It's unsurprising that PowerPoint slideshows have become the de facto standard for visuals in the vast majority of business presentations. Slideshows are simple to create, easy to update, and an excellent way to add visual interest to a presentation.
However, even for seasoned presenters, slideshows can be disastrous. The trick to success is to ensure that your slide show functions as visual assistance rather than a visual distraction. Avoid these common "seven deadly sins" of PowerPoint presentations for the best results.
Transitions and sound effects might become the center of attention, distracting the audience. Worse yet, when a presentation with multiple effects and transitions is viewed on a computer that is far slower than the one used to make it, the result is a sluggish, almost laughable experience. Such gimmicks rarely add value to the idea being communicated.
Leave the laser-guided text unless you're presenting at a science fiction convention! Allow Hollywood filmmakers to handle fade-ins, fade-outs, wipes, blinds, dissolves, checkerboards, cuts, covers, and splits. Even "builds" (lines of text that emerge when the mouse is clicked) can be distracting. Concentrate on your message rather than the technology.
Standard Clipart: Screen beans must perish! PowerPoint has become so ubiquitous that the clipart that comes with it has become a "visual cliché." It demonstrates a lack of originality and a stale adherence to a prescribed form. To begin, determine whether you require graphic pictures to strengthen your message. If you want, you can utilize your own scanned images or graphics from firms such as PhotoDisc (www.photodisc.com) or Hemera's Photo Objects (www.hemera.com).
When presenting information on a Website or computer software, screen captures can add authenticity. Snagit (www.techsmith.com) for Windows and Snapz Pro (www.ambrosiasw.com) for Macintosh are two popular screen capture apps. Both are shareware.
Templates for Presentations: Another visual cliché. Templates compel you to conform your unique thoughts to someone's pre-packaged template. Frequently, the templates include distracting backgrounds and ineffective color choices. Choose an appropriate book on web design and apply the same techniques to your presentations. Create a style that is uniquely yours or include your company logo into a corner of the screen.
Slides with a lot of text: Projected slides are an excellent medium for graphically representing an idea or delivering an overview. Slides are an inadequate medium for displaying detail and reading. Paragraphs, quotations, and even full sentences should be avoided. Keep your slides to five lines of text and make your points with words and phrases. The audience will have an easier time digesting and remembering crucial facts. Make no attempt to use your slides as speaker's notes or to show a simple summary of your presentation.
The "Me" Paradigm: Presenters frequently scan a table or graphic picture from their existing print company collateral and include it into their slide show presentations. Almost often, the outcomes are suboptimal. Print graphics are often intended to be viewed from a distance of 8-12 inches rather than several feet.
Typically, these images are too small, too complex, and too text-heavy to be shown effectively visually. The same is true for font size; when the text is in front of you, a 12 point font is sufficient. Aim for a minimum of 40 point font in a slideshow. Keep the audience in mind when you transition from "me" to "us." Ascertain that all parts of each slide are large enough to be clearly viewed. Size does indeed matter.
Reading: A verbal presentation should emphasize interactive speaking and listen, not on the speaker's or audience's ability to read. The requirements for spoken and written language are notably different. Spoken language is more concise, informal, and direct. Reading material undermines the effectiveness of a presentation.
A similar aspect concerns audience handouts. As a presenter, one of your objectives is to capture and maintain the audience's attention. If you give materials prior to your presentation, your audience will be more focused on reading the handouts than on you. Frequently, components of a great presentation rely on suspense to pique the audience's interest. If your audience is able to read whatever you're about to say, that element is lost.
Have Faith in Technology: You never know when a piece of equipment will fail or an interface will become incompatible, forcing you to deliver your presentation on another computer. Prepare by creating a CD-ROM backup of your presentation. Even better is a compact-flash memory card with an adaptor for your notebook's PCMCIA slot. You can still make last-minute tweaks using it.
Additionally, create a few color transparencies of your main slides. In the worst-case scenario, none of the technology functions, and you are unable to offer any graphics. If you keep your attention on the message, you should still be able to deliver an effective presentation. Always become comfortable with the presentation, practice it, and be prepared to captivate the audience regardless of the available technology. It is on the verge of extinction.
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