In partnership with
THE CODE
7 Mistakes Killing Your Credibility (and the Fixes That Save It)
It’s the new year, and I’m betting you’re already eyeing those 2026 conference calendars. You’ve decided: this is the year your name goes on a stage. You’ve got the expertise, the insights, the stories no one else can tell. The only thing standing between you and that spotlight? A slide deck that makes people lean in instead of tune out.
I’ve watched brilliant women in tech and science lose the room in the first five minutes—not because their content was weak, but because their slides quietly undermined their authority. The good news? These are fixable. Today we’re tackling the seven most common credibility-killers I see (and the fast fixes that turn “meh” decks into “wow” ones).
Let’s get your slides stage-ready so your voice finally gets the amplification it deserves.
7 Mistakes Killing Your Credibility (and the Fixes That Save It)
Wall-of-Text Slides
The mistake: Paragraphs that force the audience to choose between reading your slides or listening to you. (Spoiler: they’ll read and stop listening.)
The fix: One idea per slide. Aim for 10–15 words max. If you’re tempted to paste a bullet list from your paper, don’t. Turn it into a single bold statement + a simple visual.
Action this week: Pick your most text-heavy slide. Cut the word count by 70%. Read it out loud—does it still make sense when you say it? Good. Keep going.
Generic Stock Photos
The mistake: Clichéd images of diverse hands stacking or women staring intensely at laptops. They scream “template” and dilute your unique perspective.
The fix: Use screenshots of your actual work, diagrams you drew, photos from your lab or codebase, or custom icons. Authenticity > polish.
Action this week: Replace at least three stock images with something only you could show.
Tiny Fonts and Busy Backgrounds
The mistake: Slides that look great on your 4K monitor but become illegible from row five.
The fix: Minimum 30pt font for body text, 44pt+ for titles. Dark text on light background or light text on dark—high contrast only. No patterned backgrounds.
Action this week: Zoom your deck to 66% view. If you have to squint, fix it now.
Reading Your Slides Verbatim
The mistake: Turning yourself into a human teleprompter. The audience immediately thinks, “Why is she here if the slides say everything?”
The fix: Your slides are a backdrop, not a script. Use them as prompts for stories only you can tell. Practice delivering each slide in your own words.
Action this week: Record yourself presenting three slides without looking at them. Notice where you naturally add color—keep those stories.
No Clear Narrative Arc
The mistake: A random collection of interesting points instead of a journey that pulls the audience along. The fix: Structure like a story: Problem → Tension → Insight → Resolution → Call-to-Action. Label your sections clearly (e.g., “The Hidden Cost,” “What We Discovered,” “How to Fix It”).
Action this week: Write a one-sentence purpose for your talk at the top of your deck. Does every slide serve that purpose? Delete or move the ones that don’t.
Overloading with Data Dumps
The mistake: Ten complex charts in a row that leave the audience drowning.
The fix: One key insight per visual. Highlight the single number or trend that matters. Use animations sparingly to reveal data step-by-step.
Action this week: Choose your most intimidating chart. Simplify it until someone in a totally different field could grasp the takeaway in five seconds.
Forgetting the “You” Factor
The mistake: Slides that feel like an academic paper instead of a conversation with real humans who have the same struggles you do.
The fix: Add personal proof points: “When I tried X at my company…” or “My team saw Y increase by Z% after…” It reminds everyone you’ve done this, not just studied it.
Action this week: Add at least one personal anecdote or result to your deck. Make it human.
THE RUN
🎬 Your Next Move
You don’t need a design degree or fancy software to fix these. You need 30 focused minutes and the decision to stop hiding behind busy slides.
Pick one mistake above that feels most familiar. Fix it in your current deck (or start a fresh one for that proposal you’ve been putting off). Then hit reply and tell me which one you tackled—I read every response and love celebrating your wins.
Because when your slides support your brilliance instead of stealing from it, the room doesn’t just listen—they remember you.
You’ve got this. The stage is waiting.
THE WRAP
✋Before you go:
Please 🙏 use the poll below to tell me how I did this time. Your feedback helps me make better content.
If you have not already, please subscribe to my newsletter → here.
Our FIRST free in-person event of 2026: Voices of Transformation: AI, Robotics, and the Future of Business → here.
I’ve launched a new Free community for Women in Tech Speakers. Interested? Join → here.
🌞 Keep Shining,
Barkha
Easy setup, easy money
Making money from your content shouldn’t be complicated. With Google AdSense, it isn’t.
Automatic ad placement and optimization ensure the highest-paying, most relevant ads appear on your site. And it literally takes just seconds to set up.
That’s why WikiHow, the world’s most popular how-to site, keeps it simple with Google AdSense: “All you do is drop a little code on your website and Google AdSense immediately starts working.”
The TL;DR? You focus on creating. Google AdSense handles the rest.
Start earning the easy way with AdSense.
