hi all

short notice but i have been asked to put together a short PP presentation together

does anyone have any good tips to keep it simple etc

thanks

D

Hi, to answer the question,

10% intro, 80% the talk and 10% to conclude.
Use pictures as much as possible, do not use large blocks of text, do not read the slides to the audience, look at the audience and smile.........
Also, if not used to talking to a group or from a slide show, practice with a mate, partner, passing stranger to get a feel for timings and be absolutely sure that if you don't know more than whoever you are talking to that you can blag it - the smile helps to get away with blagging as it makes you look confident, oh, and learn the keyboard strokes to avoid using the mouse which will make you look professional (as a clue the L & R arrows will page back and forward without putting a mouse icon on the screen.....!)
Jim

I echo what Exdeeps says.

A few don'ts from my own experience with PPT:

-do not use more than 3-4 bullet points per slide, and use only a FEW words per point.
-do not simply copy masses of text onto slides and read the text to the audience-better to email them the presentation and stay at home...
-Avoid any special effects (fly in, etc.). It looks unprofessional (because it is) and detracts from the content and message you are trying to convey.
-Use images where relevant.

-Choose you template/colours carefully. Use a light background and dark text ALWAYS. Avoid red/green tones, since ~7% of adult males suffer from colour deficiency in this wavelength range.

-Consider avoiding PPT altogether and use PREZI. It is FAR better than PPT ever will be....

Best of luck with your presentation.

One more thing- if you can use a remote to advance the slides, you won;t be tied to the laptop and teh page up/page down keys, and can "work the room" a little...

Whilst I agree with much of what other posters have said, there are some aspects where I take a different view.

For example, I use a lot of the Powerpoint animations to build a message. I can build a flow chart, discussing each element as it appears and indicating how it fits into the whole. In this way I can be sure that the audience is seeing just what I want them to see and is not looking at other items on the screen.

I can also animate certain features of a diagramme to 'bring it to life and make it easier to understand'. This has often produced great feedback from the audience.

As someone who spends a considerable part of their time in training a very wide range of different people (from dermatologists through managers and OH&S practitioners to the workforce) I find that giving the presentation some 'flow' helps keep their concentration and gets great results.

However, each person will have their own style. I recognise that what works for me won't necessarily work for someone else. The important thing is to realise that Powerpoint is an aid to your presentation and is there to support the spoken word, not the other way round. So decide what you want to say, then work out how you can use the visual aids to help participants understand, identify with and remember the message you are trying to get across.

Chris

The best thing I as ever taught was that people remember the person not the presentation. The power point should back up what you are saying and how you are saying it. Don’t get hung up with the PowerPoint slides and avoid tricks like weird transformations etc. As people say keep it simple. Do not follow it too slavishly eg reading from the slide. Effective speakers can hold an audience for 20 minutes or more with only one of two slides.
One thing is that sometimes it is better not give the audience any handouts until after the talk, so that they are encouraged to listen.

Make sure whatever presentation you have you get the relevant messages across clearly and concisely without being overbearing and looking like a know all. I have been on some training courses in the past where the 'tutor' couldn't have mantained my interest level if he had told me there was free pies and a topless massage available at lunch break.

Several studies have shown that people retain images better than the spoken word. They retain a combination of image and spoken word best of all.

I think it is probably true to say that each of us will have their own particular presentation style. What is important is that it works for you and that it holds the attention of the participants. When someone you do not recognise at a meeting greets you with the comment that he heard you speak six years ago and has never forgotten what you said, then I think you could probably assume that your style is working for you.

The most important thing in any presentation can be summed up in one word: Passion. If you don't come across as passionate about what you are saying then expect your audience to lose interest quickly. I have lost count of the presentations at conferences where the material should have been of considerable interest to me but the lack of enthusiasm of the presenter made it difficult to remain attentive.

Chris

Safety Smurf

My philosopy is that when I take the stage for a presentation I become an actor. Just as that actor can stand there and make your believe he is Hamlet on the battlements of a castle, I have to make the audience believe in me and my message. Of course, it also helps if I can convince them that they now need to go out and kill that traitorous oponent (or at least take a fresh look at their risk assessments!).

Chris

I note the various comments, but I have to admit that I have tended to move away a little from coma by PowerPoint. It still has it's uses but slide after slide after .......... becomes tedious and almost instantly forgettable if it goes on too long. Use it to summarise key points etc but so think of other ways to deliver. Know your subject (there's always a smarty pants waiting to catch you out) and deliver with conviction and passion. If using examples of cases or incidents, try and make them either local or relevant to your sector.

More recently I have tended split training, if necessary into half day sessions. I find that this keeps their attention and they also know that they can get back to their desks to deal with any work issues in the afternoon, rather than leaving the training mid session to do so. That might not always be possible for all organisations, but the feedback I have had to that approach has been very encouraging.

Many people given this task start straight into designing their presentation on the PowerPoint slides, which tends to make you fit your message to the medium of PP.

I would advise putting your presentation together with paper, pen and brain. Only when you have it done should you then design your slides.

This way PP becomes an aid rather than a restriction to your presentation skills.

More important than your slides will be how you present - voice tone and modulation, smile, be animated and enthusiastic. Use props if you can!

Ian