Painful PowerPoint

I recently spoke to a group of students at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.  While I was there, I started thinking about some of the presentations I’ve sat through over the years.  Not all of the memories were pleasant.

According to the Wall Street Journal, over 30 million PowerPoint presentations are done each day.  Yep – 30 million.  If that many presentations are happening it only seems logical to me that, somewhere along the way, people would spend some time to learn how to use PowerPoint as an effective presentation tool.  Because that’s what it is…a tool.

PowerPoint is not a substitute for learning the material before you present, not a stand-in for handouts, and not an alternative for taking meeting minutes.  PowerPoint is something that can add polish to your presentations and make them come alive . . . but only if solid content and presentation skills are already there in the first place.

Want to make the most of your next PowerPoint presentation?  Here are 4 tips to consider.

1. Guy Kawasaki offers a great suggestion for using PowerPoint called the 10/20/30 Rule.  No more than 10 slides, that last no more than 20 minutes and contain no smaller than 30 font.
2. Gordon Smith from The Conglomerate says lesson numero uno is ‘minimal text.’
3. Mike Freeman tells us in MaineBusiness.com to add lots of photos.
4. And, Andrew Ferguson dot NET pleads with us to use appealing backgrounds and themes.

The key to developing a PowerPoint presentation is to put yourself in the seats of your audience.  That is, if you had to sit and listen to you…with your PowerPoint.  Would you be sitting up attentively listening and taking notes?  OR would you be slouched over tweeting your peeps about how your left cheek is starting to fall asleep?

Companies, and the designated presenters within them, could really do themselves a favor by adhering to the ‘less is more’ philosophy when it comes to PowerPoint.  If you aren’t going to put time and thought into your PowerPoint, then I recommend you follow Seth Godin’s advice and don’t use it at all!

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