c




c 



 
  

  
. If you have too many lines of text
your audience will spend their time reading your slides and not listening to your speech.



  
. Avoid using many graphics or too crammed with information -
make your message clear.






  ! 
 
. This feature can really highlight a key
message... or distract your audience if not done correctly.

  

 



. This is a great technique
when it works! Be sure to test your presentation in the live environment before you show your
audience. Just because it worked at home or your office... doesn't always mean it will work when your
audience appears.

" !  
 

 « Remember you have an audience that can read. Don't insult the
intelligence of your audience and assume they can't read your slides. Use different words to the ones
on your slides.



 

 ± People want to hear your message not be distracted by too many
slides. They have come to hear a real person, not an electronic presenter. Only use slides to enhance
and reinforce your message.

" ! 

 
  
- This makes it hard to read from the back of the room. Be
aware of the effects of different background colours.


  #As small font is too hard to read from a distance.

$ 
% 

 
 
% 
. Don't make every
word the same font - if you want to make words stand out, use different colours and fonts.

" !
 
 

 ± Technology can sometimes fail us ± know your content and also
have a hard copy of your presentation with you at all times.

c


  
- Use your own photos rather than existing clipart. Most
people are aware of the clipart availability; show them something they haven't seen before.

" ! &
 - It is too hard to read.

'
 



#As it is also difficult to read. In email etiquette this is seen as
shouting, PowerPoint could be interpreted the same way.

( 
 

#As some may change from your laptop to the large projection.

$


- This might include your logo and in your corporate colours to reinforce your
brand.


  
  -Plan your movement and slide design so that you are not bound
to your keyboard location.

   
 


- In the event you press your mouse incorrectly or your system
falters it is important to look like you know how to use this tool.
±
  

 )
)

  to enhance your presentation ± rather
than just using text.

±

 
 
  
    
 
 
  





 

Common Mistakes

Mistake #1 - What You See Is What You Get! (Remember WYSIWYG?) 



 
 
 

 
 
   



 

 


  



  !"#$  




  


  

%
&


 
  


 $     

  


Mistake #2 - Creating Slides That Are Hard On the Eyes or Even Impossible To Read 


&


'(  
 
 

 
 

 

   
 
 

Mistake #3 - Selecting Inappropriate Colors for Your Slides 


)


 
'(  **   


  
  

 
  



   




'"+ 
  ,
,
    





Mistake #4 - Choosing Difficult To Read Fonts 



% $

 -  

 

 . 
 & / + 






 , 
 
0,
0
1 
 - % $

" 


 




Mistake #5 - Putting Shadows On Text 





 
0
  
 
0
 

*
  *  

  


 
0
0
 


 
 
0

 
 
0
02 

   




$ '

Mistake #6 - Not Letting Your Audience Know Where You Are 



    

  
  
  

 

Mistake #7 - Starting Your PowerPoint Presentation Before You Are Introduced 



  
3
  

 
  

  

&

  
    '

4 1 
 

  
   

  
* 
 
 
 )


 
   
   
 




 
 1 $ 
 
   


1
   *
 

    

'"


Mistake #8 - Selecting More Than Two or Three Fonts 


  
  

*

 
 

 2 
   





$ '  3

Mistake #9 - Using All the Bells And Whistles to Show How Good You Are With PowerPoint 


5 


'
$    *  6 0  * 
  
*

* 
*

*


 -  
  $   
$  
  

'

Mistake #10 - Not Being Able To Read Your Print Out 



  

 4     


 ±
 

$ 
 

 

7

  
0
 
*
0
*


1



  
  


 
 $  
 


 



Mistake #11 - Animations That Don't Work 



 
 
 *
  
  
  

  

 
 
 
 
  8

    
 


)
 - 
9


 
  
  
 
 

  


  


 

 

 

  
 -* 
  

Mistake #12 - Each Slide in a PowerPoint Presentation Appears To Be Different 


 
 
  
  

*

 
   

 
0



 
*
 
 

* 
     
   




  
 

(*"*
  





&+ 



 


   


 
 



,(
-
  
 )  
 
.

 


 

,/ 
) 







,

The key to success is to make certain your slide show is a visual aid and not a visual distraction.

For the best results, avoid these common "seven deadly sins" of PowerPoint presentations.

0,*
(


'* 1,

They become the focus of attention, which in turn distracts the audience. Worse yet, when a
presentation containing several effects and transitions runs on a computer much slower than the one
it was created on, the result is a sluggish, almost comical playback. Such gimmicks rarely enhance the
message you're trying to communicate. Unless you are presenting at a science fiction convention,
leave out the laser-guided text!

Leave the fade-ins, fade-outs, wipes, blinds, dissolves, checkerboards, cuts, covers and splits to
Hollywood filmmakers. Even "builds" (lines of text appearing each time you click the mouse) can be
distracting. Focus on your message, not the technology.

