| Introduction: | | | | projected, or to vibrate when shown on |
| After working with hundreds of executives on | | | | astandard NTSC video monitor. LCDs, LEDs and |
| every rung ofthe corporate ladder, I've been a | | | | VGAs all doa better job compared to traditional |
| witness to some of the bestand worst | | | | video but it never hurts tofatten up those |
| presentations ever created with Microsoft | | | | borders and edges a little. |
| PowerPoint. The program is so evolved these | | | | A second case for sticking with basic fonts has to |
| days thatthere are tools, effects, transitions and | | | | do withthe "font load." Every PC comes with |
| settings availablethat will either help or hinder your | | | | certain universal fonts. |
| effectiveness as apresenter. Everyone wants to | | | | As time passes, most PC users add fonts they |
| have a powerful presentation,and there are some | | | | find aroundthe Web, or fonts are added |
| very simple ways to accomplish this. | | | | automatically from programsthey install. |
| First of all, keep in mind that the audience is not | | | | Unless you will be presenting from your own PC, |
| assembledto watch a slide show. There is nothing | | | | be verywary of using any fonts outside that |
| more sleep | | | | standard font load. |
| -inducing than a dimly lit room and dull, | | | | Microsoft PowerPoint automatically replaces any |
| content-clutteredslides after a hot lunch. Take it | | | | fonts,which do not exist on the "show" PC with |
| from a frequent napper in Art | | | | something simple. |
| History 101! | | | | Your material won't disappear, but it may not look |
| With great tools it is all too easy to forget that | | | | the sameas it did when you created your slides. |
| the messageyou are delivering is coming from | | | | There are many times a font switch can go |
| Y-O-U. You know thematerial inside and out! See | | | | unnoticed -going from Helvetica to Arial is |
| yourself as the focus of theshow, and use | | | | practically an even swap tothe untrained eye. |
| support tools like Microsoft PowerPoint toreinforce | | | | Other times, it can wreak havoc with yourword |
| the key elements of your presentation -- to be | | | | wrapping; throwing previously "safe" text off the |
| yourbackup singer while you stand front and | | | | bottomof the screen in older versions of PPT, or |
| center. | | | | making it sizedown in the newer versions. It's |
| Now doesn't that make you feel a little special? It | | | | always a good idea topunch through your slides |
| should! | | | | before presenting on the "show"computer. |
| For whatever reason it may be, you have been | | | | This is a good place to talk about size. I |
| asked tospeak as an expert; to weigh in with | | | | mentioned earlierwhy creating slides nobody can |
| your opinion; to shareyour discoveries; this is your | | | | read is a presentationdisaster. With fonts, bigger is |
| time in the spotlight so let thesoftware and laser | | | | better. There is undoubtedly afine line between |
| pens support your performance and | | | | large, and "horsey," or too large. One oldtrick to |
| notoverpower it. | | | | check for readability is to pull up your presentation |
| Keep It Simple, Superstar: | | | | inthe Slide Show mode, then lean back from your |
| A good place to start is by looking at the amount | | | | monitor andsquint. This simple exercise will show |
| andcomplexity of the material you need to | | | | you what yourprojected image will look like to |
| present. An easy wayto keep your presentation | | | | someone in the back row ofyour audience. |
| from becoming an uncontrollablemonster is to | | | | Screen sizes on location are chosen basedon the |
| remember the six-by-six guideline. Six bulletsto a | | | | size of the room so this works whether |
| slide, six words per bullet. This is a simply brilliant | | | | you'representing in a boardroom, or a ballroom. |
| wayto avoid the dreaded "Presentation Karaoke" | | | | The dynamics ofscreen distance to screen area |
| syndrome -- aspeech where either the presenter | | | | are relative from a 32" videomonitor to a 9' by |
| reads directly from theslide or the audience reads | | | | 12' screen. |
| along with the presenter -- orboth! Six-by-six | | | | In general, I find headlines between 34 and 40 |
| works so well, it is taught as a presentationmodel | | | | points, andbody text of 28 to 34 points usually |
| in many communications seminars | | | | show quite well. For titleslides, I head to the |
| throughoutcorporate America. Can you go | | | | 60-point range for names and 40 to 50points for |
| five-by-five orseven-by-seven? Of course you | | | | title, division and company. |
| can. Any individual slidemay need adjustments as | | | | Table Times: |
| you go along but by keeping thesix-by-six | | | | Call me a neat-freak, but I'm a big fan of tables. |
| guideline in mind you're guaranteed to keep the | | | | Wheneveryou have information which needs to |
| fattrimmed from your presentation. | | | | line up in columns --use a table! Spacing out your |
| Let's add sub-bullets to the mix. I try to avoid | | | | columns within a text boxmight get it "close |
| subs, butsometimes that is impossible. When subs | | | | enough" but is that really "good enough?" |
