Death by PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a very flexible and powerful tool; it’s comparatively easy to create professional presentations.  But what makes a really good presentation?

It’s not lots of whizzy graphics.  Although PowerPoint offers you the options to make text fly around the screen, stretch, flash and more, it doesn’t mean that will make your presentation look good.  It’s much more likely to irritate your audience and get in the way of the message you’re trying to get across.

It’s not your notes written on the screen.  Whilst it can be a great comfort blanket to have all your points there in front of you, it can also ensure your message isn’t listened to.  Listening to someone reading the screen isn’t very exciting or informative.  Most of us are quite visually sensitive and if you’re talking about something, but there is slide with information you’ve already covered on the screen many of your audience will be rereading that instead o listening to what you have to say.

It IS a means of helping your audience to understand your message.  A great PowerPoint presentation uses graphics to illustrate the message.  It doesn’t replicate or replace the presenter, but enhances what they have to say.

Use it PowerPoint to:

• Show graphs and charts to make trends and figures come to life
• Run short film clips to demonstrate a point
• Provide visual evidence with photos or diagrams
• Give accurate quotes and their attributed author

You’ll find that your audiences will stay awake and engaged if you get it right.