2. Standard Clipart.

Death to screen beans! Powerpoint is now so widely used the clipart included with it has become a
"visual cliché." It shows a lack of creativity and a tired adherence to a standard form. First, make
certain that you need graphics to enhance your message. If you do, use your own scanned
photographs or better-quality graphics from good companies such as PhotoDisc
,

(,

Another visual cliché. Templates force you to fit your original ideas into someone else's pre-packaged
mold. The templates often contain distracting backgrounds and poor color combinations. Pick up a
good book on Web graphics and apply the same principles to your slides. Create your own distinctive
look or use your company logo in a corner of the screen.

2,(#/*
,

Projected slides are a good medium for depicting an idea graphically or providing an overview. They
are a poor medium for detail and reading. Avoid paragraphs, quotations and even complete sentences.
±



 

  

  

, The
audience will be able to digest and retain key points more easily. Don't use your slides as speaker's
notes or to simply project an outline of your PowerPoint presentation.

3,(44

,

Presenters often scan a table or graphic directly from their existing print corporate material and
include it in their slide show presentations. The results are almost always sub-optimal. Print visuals
are usually meant to be seen from 8-12 inches rather than viewed from several feet. Typically, they
are too small, too detailed and too textual for an effective visual presentation. The same is true for
font size; 12 point font is adequate when the text is in front of you. In a slideshow, aim for a minimum
of 40 point font. Remember the audience and move the circle from "me" to "we." Make certain all
elements of any particular slide are large enough to be easily seen. Size
really does matter.

,5
,

An oral presentation should focus on interactive speaking and listening, not reading by the speaker or
the audience. The demands of spoken and written language differ significantly. Spoken language is
shorter, less formal and more direct. Reading text ruins a presentation. A related point has to do with
handouts for the audience. One of your goals as a presenter is to capture and hold the audience's
attention. If you distribute materials before your presentation, your audience will be reading the
handouts rather than listening to you. Often, parts of an effective presentation depend on creating
suspense to engage the audience. If the audience can read everything you're going to say, that
element is lost.

6,

(  ,

You never know when an equipment malfunction or incompatible interfaces will force you to give your
PowerPoint presentation on another computer. Be prepared by having a back-up of your presentation
on a CD-ROM. Better yet is a compact-flash memory card with an adapter for the PCMCIA slot in your
notebook. With it, you can still make last-minute changes. It's also a good idea to prepare a few color
transparencies of your key slides. In the worst-case scenario, none of the technology works and you
have no visuals to present. You should still be able to give an excellent presentation if you focus on
the message. Always familiarize yourself with the presentation, practice it and be ready to engage the
audience regardless of the technology that is available. It's almost a lost art.

? 
(
 7 (  &8
7 




 

(


#± 


) 


  

)
) 



,& +


 
  





)


   
 





 

 ,


 90:" !$

(  *
;

Your audience has to listen to your speech, and read your slides at the same time. When they¶re doing
one, they¶re not likely to be doing the other. It¶s essential to keep the slides simple.

Don¶t have a twenty bullet points on one slide. Or a couple of hundred words. Or four or five pie
charts. Or a bar chart full of specific detail.

The best presentations make one clear point on each slide. Less is more!

If you say something during your speech that is clearly backed up by a fact on your slide, it adds
authority to the point you¶re making.

For your next presentation, try limiting yourself to a maximum of five words per slide, including the
title. Or can you ditch the words all together and illustrate your point with a photo? Try dropping all
the numbers from a chart and just showing the trend.


 9<:" != 
1

*
;

I¶m sure you¶ve had to sit through one. You know a presentation with endless slide after slide of bullet
points. I¶ve sat through many. The only good thing about them is they offer a chance to grab 40
winks.

There¶s nothing interesting about bullet points. They just encourage you to read from the slide, which
insults an audience, and they take the audience¶s attention away from what you¶re saying.

There are much better ways to illustrate a point rather than bullets. Why not find a good photo that
works as well (try BigStockPhoto.com or iStockPhoto.com). Or an interesting quote. Find a chart that
shows the trend you¶re talking about. Show a simple table with raw data. Show logos of companies
using the products you¶re selling (try BrandsOfTheWorld.com). Show newspaper clippings. Or don¶t
show anything ± sometimes, you need your audience to focus clearly on what you¶re saying.


 9:" ! 8

 *
%( *;

When you¶re designing slides at your computer, it¶s easy to forget how your slides are actually going
to be used. While 14pt text may look large enough while sitting in front of your computer, will it be
visible from the back of a room when you present?

Just because you¶re projecting on to a 12¶ x 9¶ screen doesn¶t mean it¶s going to appear huge to
everyone in the room. In fact, it¶s the opposite. Sat close to a PC, the screen almost fills your vision.
From the back of a conference room, however, even a huge projected screen seems tiny.

(
: when you¶ve designed your slides on your PC, stand up, take five steps back and view your
presentation. (You¶ll find a remote mouse useful for this.)
Can¶t read your slides now? Neither will your audience. Go into your master template, and double the
text size. Now try again.


