Posted on Oct 31, 2014
The dreaded PowerPoint...any tips on using it to greater effect?
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I'm putting together a PowerPoint briefing. In my experience, PowerPoints are such a mind numbing way to convey information. Do any of you have any tips for making PowerPoints more engaging or interesting?
Thanks in advance.
****************EDIT*********************
Thank you all for your advice and suggestions.
Thanks in advance.
****************EDIT*********************
Thank you all for your advice and suggestions.
Training
Microsoft
PowerPoint
Edited 10 y ago
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 29
Never put something on the slide just to read it or have somebody else read it (you can use a handout for that). Use imagery to showcase what you are saying.
If you have to put text on a slide, try for no more than 5 bullet points and 5 words per bullet point. Documents are meant for reading, Powerpoints are meant for visualization.
Best of all, just don't use Powerpoint if you don't have to. Watch TED talks and see how they use Powerpoint to convey ideas, images, and sometimes charts... the focus itself is always on the speaker and not on the slides.
If you have to put text on a slide, try for no more than 5 bullet points and 5 words per bullet point. Documents are meant for reading, Powerpoints are meant for visualization.
Best of all, just don't use Powerpoint if you don't have to. Watch TED talks and see how they use Powerpoint to convey ideas, images, and sometimes charts... the focus itself is always on the speaker and not on the slides.
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MSG Wade Huffman
Perfect response. PowerPoint is used to SUPPORT your briefing. If used any other way there is no reason for you to even be present. Just send the slides.
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SP5 Richard Maze
It would be great of Pecha Kucha were to catch on in the military: 20 slides shown for just 20 seconds each. It is an art that requires you to get to the point, and to be interesting.
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CPT Zachary Brooks
CPT Aaron Kletzing I guess retirement has made you slow in your old age huh? We still serving members are still quick!
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SGT Ben Keen
CPT Zachary Brooks - You have to email that to me! I am presenting next week at a Managers meeting at the VA here in Pittsburgh as a special guest and would love to add it to my presentation.
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SGT Ben Keen
Thanks to CPT Zachary Brooks here is one of the slides for my presentation I'm giving at the VA. Again, as I said below, when I make slides, I use bullet points, these are visual cues for me to get on target when speaking. I think McChyrstal's quote speaks along the same line of understand the VA as it did about speaking about making Afghanistan stable.
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Some tips I use when preparing are:
1) Don't use the slides as your notes. Your audience can read, this isn't story time so just put your key points on the slides.
2) Use Presenter Mode! This all to often forgotten about feature of most presentation applications is a life saver! This way all your notes are in one place rather than having your audience wait on you to find that stat or something.
3) The audience will be as alive as you are. If you come in with low energy they will have low energy. Then again, there is a fine line between having energy and acting like you had one to many shots of coffee at the Starbucks down the street.
4) Do not overload your slides with special effects! This is not a way to audience engaged. More often than not, it has the reverse effect on them.
5) Get to the point, stay on point and only discuss the issue. Some presenters want to flex their knowledge on the the subject and that is all fine but no one wants to sit through a slide deck of 50 slides about how to tie your shoes. Identify the issue, talk about the current status of the issue, discuss solutions, and end it.
6) Last but certainly not least, don't be lazy, invest in a remote for the computer to advance the slides. They cost $40 bucks. This way you don't have to shout "Next Slide" or waste time by saying "Go back # of slides". Control the slides, control the class.
1) Don't use the slides as your notes. Your audience can read, this isn't story time so just put your key points on the slides.
2) Use Presenter Mode! This all to often forgotten about feature of most presentation applications is a life saver! This way all your notes are in one place rather than having your audience wait on you to find that stat or something.
3) The audience will be as alive as you are. If you come in with low energy they will have low energy. Then again, there is a fine line between having energy and acting like you had one to many shots of coffee at the Starbucks down the street.
4) Do not overload your slides with special effects! This is not a way to audience engaged. More often than not, it has the reverse effect on them.
5) Get to the point, stay on point and only discuss the issue. Some presenters want to flex their knowledge on the the subject and that is all fine but no one wants to sit through a slide deck of 50 slides about how to tie your shoes. Identify the issue, talk about the current status of the issue, discuss solutions, and end it.
6) Last but certainly not least, don't be lazy, invest in a remote for the computer to advance the slides. They cost $40 bucks. This way you don't have to shout "Next Slide" or waste time by saying "Go back # of slides". Control the slides, control the class.
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CPT (Join to see)
SGT Ben Keen, for #6 I have a fully mission capable Soldier. There is a small hand gesture I make that means "next slide." If we had a remote, we'd only lose it.
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