Have you ever been to a presentation where the presenter turns his back on the audience and reads from the slides? I have. A few years ago, I attended a presentation given by a prominent professor who, for 40 minutes, read from slide after slide. Due to such presentations, the term “death by PowerPoint” has become ubiquitous.
Yes, PowerPoint has had a great deal of criticism over the years, but the problem, as I see it, is not with PowerPoint nor similar slide programs. Instead, it is with the presenters. How else could we explain sitting through so many presentations that bore us to tears, and then, when it’s our time to develop a presentation, we emulate what we know isn’t engaging nor beneficial?
Before we move on, please keep these two points in mind. 1) When using the term PowerPoint, I am using it in a generic sense, representing all slide programs. 2) There is no such thing as a PowerPoint presentation. It is merely a slide program designed to help support your actual presentation.
Now, let’s take a look at a few ideas that will help make your presentations not only more engaging but also more effective.
Flashcards
Think of your slides as flashcards where your audience quickly looks at the slide, understands its relevance to your point, and looks back to you. An exception to the flashcard rule is when using a complicated slide. For instance, if you were showing where pipes carrying chemicals and gases cross over each other, you would show the green pipe. Then, you would introduce the red pipe while discussing its proximity to the green pipe. Then, you would add the blue pipe, and so on.
One idea per slide
Have you ever seen a slide segmented into halves, thirds, quarters, etc.? If so, several ideas are likely being presented on one slide, which can be confusing. Instead, put one idea on one slide. So, where you might have had three ideas on one slide, you will have three ideas on three slides.
Sticky notes
When creating a slide, first draw it, no matter how rudimentary, on a 3-inch-by-3-inch piece of paper, perhaps a sticky note. If it doesn’t fit, it could be that you are trying to put too much information on one slide.
One bullet at a time
When including bullets on a slide, limit each bullet to only a few words at most. Also, instead of having all the bullets appear simultaneously, add one bullet at a time. This way, the audience does not get ahead of you.
Use images
If you were to speak about the number of homeless children steadily increasing over the past three years, what would get your point across faster and more powerfully, a spreadsheet, or an image of a 12-year-old child living in a car? It is the image, no doubt. So, when possible, use images to quickly convey your points.
Black slides
During your presentation, the only time an image should be on the screen is when the image supports what you are saying. Therefore, you should bring up a black slide when speaking about a topic or point that does not require a slide. Then, when you get to a topic that has a corresponding slide, bring up that slide.
Keep it simple
Everything on a slide competes for attention. So, when you include your corporate logo on each slide, it competes with whatever else is on the slide. Leave it off. This is also true when presenting to an organization. There is no need to include its logo.
You don’t need to create the same boring slide decks that people suffer through so frequently. Instead, you can develop slide decks that serve your audience well by implementing these techniques.
Peter George is president of Peter George Public Speaking Inc. in Providence and specializes in helping attorneys and executives improve their public speaking skills.
Hi Peter,
Thank you for sharing your experience and insight, here. I have a new presentation (title page + content notes and outline) open now in front of me! I will use your guidance, too.
Cheers,
Greg
Thank you, Greg. Best of luck with your new presentation.
All the best,
Peter