| 9 January |
5 Tips to Avoid Boring PowerPoint Presentations |
You know, the professor who reads textbook provided PowerPoints slides to the class. You’ve had him too? I think we all have. The thing I find interesting is that as much as students complain about the presentation quality of their professors when it comes time for group projects they are just as bad if not worse more often than not.
As soon as a presenter shows their first slide riddled with text we know we are in for a long boring talk. I gave a talk at a Rotary Club a few months ago and I could just see everyone cringe as I pulled out my projector. But PowerPoint does not need to be boring.
A guy named author of the book Beyond Bullet Points opened my eyes to a radical new way to present using Power Point. I used his approach and Rotarians thanked me for not boring them. I’m not a great presenter yet but I am working at it. I have sat through hundreds of hours of bad presentations though, so I know some things to avoid. Here are some tips I hope you find helpful.
Tip #1 - Use Graphics Instead of Text
A clever graphic not only catches and keeps your audience’s attention but it can add to your credibility and their understanding. Which of the following two slides do you think is more effective?
I would say the first slide is far more convincing because the photo sells the concept. When people see the photo they can think of that drugged feeling they get from a long time on the computer.
Remember the goal for Keynote slides is not to present the information. It is to help you present the information.
Tip #2 - Don’t Let Your Underwear Show
No one in their right mind would give a presentation with their fly down. Yet often when we have zipper in a southernly position unknowingly. In this same way many people show the underwear of their talk without knowing it. Your notes are important and private, unless you are Madonna they are not for public display.
Most people when they put together their talk all they work on is the power point bullets. They wear nothing but their underwear and then go up and present with raw text. Don’t show your audience your notes. They will read them ahead of you, zone out and get bored. It keeps you from having any surprises any secrets. It takes away your ability to implement comic timing. Nowadays when people get bored they whip out their iPhone or Blackbarry and totally stop listening until you say “in conclusion.” People will respect you more if you stay modest.
Some great sites that have free photos are:
- sxc.hu (my favorite),
- EveryStockPhoto.com,
- Flickr Creative Commons Photos
- Microsoft Office Clip Art Gallery.
If you are wiling to spend a little dough I recommend:
When searching for clip art it is important to register for the site and in order to avoid any adult only images. The best sites wont give you that trash but it’s safe to make sure.
Tip #3 Kiss Your Audience
Steve Jobs, one of the best modern communicators imo, knows how to make things simple. He has made a fortune making complex things like mp3 players iPod easy. He presents in the same way. He often will use only a simple photo or a singe word on a black background.
There is a reason that millions of people download and watch his keynotes while Bill Gates who also talks about cool gadgets often gets ignored. The blog Presentation Zen has a great comparison of these two styles as embodied by these two men. If you can ignore the Buddhist undertones the site has some great tips on keeping presentations simple.
Tip #4 - 1 Minute Max
Don’t use one slide for 3 minutes when you can break it up into three one minute slides. This is easy if you don’t cram them with concepts. Try not to ever spend more than a minute on any given slide. Keep the audience’s attention by keeping it fresh. You are talking to a crowd that used to watching commercials that show a new shot every 4 seconds. Once you pass the ten second mark the clock starts ticking and once you hit sixty seconds the cell phone start discreetly coming out of pockets.
Another way to get invited back is to finish early. Try to leave time for questions. People love asking questions and you might find the most interesting part of your presentation is the dialog at the end. If no one has any questions bait the audience by asking one of your own. Answer it and the questions will come.
Tip #5 - Keep your Bullets in Your Concealed Firearm
I’m not saying not to use bullet points just keep them out of site in your notes. PowerPoint and Keynote both have excellent notes sections that you can print or display on your laptop as you present.
Like real bullets, digital bullets are ineffective and dangerous when they are out of place. Hitting a rifle round with a hammer might make a lot of noise but you wont hit your target unless you hide your bullets in your gun. Keep yor bullets out of site and you will find that your presentation become more interesting and more effective.
To learn how to go bullet free I would recommend that you watch the following video. This video is what caused me to join the bullet free revolution.
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