 92:" ! 


!$

;

I can only think of unprintable comments to make about the clip art supplied with PowerPoint. It¶s
amateurish. It¶s badly designed. And there¶s such little choice, you see people shoehorning images
into their slides which really don¶t fit the message or theme of their presentation.

*  
: use professional stock photography.

My favorite suppliers are www.BigStockPhoto.com and www.iStockPhoto.com. Both have almost a

huge variety of photos ranging from animals to landscapes, landmarks to technology. Go to both sites
and have a look around.

Is it expensive? Not at all. You pay between couples of hundred per picture, which is nothing.

(
: find a photo on a white background. In PowerPoint, click the transparency tool on the white area
of the photo to cut the object out so it merges seamlessly with your presentation¶s background.


 93:" +* 1&8

 



;

Yes, PowerPoint does include exciting sound effects like (wait-for-it) a race car! A typewriter! A pane
of glass being smashed! Gravy!

Just resist all temptation and don¶t use any of them in your presentation.

They¶ll make you sound like an amateur who has just discovered some new features in PowerPoint and
want to do everything possible to make them fit into your presentation whether they help or hinder.

And, believe, they hinder.

There¶s not a lot more I can really say about sound effects. Just please, if you get nothing else from
this article, understand this: never, never, use sound effects in PowerPoint.


 9:" !/ ( 

' 



'5 ;*

c




A presentation with no structure is like listening to someone ramble on about nothing in particular. It
has no meaning, no message, and five minutes after the ramble has finished, you¶ve forgotten
everything about it anyway.

Which is why a good presentation should have a clearly defined structure. And by structure, I simply
mean a beginning, a middle and an end.

Beginning: introduce yourself, your topic, why it matters and why you¶re the right person to talk about
it.

Middle: the meaty substance. Talk pros and cons. Talk benefits. Talk features. Show them over and
over why the message you¶re selling is essential. Repetition is good.

End: wrap it all up by referencing back to the beginning of your presentation. Give your audience a
call to action ± tell them what to do next.
Remember the saying "tell µem what you¶re gonna tell µem, tell µem, tell µem you just told µem."


 96:" !58

 

*
' ;

Occasionally, I see presenters who bring a slide on-screen, then read it, word-for-word aloud to their
audience.

It¶s such a bad thing to do. Your audience will be insulted, and you¶re missing the chance to use your
slides to back-up and give authority to what you¶re saying.

If you think you have a habit of doing this, the secret is all in the preparation. If you use a script to
speak from, write the script first, and then create your slides second, without copying chunks of your
script into PowerPoint. If you prefer to speak from notes, then create a list of notes using different
wording than what¶s on your slides.

Then practice in front of a live audience. May be a partner or a colleague. Get them to stop you every
time you start reading from your slides. You¶ll soon lose the habit.


 9>:" !± 8

' 
?
'
  

*
;

All slides need a clear, simple path for the audience¶s eye to follow. When slides are filled with content
that looks the same (for example, a long list of bullet points in the same type, color and size) they get
lost in the detail.

By making the importance of different parts of your slide clear, you¶ll instantly improve your
audience¶s understanding of the message you¶re communicating.

Here¶s three ways of improving the clarity of your slides.

$ 
: make more important items stand out. Make the font size bigger or brighter. Allow lots of
space around the most important items.

/

: highlight important items with a different color. For example, highlight rows in a table as
you talk about them.

*

: reduce the number of words or bullets or pictures in a slide. Split one complex slide into
several simpler ones.

Brainstorm your own ideas for more!


 9@:" !&

8
' 
?
' 
 

'

;

Yes, PowerPoint does include lots of flashy effects in its custom animations palette.

Yes, you can buy add-ons if you want even more.

No, you shouldn¶t use them!

Like sounds and clip-art, over used animations in your presentation look amateurish.

They distract the audience¶s attention away from what you¶re saying as they focus on the screen. And
do lots of random effects impress your audience? No, never.
Stick with one or two that you like. I tend to use Wipe Right and Box Out. That¶s it.

It¶s the same with slide transitions. Find one you like and use it throughout your presentation.

Concentrate your efforts on giving a great presentation, not experimenting with all out PowerPoint¶s
animation styles!


 90A:" !('

"
(* 
?
 

;

Like most of the artwork supplied with PowerPoint, it¶s awful. Why didn¶t Microsoft hire someone to
create some decent templates to bundle in with the software? The second-worst habit is finding free
ones on the web. I can¶t remember ever seeing some nicely designed PowerPoint templates that
someone is giving away for free. The quality is usually around about Microsoft¶s level!

The solution? Do it yourself, or hire a pro.

Try creating something simple. A graduated background, maybe, with your company¶s logo in the
bottom corner. Or a good royalty-free stock photo with a semi-transparent tinted box laid over the
top. Both solutions could look good.

Avoid these ten mistakes and you'll give a much better presentation the next time you speak.