| are involved, Ikeep them the same size or just | | | | Dropping a table onto your slide will ensure your |
| slightly smaller as theregular first-line bullet text, | | | | decimalpoints line up, and using right justify on a |
| and let the indentation tellviewers the next line is a | | | | left side columnand left justify on a right side |
| sub. The default templates oftenreduce subs into | | | | column will makecomparisons or "versus" lists a |
| the unreadable zone. | | | | cinch to read. |
| If you find yourself going to a second or (yikes!) | | | | Using tables will also help you avoid the formatting |
| thirdsub-bullet, you need to re-work your material. | | | | mess Imentioned earlier when dealing with missing |
| Perhaps bychanging the headline to a shortened | | | | fonts. Yoursizing and style may change, but to |
| version of your first fullbullet, or losing the first | | | | borrow from Led |
| actual "bullet" to create a sub-head. | | | | Zeppelin... The table remains the same. |
| I find that presenters often create a headline and | | | | Background Check: |
| hold itthrough an entire section. A full page | | | | There are many presenters who use |
| "chapter" slide at thebeginning of a new portion of | | | | customizedbackgrounds and templates these days |
| material will allow you to thenchange each | | | | from royalty-freewebsites around the world. While |
| subsequent slide headline and make it | | | | Iwhole-heartedly support this idea, it should be |
| morecustom to the material in the bullets below. | | | | said that acolorful photographic background might |
| In a fluidpresentation your audience won't forget | | | | not be your bestfriend without some minor |
| your subject. | | | | tweaking. |
| "But, but, but... If you have the space, why not | | | | Make sure your presentation text has |
| use it?" Theanswer is simple. Your slides are there | | | | high-contrast whenusing a custom background, |
| to drive home orre-state important points, to help | | | | template, or even a basicbackground color. If you |
| with keywords anote-taking audience member | | | | have a dark color like corporateblue, maroon or |
| should jot down, and topreface or summarize | | | | purple, go with a light font like white ormustard |
| your presentation or "chapters"within. There's | | | | yellow. A light background would call for |
| nothing worse than having so much on aslide that | | | | darkerlettering. A background color in the middle |
| you either cannot get through the material, or | | | | range (with aluminosity comparable to "middle |
| theaudience cannot read everything because the | | | | gray" for youphotographers out there) can often |
| font is toosmall. | | | | set off either a light ordark font. Contrast is the |
| In an average presentation, a speaker will hit two | | | | key! |
| to threeslides a minute. That alone will guide you | | | | If you have your heart set on a busy |
| into choosingyour words carefully to cover | | | | photographicbackground, try creating a large |
| everything you put on thescreen. If you don't plan | | | | semi-transparent text areain the center by using |
| on speaking about something, orassume you will | | | | the drawing and fill tools. This iscalled "screening |
| skip through certain segments, removethat | | | | back" in the world of print, and it will allowa "taste" |
| material from your slides. Bullet points | | | | of the pattern or photo to come through |
| remaininguntouched will leave your audience asking | | | | withoutmuddling your words. If you have access |
| mentalquestions instead of listening to you! | | | | to a paint programlike Adobe PhotoShop, you can |
| Charting a Course to Success: | | | | create some stunningbackgrounds using blurs, |
| Here is a pet peeve of mine I see far too often. | | | | overlays and tints with thesimplest of tools and |
| A chart withso much information on it that | | | | filters. I like to have a clear image forthe MTL, |
| nobody in the audience wouldbe able to take it all | | | | then a blurred, screened or otherwise |
| in during the short time it is onscreen. | | | | affectedcomplimentary image for the text slides. |
| Not to name names, but financial analysts and | | | | Fear of Flying: |
| engineerswith timelines tend to be the biggest | | | | I saved this subject for last because I think it's |
| offenders when itcomes to charts! Granted, there | | | | where mostpeople go awfully wrong! Think about |
| is value to showing atrend-line over a period of | | | | all the televisionprograms, commercials, movies |
| time -- any stockbroker will tellyouthat. | | | | and sporting events youwatch. Now try to recall |
| Obfuscation typically occurs when too many ticks | | | | the last time you saw a clock wipe,mosaic blocks, |
| arelabeled. This can leave a junkyard of 10 point, | | | | or barn doors to transition fromone scene to |
| aliased textthat does nothing but look horrible. | | | | another -- or to bring text on and offscreen. |
| The fixes are easy. If your trend is over twenty | | | | Ifyou're like me, it has been a while! In the same |
| years, just giveus five year labels. We realize the | | | | way aperson who is new to videography tends to |
