PowerPoint has become an essential tool for presenters in today's digital age. It provides a visual aid to reinforce the key points and to make presentations more engaging. However, the misuse of PowerPoint can quickly turn a presentation into a tedious experience that drives the audience away. Let’s explore further how PowerPoint can ruin your presentation and provide some tips to help you avoid common pitfalls.
Here are five potential criticisms that you may hear from your audience if you use PowerPoint as an ineffective presentation tool.
1. I could have just requested a copy of the slides.
You are the presentation – not your PowerPoint slides. Use the slides to support your main points and avoid using them to repeat verbatim what you are saying. Support what you say by including key words or phrases, charts and graphs, tables, illustrations, and pictures in your slides.
2. I came here to listen to a presentation not read one.
Make cue cards for yourself; don’t put them up on the slides. When there is too much text, your audience will stop listening and just read. The focus will not be on you, but rather on the text on your slides. People remember visuals over words.
3. I don’t understand how this relates to the presentation.
Make sure you have a clear objective for your presentation and ensure that each slide says something related to that objective. Take the time to plan your presentation by identifying your main points, planning and researching your information, organizing the content, and preparing an outline. As you are creating your presentation, use your outline to stay focused on your objective. You will then be less likely to have irrelevant information in your PowerPoint presentation.
4. I can’t focus on the slide, it’s just too busy.
Design a standard look for your slides. Create a simple template that contains the colours and design elements you will use. The billboard test is a great way to ensure you’ve created an effective slide. Ask yourself – if this slide were a billboard, could people understand it while they drove by?
5.There is just too much to remember. I can’t retain anything.
Remember that when it comes to creating PowerPoint slides, less is more. Don’t overwhelm your audience with too much information. Focus on 3-5 main points throughout your presentation and your audience will most likely remember what you said. When designing a PowerPoint presentation, follow the 10-20-30 rule – no more than 10 slides, no more than 20 minutes, and no less than 30 size font.
As you can see, although PowerPoint has the potential to enhance your presentation, it can also have the opposite effect. The key to delivering a successful presentation is to remember that you are the presenter, and the PowerPoint slides are a supporting tool. Use them to reinforce your key points and make them clear, simple and memorable.
