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May 21, 2007
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.
- Plan your presentation – it’s the only path to a successful presentation - presentations thrown together at the last minute betray their author quickly
- Consider the purpose of the presentation - note what key points an audience should leave with
- Consider the audience - tailor your presentation to their needs and preferences
- Research - your topic thoroughly using a range of authoratative sources
- 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.
- Logical progression – arrange your content so that follows a logical sequence and doesn’t wander off topic
- Ensure main keypoints are sufficently supported have the necessary facts, statistics, graphs and references
- Edit the presentation - until it’s a reference for your talk rather than your entire script. Avoid full sentences and use bullet points
- 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
- Continuity is essential – it’s what makes a document, web page or presentation look professional
- A reasonably sized, consistent color pallette - looks good
- Use an “easy to read” font style – eg. Arial or Verdana and avoid script like fonts
- Have a suitably large font size - the audience in the back row needs to read the slides too (try 18 to 24pt to start)
- Use the same style - for images, graphs and diagrams
- Purchase a template if you’re not skilled - at producing an attractive, professional slide template
- Purchase photos if you can’t take a good picture – visit an image gallery and purchase some professional images
- Avoid heavily patterned or textured backgrounds - they make text hard to read
- Learn to love white space – it makes your text easier to read and limits the amount of text on each slide
- Select high contrast text and background colors - for easy reading
- Avoid using animation – it’s distracting and in most cases unnecessary
- Don’t overuse slide transitions - stick to one or a small number
- Practice and time the presentation delivery – watch a video of yourself doing it as painful as it might seem
- Check the equipment works – before the presentation check the equipment you will use and if it is your equipment cary spares
- 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
- Face the audience, not to the screen - if nerves are an issue scan above the back row
- 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.
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[...] If this information was of interest, you may wish to read our 26 Point Checklist for Professional Slide Presentations. [...]
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