-person meetings become even more problematic. Over the years, I've come across some of the worst advice imaginable. If you're stuck with some of these habits, I can help! It's been my passion for a long time.

Here are some of my favorite pieces of bad advice taken from my upcoming book "Presentations Suck".

Bad Advice: Tell them what you're going to tell them. Tell them. Tell them what you told them.

• Why it's Bad: Tattooing, the information on the arms of the audience, would be less painful and easier to recall. You can hear something many times, but unless you care about it, you won't remember anything except how boring the teacher was.

The Good Advice:  If you think back over your life, you will likely find that your memories are each packed with a great story, authenticity, and connection -- presentations should be the same. Don't just repeat yourself -- inspire.

Bad Advice:  Ask the audience to hold their questions until the end.

• Why it's Bad: Control much? You might also ask them to bow at the beginning of the meeting and refer to you as "Room King." What if they get confused three minutes in? What if they have the solution to your problem or want to say yes to your offer? What if you forget what you are saying? What if they find an article on LinkedIn that is WAY more interesting?

Better Advice: What if a conversation is a much better way to persuade/inform. There are ways to involve your audience no matter what the size. These tactics will change the way you think about and, more importantly, the way others think about your presentation.

Bad Advice: Imagine the audience naked. 

• Why it's Bad: I mean, do I need to explain? We can tell when people are distracted. We can tell when people are having creepy thoughts. Plus -- some people aren't even wearing pants in this digital age -- so you might as well wait until they stand up.

Better Advice: You might want to think about the task at hand. Connecting with your audience, sharing how you can make their lives better, and trusting that they want you to succeed -- that's going to work a lot better for you.

Bad Advice: Don't gesture with both hands. 

• Why it's Bad: Wait -- do you have knives for fingers? If so - be careful! If not, worrying about how your hands move when you're passionate is a fast train to panic town. Self-focused thoughts create nervousness. Don't do it to yourself.

Better Advice: In virtual meetings, your movement is limited. Let your hands run free -- they're rarely the issue. If people are noticing your hands, odds are -- there are a lot of other things to worry about. If you are connected to what you are saying, your hands will do the right thing. Trust them, they've been with you for a long time. ( If your hand gestures are distracting. Pay a friend every time they catch you doing it. Trying to change it during a presentation will disconnect you from your content, audience, and efficacy.)

Bad Advice: Use the department presentation template.

• Why it's Bad: It depends on the template. Perhaps it is a story-driven template that creates a logical and persuasive flow and sets you up to have a conversation with the audience. Maybe all of your teammates absolutely kill it using this template. Odds are -- it's not, odds are -- they aren't.

Better Advice: Write the audience's story. Tell them where they are going, how it will help, and what the reward will be. Then use the minimum amount of slides to support your presentation.

I'd love to hear the worst advice you've heard! If you know someone who is struggling with meetings, contact me. I'm teaching live sessions soon and have many resources that I'm happy to share free of charge.