Over the years, I've witnessed hundreds of Microsoft
PowerPoint presentations given by many different people. Some
presentations were project debriefs, some were training sessions,
whilst others were information seminars. And this list of applications
is only the tip of the iceberg of the many purposes for which I have
seen PowerPoint used. With such versatility, it's no wonder PowerPoint
is the presentation software of choice for most.
I'm pleased to report that with all of this first hand
experience under my belt, I am ready to distill for you the 10 leading
practices used to make a presentation unforgettable. Here is how you
can make your next presentation just that little bit more memorable.
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Use 10 point font liberally on all of your
slides
This neat little trick gives you a key advantage over your
competitors. It forces people to occupy the seats nearest you, up close
so that they can get every subtle nuance of your presentation. And if
the presentation is not relevant to them, you may as well make the best
use of their time by testing their vision whilst they are there.
-
Don't tell your audience where you are
taking them
Make sure that you launch straight into your presentation.
Summarizing first what you will be talking about and what participants
will get out of your session is just a big time waster. Furthermore,
there is nothing better to generate interest in your talk than
shrouding the purpose of your session in mystery.
-
Read every word on every one of your slides
This trick demonstrates unmistakably that you know your
subject inside out. Remember also, not everyone can read as well as
you, so helping the linguistically challenged will score you extra
brownie points.
-
Display your slides throughout the entire
presentation
Fiddling around with the "B" key to blank the slides when
you think you don't need them only risks you hitting the wrong key and
losing your slides. And then how silly will you look. Most importantly,
always having the slides showing emphasizes the preeminent importance
of the slides over and above the other trifling activities, such as
demonstrations, exercises, answering questions, and so on.
-
Cram as much information on each slide as
possible
People are hungry for information and they expect you to
deliver as much as possible in the time available. Every square
millimeter of space, therefore, is precious. So don't waste it by not
filling it with text or a graphic or anything that you can get your
hands on.
-
Display as many slides as time will allow
We all know that some information is good and more is
better. And what better way to show your mastery of the subject than to
have a slide on every conceivable aspect of it. Aim to show at least
one slide per minute. If you start running out of time, simply speed up
your rate of delivery. This helps to create a sense of urgency about
your topic.
-
Hand out your slides before the presentation
Content is king, so what better way to demonstrate that
than by putting the information in people's hands right up front. That
way, no one can be deceived that your presence, approachability,
integrity and passion are in any way relevant to the presentation.
-
Do not hand out explanatory materials
What better way to generate discussion after your session
than by having people guess what each point on your slide meant in the
days and weeks following the event? Handing out extra materials over
and above the bullet points on your slides will only spoil the fun. And
think of the message you will be sending if such useful information got
into the hands of non-attendees. Do you really want to reward those
people who were too lazy to attend your presentation anyway?
-
Avoid eye contact with your audience
Make sure you talk to your slides from the start to the
very end. Experts master this aspect with a combination of showing
their back to the audience and looking down at their notes. Remember,
your personality is irrelevant to a successful delivery. So, at all
costs, avoid diverting the audience's attention away from your slides.
-
Use every slide transition effect available
This is your one chance to shine if your content falls
flat. By having your slides crashing, twirling, sliding, dissolving,
and so on, you will at least demonstrate your proficiency with the
technology. What easier way is there to put the "wow" into your
presentation?
With the ten tips above, you are now in a position to draw
upon the experience of PowerPoint veterans to improve your next
presentation. If you find that your presentations have been missing a
number of the above best-practices, endeavor to utilize just one or two
in your next presentation. When you have mastered those techniques,
move on to the next one or two. Over a period of some months, you will
have honed your presentation skills to such an extent that you will be
regarded widely as a "PowerPoint supremo". What better testimony can
there be to your presentation skills?
Article Published/Sorted/Amended on Scopulus 2013-06-13 09:28:15 in Computer Articles
