7 Common Mistakes That Ruin Your Online Presentations
Discover the most common mistakes in video calls, how to avoid them, and how to make your online presentations more professional and engaging.
François
Fondateur
Online presentations have become essential: client meetings, sales pitches, internal training, webinars... But while they've become the norm, they're far from always being effective.
An unstable connection, overloaded slides, a monotone voice... It only takes one mistake to lose your audience and waste all your work.
In this guide, discover the 7 most common mistakes that ruin video presentations... and most importantly how to avoid them to give your presentations a professional level.
💡 Bonus: At the end of this guide, discover CastMyDoc, the free tool that eliminates screen sharing problems and synchronizes your PDFs in real-time with your audience.
1. Not testing your equipment before you start
This is mistake #1, the most common, and yet the easiest to avoid. A saturated microphone, echo, blurry camera, or unstable WiFi can make your presentation unusable.
What to test systematically
Test your microphone: clear sound, correct volume, no background noise. Check your camera: brightness, sharpness, framing. Control your connection: latency, packet loss. Validate the software: microphone/camera permissions, closed tabs.
Important: A decent microphone with good settings will always be better than high-end equipment that's poorly configured.
Pro tip
Do a 5-minute test with a colleague before you start. It's quick and prevents 80% of problems.
2. Reading your slides like a script
Reading your screen instantly loses your audience's attention. The human brain cannot both read and listen at the same time: someone reading your slides is already not listening to what you're saying.
Why is this a fatal mistake?
Your tone becomes monotone. You lose eye contact. Your credibility takes a hit. Your audience checks out... for good.
The simple rule
Your slides should complement your speech, not replace it. Prepare short bullet points and develop orally with personal or professional examples.
3. Overloading your slides: too many ideas, too much text
This is one of the most common mistakes in video presentations. A slide full of text is unreadable, especially on small screens.
With overloaded slides, readability is poor, engagement drops quickly and visual impact is zero. With optimized slides, readability is perfect, attention is maintained, and the message is clear and memorable.
Golden rules of slide design
One idea equals one slide - that's the basic rule. Limit yourself to 3-4 bullets maximum per slide. The minimum font size should be 24pt to remain readable. Ensure strong contrast by avoiding light gray on white. Favor images over dense text.
To dive deeper into design for video presentations, also check out our complete slide design guide (coming soon).
4. Forgetting to engage your audience
A video presentation can quickly become a monologue. Result: participants check their emails, or worse... turn off their camera and disappear mentally.
To avoid this, you need to create rhythm and interaction.
3 simple techniques to keep attention
Technique 1: Ask a question in the first 30 seconds. This immediately wakes up your audience and involves them in your presentation.
Technique 2: Create mini-polls. This is ideal for maintaining engagement without forcing every participant to unmute.
Technique 3: Invite people to share an experience. Human interaction boosts memory and creates connection.
Bonus
Every 5 to 7 minutes, plan an interactive moment. This is the ideal pace to maintain your audience's attention.
5. Neglecting the visual experience: lighting, background, framing
Your image matters as much as your words. A cluttered background, dim lighting, or awkward framing can distract... and reduce your perceived professionalism.
Quick visual checklist
Light should be facing you, never behind. Your background should be clean and neutral. Ideal framing shows your head and upper body. Your camera should be slightly above eye level. Wear neutral colored clothing to avoid reflections.
A good on-screen presence immediately gives credibility to your presentation.
💡 Professional tip: When you're sharing documents or PDFs, use CastMyDoc instead of screen sharing. Your background stays hidden, participants only see your content - perfect for maintaining that good visual presence without distraction.
6. Poor time management: too long, not well structured
In video calls, time perception changes: after 20 minutes, cognitive fatigue increases significantly.
Why?
Non-verbal signals are less present. It's harder to maintain attention. There are multiple distractions: notifications, emails, multitasking.
Ideal structure for video presentations
2 minutes for introduction and overview. 15-20 minutes for main content. 5 minutes for questions and next steps. 1 minute for a strong conclusion.
Tip: always build in a buffer
Skipping a slide is always better than rushing your conclusion.
7. Sharing your entire screen instead of just one window
Very common mistake... and very dangerous.
Slack notifications, private tabs, personal files: sharing your entire screen can lead to very embarrassing moments.
What you absolutely must avoid
Temporary notifications that pop up suddenly. Tab previews that reveal your searches. Private messages that display. Applications open in the background.
The recommended solution
Share only your presentation window. But if you regularly present documents or PDFs, there's a much better solution.
Even better... CastMyDoc completely eliminates this problem: share your PDFs in real-time, without screen sharing. No notifications, no tabs, no distractions. Just your content, perfectly synchronized for all participants. Free and no installation required.
Conclusion: Master the basics to succeed in your video presentations
By avoiding these common mistakes, you immediately improve message clarity, your professional image quality, audience engagement, and the effectiveness of your meetings and presentations.
Video presentations require rigor and preparation, but the benefits are enormous: more impact, better retention, more professionalism.
🎯 To improve your presentation flow without screen sharing, discover CastMyDoc, the free tool that synchronizes your PDFs in real-time, without installation.
