| Tell the story without you; If your PowerPoint | | | | thing; but sentences? Rows and rows of bullets |
| presentation can stand on its own, it's a white | | | | and sub-bullets? Gotta go. Here's why; we read |
| paper or a handout NOT a visual aid. Your slides | | | | and listen with the same side of our brains. Thus, |
| (or any other visual) should help you tell your | | | | when you put up a slide that requires reading you |
| story, and preferably in a way that words alone | | | | are forcing your audience to make a choice; read |
| cannot. Ideally it should illustrate a concept that | | | | or listen. They cannot do both at the same time |
| you are talking about. Think kindergarten; think | | | | effectively. If you think you'll solve the problem |
| Show and Tell. Your PowerPoint presentation is | | | | by reading the slides to them here's more bad |
| the "show" part. YOU are the "tell" er. | | | | news; they can read anywhere from 3-10 times |
| Require "Super" vision: Nothing is nuttier than a | | | | faster than you can speak. And besides; they can |
| presenter introducing a slide with the words, "You | | | | read! They don't need you to read it to them. If |
| can't really see this, but..." You're kidding, right? If I | | | | you think it must be on the slide in order for your |
| can't see it WHY am I looking at it? Your slides | | | | audience to "know" it; think again. A diagram is |
| must be able to be seen from anywhere in the | | | | much more "sticky" than rows of bullets. Think |
| room. This means a type no smaller than 20 pts. | | | | about it. How many bullet points do you |
| (Yes, you read that right.) Any text should read | | | | remember from the last presentation you |
| left to right, not south to north or on a diagonal. | | | | attended? See what I mean? |
| Who wants to keep turning their head sideways | | | | Look unrelated to you: This always amazes me, |
| to read what the Y axis represents? Use imple | | | | but very often presenters have slides that in no |
| sans serif fonts (Arial, Tahoma, Calibri) and | | | | way mirror their brand. Where's their logo? Why |
| PLEASE- no shadows behind the words. It may | | | | are they using colors other than their own? |
| look "artsy" and "creative" to you, but to us it's | | | | Whether you're a little budding business or an |
| an eyesore. Literally. | | | | established behemoth, you should have a logo and |
| Advertise the wacky wonders of PowerPoint: | | | | a brand. ANY and ALL of your visuals should |
| Yes! PowerPoint can make words bounce in! Fly in! | | | | mirror these two things. That means your logo |
| Checkerboard in! It can even make NOISE when | | | | should be on EVERYTHING and your colors should |
| things appear! But unless you're giving a | | | | influence EVERYTHING. If you have a tag line and |
| presentation on the features of PowerPoint, these | | | | you can work that into your presentation, even |
| things should NOT be part of your presentation. In | | | | better. NO, it's not boring. Repetition is a MUST |
| fact, you want the entrance of information to be | | | | when it comes to this stuff. You want your |
| virtually unnoticed by the audience (unless you are | | | | audience to constantly be reminded of who you |
| making a visual point that requires a 3 ring circus | | | | are and what you're about. Your PowerPoint slides |
| kind of entrance). Decide what kind of subtle | | | | are a perfect vehicle. Use them! If you are guilty |
| entrance you'd like your information to have and | | | | of any of these "crimes against audiences" I beg |
| stick with it throughout. That way it becomes | | | | you; step away from the animator, away from |
| invisible to your audience and they can focus on | | | | the bullets, away from the rainbow of colors and |
| what they're seeing instead of how it's coming to | | | | no one will get hurt (or fall asleep). Better still; |
| them. | | | | you'll be heard. |
| Require us to read: A billboard type slide is one | | | | |