These rules should be followed for every PowerPoint presentation. Don't bore me Don't make me read while you talk at me Don't use a "template" Don't make me remember bullet points (I won't) Don't give me more information than I need or want Don't drive me crazy with silly slide transitions Don't give me a printout of your slides Don't give me any written material before you start presenting Don't use animations just because you've figured out how to do them Don't take more time than necessary (not 1 second) Don't have more slides than necessary but don't cram too much on a slide Don't put more than 8 words on a slide, fewer words are better Don't put anything on a slide that would be easier for me to read on paper Don't start working on your presentation in PowerPoint, start with paper Don't make a presentation without an objective Don't include slides that do not lead toward the objective Don't include a slide with your contact information (I have your business card) Don't reuse a presentation if the objective was not met the first time DO give me the information I need DO get to the point DO provide complex data in written form DO use attractive images to contribute to your point DO convince me KEY: Every Presentation Must Be GOAL Focused * There are times you will be required to use the company template. There are times you will have to present a list of very dry data. A quarterly report is, after all, a quarterly report. Still, there are better ways than using slide after slide of bullet points and bad graphs. There are better ways to present a graph than 24 navy blue bars. No matter how many constraints are placed on your presentation, we can improve it. |
