Avoiding Death (or at least crushing boredom) by PowerPoint

Innumerable American audiences are being bored into (figurative) death by failed PowerPoint presentations. It’s a continuous parade of lost potential. Any presentation should inform, entertain, enlighten or inspire. An effective speaker earns respect and creates a positive impression of the company or organization for which he or she works.

The PowerPoint presentation has become, unfortunately, the principal means by which businesses share messages internally and externally. It’s unfortunate because PowerPoints are routinely badly done by speakers, generally for one of four reasons:

1. Fear, nervousness, anxiety, or some variation thereof
2. Lack of desire
3. Lack of knowledge
4. Lack of correct experience: (It doesn’t matter how often a person makes presentations; if it’s done wrong it won’t magically become right)

Everyone has been victimized by PowerPoint presenters who come to the stage with one or more of the four problems listed above, added to which are two tactical mistakes:

•  Slides packed with information, and the more slides, the better
• Reading a slide the moment it hits the screen

When the presenter is finished he walks away from the lectern confident that he’s shared important information with the audience. The audience is just glad he’s walking away. PowerPoint done well demands more than preparing a set of slides and regurgitating them to an audience. But without well-designed slides, you’re sunk before you start. Paige McDaniel, Marketing Coordinator with Rodefer Moss, says,

“For an effective PowerPoint presentation I like to use simple, clear graphic slides. Having a visual memory, I use the images to jog my memory of my next points while communicating a message of value to the audience. Keep in mind that using this method comes with learning - and practicing - your material. This typically doesn’t work in an “I’ll wing it” presentation. If I were preparing a presentation on marketing, I might use an image of scales to depict the need for balance in your social media presence, showing that too heavy usage across multiple mediums is less effective than being more active in several mediums. PowerPoint is useful when the audience benefit and message are clear. “

Absolutely, positively fundamental is ensuring that at the very beginning the audience members understand what they will gain, individually or collectively, by paying attention to what they’re about to be told. Essentially, what’s in it for them? When it comes to preparing a slide, keep it simple:

• Well-delivered PowerPoint presentations communicate information to internal and external audiences and make an important statement about a speaker’s communications ability
• It’s better to minimize the number of slides used in a PowerPoint presentation because the more slides used, the harder it is for the audience to remember the key points
• When the slide appears on the screen it’s not necessary to read it to the audience.
• Effective PowerPoint shares information, makes statement about speaker
• The fewer slides, the better
• Again, don’t read the slides

Effective presentation, PowerPoint or otherwise, is an art as much as a science. Public speaking is of immense value to an audience, a company, and it can propel your career. Learn the right way to do it and avoid joining the parade of lost potential.

- George Korda, Korda Communications

Guest Blogger