Giving Effective PowerPoint Presentations
By Scott Stratten
Dos and Don'ts For PowerPoint Presentations
I've witnessed companies that outsource their external PowerPoint presentations to graphic design firms, but for internal audiences it's given to whoever is around that knows how to open PowerPoint. The message to employees is very simple: You aren't as important to us. Purchasing a CD set of backgrounds and pictures is a smart investment. I use Digital Juice and I have hundreds of themed backgrounds and thousands of photos to choose from, most of which I've never seen in any other presentation.
Then there is the flipside: overdoing it. The overuse of technological bells and whistles in PowerPoint presentations is an under-rated problem. Many presenters think, "If it's new and dynamic; it will make my PowerPoint presentation much better." There is nothing better than a PowerPoint presentation that is done professionally with only limited effects.
A common mistake is the overuse of PowerPoint animations and transitions during a slideshow. I'm sure you've seen what I'm talking about; the presenter that animates each sentence so it flies in, drops down, and explodes on the screen with an accompanying sound effect. What happens after that? Do you lose track of what the presenter is saying? Forget within three seconds what the point was because you were so focused on the effects that you missed the content?
While the thought process behind these special effects is, "This highlights my point and emphasizes the importance," the outcome is often the opposite. People tend to get distracted by the effects. Especially with sounds, where the presenter can hear the whooshing noise, along with the few in the front of the room. The people in the middle think they heard something, but couldn't make it out and the people at the back are wondering why there is a fly somewhere in the meeting room. Laptops were not meant to project sound to fill a room, so don't use them to do that.
Want to emphasize a main point? Put it on the screen by itself and let people read it. A good rule for effective PowerPoint presentations is to put up only your main points and use the screen as a reference. If you run through your PowerPoint presentation (which you must do many times) and you see a slide with more than five points, start a new slide. Your slideshow is not the presentation, it is an aid.
If what you say when you expand the bullet points is useful for the audience to take away, put it in the handout. Then let them know at the beginning of your PowerPoint presentation that you will give out copies of the slides. Unless you want a mutiny on your hands, I don't suggest letting people take notes all through your PowerPoint presentation, then giving them a handout at the end with all the points on it. Make sure you give the handouts at the end as well, unless it's crucial they follow along with them, or again you will distract your audience.
If you have a quote or a long statement that cannot be chopped up into bullet points, put it up either on the screen and allow people to read it, or read it out loud from your notes, but not both. As much as people like to think the opposite, we can only do one thing at a time. If someone is reading the screen, they are not listening to you, and vice-versa.
If only the main points are on the screen, the audience will realize their importance. Don't overwhelm your audience with techno-fluff. The power of technology is neither the point of your PowerPoint presentation, nor the strength of it. The technology should be used only sparingly or to reinforce the information you have to share. After all, your goal is to make sure they leave the room with the right information.
