In Garr Reynolds Presentationzen, he opens with “not all presentations are appropriate for multimedia”.
Yikes, now what! Are you able to present your message, your point or your speech without a slide deck? Imagine if your power went out, or your slide deck went missing from your computer, would you still be able to “wow” the audience? If not, then you might want to back up and rethink your process.
For those presentations that you will be able to enhance with a slide or two; and note I said slide or two – not two hundred, then here are some points that will not only “wow” your audience, but will give your presentation a powerhouse edge.
- Plan your entire speech or presentation before your slide choice. You won’t know what will be enhanced until you have a clear understanding of what your content and message is. Go back through your ideas and make a note of where you need to add colour, a chart or visual to help the audience understand.
- Picture yourself delivering your speech; is your audience able to listen to you? Or are they too busy reading your slides? A slide is not for your use; it’s for the audience. Display an image, a chart or a one-line quote. These types of visuals can enhance or help you explain something; they do not define your message. If you need a script, then use a script, not the PowerPoint, or the audience won’t need you.
- Prepare slides that are bright, easily seen and if you are using an image, make it big; take up the entire screen so that even the people in the back row can see it and be wow’d by it. You want to evoke emotion, and an image is a great way to do so. If you are using a chart, take out the pieces of the chart that are not needed, keep it to the point; less is more.
- Black Out! This is one of the most forgotten or unknown, and yet the most important parts of any PowerPoint. There is a button on most if not all, remotes that black out your screen. Yes, a black out your screen so that the audience can focus on you. Try hitting your “b” button on your computer; it will also black out your PowerPoint presentation. Your slide should only be up when you are showing something; and then the focus returns to you.
PowerPoint can be an incredible tool to enhance. “To improve or augment, especially in effectiveness, value or attractiveness” is one definition of enhance. There was not one definition that read, “to write out your speech with bullet points.”
Can your presentation or speech be awesome even if the power went out, or the slides were lost? It should.
Can your presentation or speech be over the top if your PowerPoint slides were to enhance! Absolutely.