PowerPoint Pointers
This week, I had the "pleasure" of sitting through a day long conference. By hour three, I think they lost me on the topic at hand. Rather, I started to pay more attention to the slides, and the many mistakes the presenters were making. Whether we like it or not, talks these days get centered around PowerPoint slides. After hours of being subjected to this, I've collected my thoughts into some points that those making a talk should keep in mind.
Pick A Background
This would seem obvious, but PowerPoint comes preloaded with many different backgrounds. However, one must choose one. Sorry folks, but black Arial text on a white background, if it was a template, would be known as "I don't know how to use a computer." Any background is better than that one so choose accordingly.
Check For Typos
It's quite distracting at a scholarly presentation to have typos on most of your slides. With spell checkers, and Dictionary.com, it's real easy to get the correct spelling of a word, and not look like you're a candidate for "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?" The audience will appreciate your efforts, and not wonder that if you can't spell, why would they listen to anything else you have to say.
Capitalize Correctly
Along the same vein, each slide has a title, which should be capitalized like the headline on a newspaper article. I was amazed that many of the titles had inconsistent capitalization. I have no idea why someone would use caps for the first two words, and not the rest. Like the typos, this was distracting, and took away from the content.
Too Much Text
Some of these slides simply were too busy. One in particular had six boxes, each jam packed with tiny words. I don't know if this was because the presenter needed that many cues or what. Remember that this is a live presentation, and it's great to have the ideas up there in broad strokes, but it's up to the speaker to fill in the details. If the speaker is simplifying the slide, we clearly need a new slide. Also, don't list the subpoints all in one line. It's much more organized to use them as subheadings- like in an outline, and your audience will be able to follow along better.
Get the Picture
We live in a visual world. It's real easy to find corresponding images to points presented with tools like Google Images, not to mention scanners and digital cameras that many folks own. The right image can really bring home the message. One presenter even used some original wildlife photography he had done to keep the audience engaged- great! Another randomly threw in "Far Side" cartoons- but they weren't even close to relevant so they were a distraction. One of my favorite techniques is to sparingly use an image as a background, and put the text on top. This works well to keep the same background from getting monotonous.
Choosy Template
When choosing a template, remember that a dark background, with light text works best in the semi-darkened room these talks take place in. This makes the text standout nicely. Also, don't be afraid to change the colors of the standard template so that yours doesn't look so cookie cutter as everyone has a blue background and white text.
Avoid the Cutoff
When choosing a template, remember that what looks good on the desktop at home, may not project the same. More specifically, the digital projector has a tendency to cut things off on the edges. On slide templates that put the headline text too close to the top, the effect can then be to have every slide with the top of the letters cut off. Your audience should focus on you, not what is going to get cut off on the next slide.
Embed Video
Introducing video into a talk is great- when it works. There's nothing more frustrating than having a video to show, and figuring out that the computer provided doesn't have the correct codec to play your content. At the conference I attended, I watched a presenter have to close their presentation to play their video. Then they realized that they had to reopen the talk, and they lost their place. Once again, this is in the category of "Computer Kindergarten For Grown Ups."
The next time you have to give a talk, remembering these simple points will make you the star of the show. While they are all simple, they are important, and will keep your audience focused on you and your content, and not what your next mistake will be.
--Jonas
Pick A Background
This would seem obvious, but PowerPoint comes preloaded with many different backgrounds. However, one must choose one. Sorry folks, but black Arial text on a white background, if it was a template, would be known as "I don't know how to use a computer." Any background is better than that one so choose accordingly.
Check For Typos
It's quite distracting at a scholarly presentation to have typos on most of your slides. With spell checkers, and Dictionary.com, it's real easy to get the correct spelling of a word, and not look like you're a candidate for "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?" The audience will appreciate your efforts, and not wonder that if you can't spell, why would they listen to anything else you have to say.
Capitalize Correctly
Along the same vein, each slide has a title, which should be capitalized like the headline on a newspaper article. I was amazed that many of the titles had inconsistent capitalization. I have no idea why someone would use caps for the first two words, and not the rest. Like the typos, this was distracting, and took away from the content.
Too Much Text
Some of these slides simply were too busy. One in particular had six boxes, each jam packed with tiny words. I don't know if this was because the presenter needed that many cues or what. Remember that this is a live presentation, and it's great to have the ideas up there in broad strokes, but it's up to the speaker to fill in the details. If the speaker is simplifying the slide, we clearly need a new slide. Also, don't list the subpoints all in one line. It's much more organized to use them as subheadings- like in an outline, and your audience will be able to follow along better.
Get the Picture
We live in a visual world. It's real easy to find corresponding images to points presented with tools like Google Images, not to mention scanners and digital cameras that many folks own. The right image can really bring home the message. One presenter even used some original wildlife photography he had done to keep the audience engaged- great! Another randomly threw in "Far Side" cartoons- but they weren't even close to relevant so they were a distraction. One of my favorite techniques is to sparingly use an image as a background, and put the text on top. This works well to keep the same background from getting monotonous.
Choosy Template
When choosing a template, remember that a dark background, with light text works best in the semi-darkened room these talks take place in. This makes the text standout nicely. Also, don't be afraid to change the colors of the standard template so that yours doesn't look so cookie cutter as everyone has a blue background and white text.
Avoid the Cutoff
When choosing a template, remember that what looks good on the desktop at home, may not project the same. More specifically, the digital projector has a tendency to cut things off on the edges. On slide templates that put the headline text too close to the top, the effect can then be to have every slide with the top of the letters cut off. Your audience should focus on you, not what is going to get cut off on the next slide.
Embed Video
Introducing video into a talk is great- when it works. There's nothing more frustrating than having a video to show, and figuring out that the computer provided doesn't have the correct codec to play your content. At the conference I attended, I watched a presenter have to close their presentation to play their video. Then they realized that they had to reopen the talk, and they lost their place. Once again, this is in the category of "Computer Kindergarten For Grown Ups."
The next time you have to give a talk, remembering these simple points will make you the star of the show. While they are all simple, they are important, and will keep your audience focused on you and your content, and not what your next mistake will be.
--Jonas
Labels: PowerPoint, Tips
posted by digitaldoc at 6:20 AM
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