Death By Powerpoint.

Presentation software is here to stay, it has revolutionised the way in which trainers and presenters perform on stage, unfortunately like many tools, without proper advice and a little common sense, they can be more of a hinderence than a help.


Here are a few pointers to help you get the best out of presentation software, without killing your audience with a Visual Overload!



Think about it - Years ago, before the advent of projectors and laptops presenters and trainers had to use plastic OHP slides. These were usually hand crafted and each one took time to complete, and so care and attention was put into every slide. Although the tool has changed and it is easier to produce a slide, always ask yourself whether the slide is necessary, and if you were crafting by hand, would you add it in?


That old Razzle Dazzle - Simple, muted slides are much better than jazzy over the top affairs, the slide is a message in itself, and should be consistent with the image that you wish to deliver beyond the slide itself. Also beware of adding sound effects, yes they can be fun, but does it add or subtract from the message? If in doubt go back to rule 1, if you had to produce the sound yourself would it be in the presentation?


Five by Five - No more than 5 short sentences of no more than 5 words per line or less. Try to aim for 70% whitespace on your slide (that means that only 30% should be taken up with something, the rest should be blank).


Maximum Impact - Keep the number of slides down to no more than 1 every 3 minutes. That means in an average 30-minute presentation you should have a maximum of 10 slides. If you have more than that, then your audience is going to spend more time reading than listening, YOU are the presenter!


Never read your presentation off of the screen - Every time you look at the screen you turn your back on the audience, which is never a good move. Remember that your audience can read far quicker than you can talk, and if you project what you are going to say, there is no point in you being there. A better approach is to project some points and then talk around them.


Use effects sparingly. Yes, most presenting software allows you to produce some really interesting effects, but they can be overdone. If you are going to use transitions, select one and keep it consistent throughout the presentation. Simpler is often better.


At the end of the day whatever you you use to prepare your presentation always remember that it is a tool, and not the presentation itself. What you say, and how you say it is far more important than what people see on a screen.