Viva’s Blog: Death by PowerPoint
I can’t do it. I can’t sit through another PowerPoint presentation where the speaker attempts to share 4 hours of information on 30 slides in 20 minutes. And that’s after he starts by apologizing for the hard to read slides. Can you relate?
Stop the insanity. Follow these tips and leave your audience wanting to continue the dialog rather than having them leave shaking their head wondering what you were rambling about.
Tip #1: Tell a story.
There’s a reason why parents read bedtime stories to their children. They are engaging and enjoyable to follow. Presentations are no different. Once you decide the goal of your presentation, then you can determine the story you want to tell to take your audience on a journey to your desired call-to-action.
Tip #2: Keep it simple.
The PowerPoint presentation is the production assistant, not the leading lady. It’s there to reinforce your messages, not tell the whole story. Slides with a single word or visual have more impact than slides with 10 bullet points and 2 charts. If your audience is reading your slide, they likely aren’t listening to you. Want to share complex data to help tell your story? Then prepare a handout with the data, pass it out and give your audience time to absorb it.
Tip #3: Feature your brand.
Use a template that elegantly presents your brand. The layout and design should be consistent with your company’s other materials from your business cards to your web site. Now’s not the time to introduce new colors, designs, or typefaces. Every external presentation by every employee should use your branded template.
Tip #4: Minimize the distractions.
Use slide transitions and sound effects sparingly. Enjoy playing with the amazing tools available to spruce up presentations? Do it on your own time. Same for sound effects. The overuse of technological bells and whistles is an under-rated problem.
Do your audience a favor. Consider these tips before you create your next PowerPoint presentation. They’ll thank you by wanting more.
