There are some very powerful presentation software packages available however, their sophistication can distract some presenters from considering some of the basic concepts for preparing a successful presentation.

1. Plan your presentation – it’s the only path to a successful presentation – presentations thrown together at the last minute betray their author quickly
2. Consider the purpose of the presentation - note what key points an audience should leave with
3. Consider the audience - tailor your presentation to their needs and preferences
4. Research - your topic thoroughly using a range of authoratative sources
5. Cull your research – until you reach a reasonable size presentation that covers the main points you want to convey Don’t put your audience into information overload.
6. Logical progression – arrange your content so that follows a logical sequence and doesn’t wander off topic
7. Ensure main keypoints are sufficently supported have the necessary facts, statistics, graphs and references
8. Edit the presentation - until it’s a reference for your talk rather than your entire script. Avoid full sentences and use bullet points
9. Consider handouts - if you have any sections which are detailed yet important to convey. Remember to inform your audience that you will be providing handouts after the presentation
10. Continuity is essential – it’s what makes a document, web page or presentation look professional
11. A reasonably sized, consistent color pallette - looks good
12. Use an “easy to read” font style – eg. Arial or Verdana and avoid script like fonts
13. Have a suitably large font size - the audience in the back row needs to read the slides too (try 18 to 24pt to start)
14. Use the same style - for images, graphs and diagrams
15. Purchase a template if you’re not skilled - at producing an attractive, professional slide template
16. Purchase photos if you can’t take a good picture – visit an image gallery and purchase some professional images
17. Avoid heavily patterned or textured backgrounds - they make text hard to read
18. Learn to love white space – it makes your text easier to read and limits the amount of text on each slide
19. Select high contrast text and background colors - for easy reading
20. Avoid using animation – it’s distracting and in most cases unnecessary
21. Don’t overuse slide transitions - stick to one or a small number
22. Practice and time the presentation delivery – watch a video of yourself doing it as painful as it might seem
23. Check the equipment works – before the presentation check the equipment you will use and if it is your equipment cary spares
24. Have a bright projector – if you have a projector with 2,000 lumens brightness you will never have to worry about whether the room will be too bright
25. Face the audience, not to the screen - if nerves are an issue scan above the back row
26. Forget Comedy - unless experienced

One presenter who can successfully use comedy is stand-up comedian Don McMillian who’s a specialist corporate event commedian. In the following YouTube video “Life after Death by Powerpoint” Don uses comedy to empahasise some very important points about what not to do with a Powerpoint presentation. Visit Don’s site technicallyfunny.com to learn more about his work.