| spaces between arenon-labeled years. If you have | | | | lie on the zoomin / zoom out button, people who |
| a particular peak or valley, callit out in the chart | | | | want to add "pizzazz" totheir presentation tend to |
| area rather than on the axis. Put a star atthe | | | | heap on the wacky transitions! |
| peak or use a different colored line for emphasis. | | | | For the record, here's an opinion of mine. If you |
| If yourbudget goes from zero to $1,000, just | | | | have everused 'Random Transition" within a |
| give us $0, $500, and | | | | presentation you shouldhave your mouse and |
| $1k. Label your bars with "Show Value" instead. | | | | keyboard crushed into unusableshards of plastic. |
| Trust mewhen I say anyone with particular | | | | Just. Say. No. The last train to Effortvillejust left |
| questions about a chartwill seek you out after the | | | | and you were not on it. |
| program, bring it up in Q&A, ore-mail you | | | | A simple dissolve, or even a Wipe Right / Wipe |
| about it later. | | | | Left is acommunications convention we are all so |
| If you're the type to put a chart into your | | | | familiar with that ithappens without bringing |
| presentation thensay onstage, "I know you can't | | | | attention unto itself. Why wouldyou add a |
| read this, but..." Dosomething about it before | | | | transition that shocks the audience out of |
| hitting the podium. By admitting tothe audience | | | | "showmode" where they were concentrating on |
| that your chart is useless, you're also sayingyou | | | | your material, andinto "what the heck was that" |
| don't value their time. Dropping off some data | | | | mode? It's the equivalent ofhearing a cell phone |
| andincreasing the size of the remaining font should | | | | ring at the theater -- it takes you out ofthe story |
| do the trick,and it doesn't take much work. For | | | | and back to reality; and that's certainly no way |
| particularly complexcharts and graphs, create two | | | | todrive home your point at the end of a slide! |
| versions! With a simple onscreen version and a | | | | Similarly, animating text should be done with |
| complex, fully labeled handout versionyou have | | | | muchforethought. PowerPoint is slick enough at |
| the best of both worlds. | | | | this stage thatyou can produce some very clever, |
| Another suggestion for charts and graphs is to | | | | professional text effects. Ipersonally like an |
| remain flat. | | | | occasional fly from any given side tocreate a little |
| The 3-D options can look good in bar charts and | | | | "wow" when called for, but my old standard |
| pies, but inmy opinion nothing beats a clean, flat | | | | willalways be the Wipe Right. With a television |
| 2-D chart withhigh-contrast labels. | | | | productionbackground, that's how we always read |
| Fontastic Results: | | | | on bullet pointsfrom the character generators on |
| Fonts are a tricky beast. A creative font style | | | | location or in the studios. Itis still probably the |
| you might findclever or "cutting edge" while | | | | most-used convention for bringing textonto a |
| polishing your presentation onthe plane is likely to | | | | program. Take a look at tonight's television news |
| come off as silly when it hits the screen. | | | | andsee which transitions they use repeatedly. |
| Creative fonts are also hard to read when used | | | | The bottom line with motion is that it should |
| as body oreven smaller headline text. An | | | | alwaysenhance your material; not detract from |
| exception to using standard,clean typefaces like | | | | your presentation. |
| Arial, Palatino, or Trebuchet would befor large title | | | | That's a Wrap: |
| slides or for Meeting Theme Logos (MTLs)which | | | | Each presentation by every presenter will be |
| sit onscreen as your audience comes in to, | | | | different. Wecreate guidelines like these knowing |
| andleaves the room. Other than those two | | | | they have latitude to beignored when the need |
| situations, it's saferto stick with simplicity. | | | | arises. Understanding why powerfulpresentations |
| How about using Times or New York for a | | | | work, and why others fail is like peekingbehind the |
| typeface? Fontswith a serif (the little hooks and | | | | curtain at a magic show. In the end, the goal is |
| slants on the ends of theletters) are fine to use in | | | | tocreate a shared experience between presenter |
| larger sizes -- let's say 32 pointsand higher. The | | | | andaudience. Microsoft PowerPoint can do |
| problem with using smaller serif fonts isthat the | | | | wonders in the righthands. But just as a chef |
| thinner points in the ascenders and descenders | | | | must learn his kitchen tools,successful presenters |
| (the lowercase j or top of the f for example) can | | | | must learn the tips and tricks ofusing today's |
| basicallydisappear on-screen depending on the | | | | presentation tools. |
| chosen face. | | | | And never forget... You are the star of the show. |
| Obviously, losing your type is not a best case | | | | I hope this column helps you to stay on-point, |
| scenario. Anyfont (or graphic device like an arrow | | | | next time you |
| shaft or the outline of ashape) which is thinner | | | | PowerPoint. |
| than 2 points, is very likely todisappear when | | | | |