As an international coach and trainer I work with business professionals who want to engage their listeners.
Whether they are addressing employees, customers or colleagues; whether they are speaking directly to someone else or a stadium full of people, excellent presentations have a lot of things in common.

During my years of experience I have identified bad presentation habits that impose barriers between speakers and their listeners.
Here are the worst habits and how to overcome them.

The worst presentation habits and how to avoid them:

• Reading from notes

• Avoiding eye contact

• Reciting bullet points

• Failing to excite

• Standing to attention

• Dressing improperly

• Failure to rehearse

• Annoying gestures

• Speaking too long

• Wearing a mask or acting like an actor

• No call for attention at the close of a speech

The best presenters do not read from scripts, notes, or the computer.
While it's acceptable to refer to notes from time to time, reading directly from prepared notes is not the trait of a good presenter.
It weakens the rapport between you and your audience.
In reality a lot of people don't know how to read properly in public.

Practice your speech to the extent where you have completely absorbed it and are able to deliver it without using any notes.
Record it and listen to it.
The most magnificent relaxed presentations are the result of hours of thorough practice.

Eye contact is essential to building trust, credibility, and rapport.
Far too many business professionals have a habit of looking at everything else but the audience.

Enjoy connecting with your audience and try to maintain eye contact with your listeners throughout your presentation.
If necessary glance for an instance at your notes or slides.
But remember; you are speaking for the benefit of your listeners.
Speak to them and not to your notes!

Grab your audience's attention right from the beginning.
Audiences remember best the first thing you say and the last.
Tell your audience why they should bother to listen and why they should be excited about your content.
Give your audience a good reason to care.

Presume that your audience can read.
Some speakers seem to assume they can't.
That could be the reason so many speakers read the bullet points on their slides word for word.
That's not really exiting.
Slides or any visual aids act as a complement to the speaker, not the other way around.

Don't put too many words or graphics on a single slide.
A good rule of thumb is to use a maximum of four words across and six lines down.
On slides with more content, do not recite the slide word for word. Include a quote, story, anecdote or example to add adequate color to the content.

Trust that your audience is able to read the slide for themselves and that they want a live, dynamic presentation.

Some speakers are so stiff. it makes the presentations tedious.

Support your speech with movements, mimic and gestures.
Great speakers are animated in voice and body.
It's your stage. - Make the most of it!

Dressing to support your message means knowing the audience, their expectations and your own role.
An expensive classic suit could be best one time but inappropriate in other situations.
Dress in a way you like and that correctly conveys your message.

The more important the outcome of a presentation is to you, the greater the need to rehearse.
Most bad speeches are the result of failing to practice speaking out loud.

Most good speakers spend hours rehearsing every single element of their presentations.
They optimize the content, the facts and figures, the transition from one point to the next.
Some even plan and exercise when and where to walk amongst their audience.
This is preparation to the extreme, but it works.
The more you gain experience, then the less time you will need for the next speech. Being well prepared will give you more flexibility.

Many speakers show small, annoying gestures or mannerisms.
Fidgeting with her hands, fumbling at the tie, jiggling coins, or swaying back and forth all reflect nervousness or insecurity.
Not the best habits to support confidence in the speaker.

Videotape your presentations or rehearsals from time to time to catch your flaws.
Make sure you get professional feedback that helps you progress.

A good presentation requires the ability to articulate a message that's passionate, clear, and concise.
Listeners lose their attention after less than 20 minutes.
Unfortunately many speakers think that the longer they speak, the more important they sound. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Edit and trim everything you will say.
Do you spend five minutes saying something that you could otherwise say in 30 seconds?
What can you cut out?
Make it as clear as possible.
Repetition to underline the most important points can be helpful but be careful with that.

Concentrate on the key messages you want the audience to remember!

Don't overdo your rehearsal.
Otherwise you end just giving a play-back of your written speech.
It is not inspiring when you do it as if you memorized every word, gesture and other details.

If you practice your speech too much then you risk looking like a robot instead of like an authentic human being.

Finish your presentations on an inspiring note.
Although most presenters believe the middle of their presentation contains the really important content, the end is essential.
As good as the middle part of your speech is, most listeners will walk away from your presentation remembering what was said at the end.

Use the conclusion section of your speech to summarize and round up what you just said during the presentation, but leave your audience with one key message.
Give them something to think about when they leave the room!

A sparkling finale will trigger spontaneous applause to a well-rehearsed, well-timed, and well-executed performance.