The Problem With PowerPoint
PowerPoint is one of the most widely used communication tools in business and education today, unfortunately it is also the most misused. With slides overloaded with text, charts and diagrams the norm it’s not hard to see why the term ‘Death by PowerPoint’ was coined!
The problem we are faced with is that PowerPoint has gained an association with bad presentations. Whether PowerPoint is used for day-to-day internal presentations or conferences and sales pitches, the audience often expects that the presentation will be a guaranteed snoozefest, and more often than not they are right.
It’s Time to Wake Up Your Audience!
This problem presents a huge opportunity for you to break the norm and effectively use PowerPoint to truly connect with your audience and leave them with a positive impression of you and your business.
So, where do you begin? There are three key areas that will help you make your next presentation get remembered for all the right reasons.
Develop
Before you even begin putting together your PowerPoint slides you need to first make sure that you have a solid foundation to your presentation. You need to develop the story.
– Step away from the computer and brainstorm your ideas and goals
– Grab a marker pen, some paper and storyboard your presentation
– Plot a flow and take your audience on a journey
Design
Keep it simple. Remember that PowerPoint slides are there to support you. You want to make sure that your audience is listening to you and not distracted by your busy slides.
– No clipart – use clean, strong visuals that support what you are saying
– Charts – do you need one or can you just pull out the key statistic?
– No clutter – stick to one message per slide
– Use colour wisely – make sure it is relevant to your brand or topic
Look for design inspiration on presentation sites such as SlideShare, Note & Point or for some top PowerPoint design tips take a look at this creative PowerPoint presentation.
Deliver
If you have spent time developing your presentation story and producing considered supporting PowerPoint slides then you have the tools for a great presentation, everything else is down to your delivery.
One of the biggest issues with presenters is that although they may know their topic well this does not always translate to a good presentation.
– Rehearse – to a mirror/partner/ your cat!
– Rehearse – know your slides and animations
– Rehearse – practice your timings and stick to them