The meeting kicks off. The lights dim. And a sea of cluttered slides flashes before their eyes. Bullet point after bullet point. Graph after graph… until everyone’s enthusiasm flatlines.
That, my friends, is PowerPoint paralysis – where bad slides kill good communication.
If your team’s presentations are more snooze-fest than success story, it’s time to spot the warning signs. Let’s break down the top indicators that your staff needs to upskill in creating effective PowerPoint presentations and slide decks.
1. Death by bullet points
If your team’s slides resemble walls of text with endless bullet points, we’ve got a problem.
PowerPoint shouldn’t look like an essay. When slides are overloaded with text, people stop listening – because they’re too busy reading. And important information gets lost in the noise.
The best slidedecks focus on concise messaging, limit text – and use visuals to support key points. One slide = one clear idea.
2. Clipart and colour chaos
Are your team’s slides a visual nightmare?
We’re talking inconsistent fonts, tacky clipart and colour schemes that make eyes bleed. A lack of visual design skills can turn an important presentation into an unprofessional mess.
That’s why you need to arm your team with quality branded templates – as well as an understanding of basic design principles. Simple fonts. A limited colour palette. And high-quality images.
Clean, consistent visuals are key to brand credibility.
3. Graphs that confuse, not clarify
Complicated charts or graphs that require a decoder ring to understand are a dead giveaway. If audiences can’t decipher the data in seconds, the slide has failed.
Your team must therefore learn how to simplify their data visuals, highlight their key takeaways, use clear labels – and avoid unnecessary details.
Remember: clarity trumps complexity.
4. Reading from the slides
If your team members are turning their backs to the audience and reading slides word-for-word, they’re not presenting – they’re narrating.
And trust me, no one needs a bedtime story in the middle of a strategy meeting.
Instead, your team needs to learn how to use slides as prompts, not scripts. Encourage them to speak to the audience. Not to the screen.
5. Lack of storytelling or structure
Do your team’s presentations feel like a random collection of slides rather than a cohesive message?
That’s a sign the storytelling element is missing. Without a clear narrative, it’s hard to keep audiences engaged or make a convincing case.
By introducing business storytelling techniques, presentations suddenly have a clear structure. And that means:
- A compelling opening
- A middle that builds the case
- A strong conclusion
6. Slides are information dumps
If your team is cramming every possible detail into their decks, they’re making one of the most common mistakes. Slides aren’t the place for a data dump.
Too much information overwhelms the audience and dilutes the core message.
So encourage your team to identify what’s essential for the audience to know – and to save extra details for handouts or follow-up emails.
7. Presentations often run over time
If their meetings consistently overrun because of long-winded presentations, your team might not know how to streamline their slides or structure their time.
And although the art of brevity is certainly not easy to master, it is indeed crucial. A focused slide deck means focused communication.
So be sure your team sets time limits and rehearses to stay on track.
PowerPoint paralysis isn’t just an annoyance. It can hurt your business by causing miscommunication, losing stakeholder trust – or even costing deals. The good news? We have a course that will teach them the skills they need. Learn more about Persuasive Presentations & Pitch Decks today.