Powerpoint
The best techniques for a professional presentation
By Birgit Starmanns
The instructions to the speakers were clear: Avoid "death by Powerpoint" by limiting the presentation to three slides. Also, speak for only 15 minutes.
The response was, to say the least, creative. One speaker chose a font size so small that the experience was closer to reading a Word document - and the presentation lasted twice the allotted time while he read every word to us. The next speaker used so many animations that each single slide turned into the equivalent of 10. Needless to say, they missed the Power of getting to the Point.
Best Powerpoint Presentations
Microsoft Powerpoint is an effective software tool, available individually or as part of a Microsoft Office bundle. It allows speakers to provide visual support of their presentations for the audience (such as the key take-aways or a simple illustration of a complex concept), which is critical in any business meeting or conference presentation.
Unfortunately, many speakers use special effects to replace true content, and overkill the visual part of the presentation. Instead, take advantage of Powerpoint's features to enhance your presentations and to make them memorable - as support for the purpose of the speech.
The Basic Elements
To create slides, different Powerpoint views allow speakers to manage content. The "slide" view displays one slide at a time, while the "slide sorter" view is designed to rearrange the order of the slides to support the flow of the speech. In addition, the "notes" view allows speakers to add supporting text, which is not displayed as part of the presentation but can be printed out as a handout for the audience. The "normal" view is a combination of all three views, allowing speakers to rearrange slides in a frame to the left, edit the slide on the right, and enter notes in the bottom.
The slides themselves should have a consistent look and feel. Powerpoint templates are available that provide default text formatting such as size, font and color. Powerpoint backgrounds, such as images, colors, and logos, are typically part of the template. Free Powerpoint templates and backgrounds are delivered as part of the software package, others are often provided by an organization; this ensures that all employees of a company, or all presenters at a conference, have the same slide style.
The most important points of the presentation should be captured on the slides, in a font size that is easy to read. The acid test is: can the text be read from the back of the room? The bullet point format, while better than paragraphs, is often overused. A catch phrase is often the best choice; formatting the text with a background color, and a bold font, also makes it stand out. And, of course, the speaker should elaborate on key points during the presentation.
The Creative Elements
Powerpoint allows speakers to use graphics and illustrations to make their point. This does not mean loading up on the abundance of clip art that is available as part of the Microsoft Office package or on other free websites - the better strategy is to use a chart or business graphic that can clearly tell the story. In addition to making each word count, each graphic or image should advance the story that the speaker has to tell.
Each aspect of a presentation - text, graphics, images - can be animated, allowing text and graphics to fly, spin and swivel onto the slide. But don’t let animations in Powerpoint overwhelm your presentation. While no one wants to see every word fly onto the slide, animations allow you to make a big impact at the right time. If the last point on a slide is a surprise conclusion, then the audience should not be able to read ahead until the speaker is ready to drop the bomb. Instead of using a new slide, the conclusion can "float" in when the speaker is ready, using one of many special effects.
The Human Element
While preparing, many speakers spend more of their time constructing Powerpoint special effects than on content and practicing their presentation techniques. Aside from the use of an occasional audio clip linked into the Powerpoint presentation - which may or may not be successfully hooked up to the sound system in the presentation room - slides don't talk. Slides also can't see the audience response and make adjustments in presentation style. Slides won't make eye contact to engage the audience and slides don't know the material and can't respond to impromptu questions.
In other words, slides do not replace the speaker. But used correctly, Powerpoint can visually and dynamically support what the speaker has to say, so use with caution and with style – just remember, in the end you own your presentation and only you can make it a success.
