They are integral parts of new business pitches, conference appearances, speaking engagements and internal meetings. Why, then, are PointPoint presentations also synonymous
with feelings of ennui and, in the most extreme cases, loathing?
It's impossible to say exactly why those who hate being at the mercy of a dreadful PowerPoint presentation turn around and deliver them of their own accord, but one can venture
a guess:
"PowerPoints are often used as a crutch," says Ted Birkhahn, managing director of PepperCom. "But they can really kill the energy in the room."
So, there it is, one reason why communicators who are skilled in their art resort to stilted slideshows to convey their message: dependency. But, as any self-help book will
tell you, there is a path to recovery. Some would say abstinence is the best solution (imagine entering a boardroom without projection screens), but for those who can exercise
good old-fashioned moderation, the following pointers can help take the PowerPoint out of the spotlight, instead bringing attention to the heart of the matter (whatever that may
be):
- When organizing content for the presentation, start with the last slide: Write out your conclusion or summary slide first, because these are the most important points you
plan to make. Once you have visualized those points, it's relatively easy to build your presentation around them. Case in point: Studies (both formal and informal) suggest that
the only things people remember from presentations/meetings/lectures are the beginning and the end, so don't let the most important points get lost in no man's land.
- Put yourself in the audience's shoes: Do you hate being faced with a projected slide that awakens memories of macroeconomics 101? Then please the karma gods and spare your
audience the same pain. Slides should exist only as prompts that allow you to expand on the points; the discussion itself should be just that - a discussion. Audience
involvement is the best way to engage each person in the room and get your point across. To do so, Birkhahn suggests that the ideal proportion of presenter/presentee talk time
should be about 50/50. To warm up a quiet room, ask questions, propose scenarios, even incite a debate. Many seasoned PR and communications executives will build an interactive
exercise into the PowerPoint presentation to mandate audience participation. Sound a little bit like the Socratic method (teaching by asking instead of telling)? Well ... it
is.
"The more the audience talks, the better they will think it went," Birkhahn says.
- Celebrate the "joy of six:" Use a maximum of six points per slide and six words per point. This will also help limit the number of words on each screen; busy, flashy,
wordy = confusing, disorienting, hard to read. If you want to write a novel, take a creative writing class. If you feel like you need a slide full of words to "read" your point
to your audience, take a media training or public speaking seminar. If you still can't resist the comforts of a slide loaded with words, seek help.
- Keep it simple: Slideshows are not a creative outlet for testing your color-by-number skills or film production prowess. When designating a color scheme, there should only
be one or two vivid hues involved. The only acceptable deviation from this palette is the use of the tints/shades feature. For example, you can complement the blue and orange
scheme with subtle shades of ... blue and orange.
Likewise, keep bells and whistles to a minimum. Flashy slide transitions are distracting. Animated segments are cutesy and can dismantle your credibility in front of the
wrong audience. Visual images can be nice touches, but they should be selected carefully and be appropriate to the point(s) you want to make. The purpose of your presentation is
to communicate ideas and information, not induce seizures.
- Read it to yourself before you read it to your audience: Print out a slide containing text, then place the page on the floor. Can you read the slide from a standing
position? If so, then your audience can likely read it from their seats. If not, then the font size needs to be increased. If possible, view your slides on the screen you'll be
using for your presentation.
- Have a Plan B: Have you ever heard the story of the guy whose PowerPoint presentation crashed an hour before his big pitch? Yeah, so have we, so anticipate technical
difficulties. The person who comes out looking bad when the technology crashes isn't the IT guy; it's you.
(These tips were compiled with the help of Ted Birkhahn and the Peppercom team. Birkhahn can be reached at 212.931.6119 or [email protected].)