PowerPoint Lessons from Steve Jobs

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PowerPoint Tips: What to Learn from Steve Jobs Presentations

Posted By Jane on May 8, 2012
in Knowledge & Tips & Skills


Have you ever felt frustrated when you’re asked to give a PowerPoint presentation in front of your classmates or collogue? Do you want to become a great presenter like Steve Jobs? A lot of people have asked question about how to make a great PowerPoint presentation on the web like Yahoo Answers. One common is that they all mentioned they are nervous about the upcoming PowerPoint presentation. But in fact nervousness is not really the cause; the really problem is that you know you are not well-prepared. Here we’d like to share some of the tips that Steve Jobs did in this successful presentations.

1. Build your structure. A Steve Jobs presentation followed a very specific structure that left the audience with no choice but to focus on the message being conveyed. Each presentation began with a roadmap, he broke every segment into three parts, and he never spoke on one topic longer than ten minutes.

While PowerPoint presentations are usually short, you can still apply the Steve Jobs way into your PowerPoint. To make a clear structure, many people tend to use an outline slide which contains the basic structures of the whole PowerPoint. This gives audience visual guide on what to expect for your PowerPoint presentation.

2. The “Three” principle. A person can only retain small amounts of information in their short term memory. That’s why a Steve Jobs presentation always had three or four message points. However, the number three was more common than four because he discovered that the “Rule of Three” is one of the most powerful rules of communication theory.

Because human mind couldn’t process too much information in one sitting, so cut your bullet points to only three so that there will be no extra information that would distract the audience and weaken the impact of your PowerPoint presentation.

3. Why people listen to you. No one is doing something without purpose. So you should think it clear before you create the PowerPoint presentation that why the audience would spare their time to sit in the room and listen to you. Who are your audiences, Shareholders, engineers, sales people or classmates? You can tune your PowerPoint presentation in a manner that makes them more receptive listeners if you know what they want.

4. Keep the audience away from the slides. A common problem is that when you’re doing the PowerPoint presentation, the audience is just looking at your slides. So what you should do is to make them focus on you, listen to what you say. That’s why a lot PowerPoint tips suggested that you can press “B” to turn your slide into a black screen so that the audience has to look at you. Steve Jobs did this too. He inserted a blank slide into the presentation and draws the audience’s attention back to himself.

5. Memorize your presentation. PowerPoint is just a tool to make your work easier, not a burden. You should know your content well that you can give your presentation even without using PowerPoint. Steve Jobs was rather meticulous about his preparation and presentation. You see that he is really comfortable standing there in front of people and telling the story. So the best of what you can do is try to memorize what you will say in the PowerPoint presentation. It would be much natural speak to the audience face to face than speak to the screen.

What’s your best PowerPoint presentation tip?

Related posts:

1. Poll: Who Was Steve Jobs to You?
2. Steve Jobs Resigns; Tim Cook Replaces as New CEO of Apple
3. Effective Tips for Great Public Speaking and Presentation
4. 4 Tips to Prepare and Make a Great PowerPoint Presentation
5. Back to School 2011: Top 10 Best Presentations of All Time 

Source:    Moyea PowerPoint E-Learning Center (http://www.dvd-ppt-slideshow.com/blog/

MY THOUGHTS

What's my take away?  Everything.  These are all good reminders.  But I like two reminders the bestL  the 'three points' strategy and keeping your audience away from your slides.

Oh, and of course, no more than 10 minutes for each topic.  That's one tough hill to climb. 

PowerPoint Presentation Nightmares

Six PowerPoint Nightmares (and How to Fix Them)
By Lincoln Spector, PCWorld

You're giving a speech in front of an audience, and suddenly you realize that you're naked.

Even if you've never experienced that particular nightmare, you've probably heard of it. Luckily, it will probably never happen to you in real life (and if it does, you work in a very interesting industry). But if your PowerPoint presentation goes wrong in front of a gathering of your peers--or worse, a gathering of your bosses--you have a real, waking nightmare on your hands.

Here are solutions to six PowerPoint nightmares. The first two deal with problems that may arise when you're designing a presentation. The remaining four focus on avoiding disasters that you might otherwise not see until your audience saw them, too.

These tips will help you save face when using either PowerPoint 2007 or PowerPoint 2010.
1. I Can't Format Text Around an Image

Why doesn't PowerPoint handle pictures and text as well as Microsoft Word does?

Whatever the reason, it doesn't. So if you want to place an image in the middle of a paragraph, you have to work around PowerPoint's limitations. Here are two ways to do that:

If you want to put the image in the middle of an otherwise normal paragraph, you have to create a space for it manually: Place the text box and image on the same slide. Then move the picture into the middle of the text block and resize it to your liking. Right-click the picture and select Send to Back. Now, starting with the first line of text that overlaps the picture, insert spaces or tabs until the text surrounds but doesn’t block the picture.

You've probably already guessed the problem with this solution: Any changes you make after adding all of the spaces will throw things off and require you to redo much of the work.

If instead you want text to curve around an image, you can use WordArt. Select the text box, and click the ribbon's Drawing Tools/Format tab. Click Text Effects (if you don't see the words 'Text Effects', look for the softly glowing blue letter A). In the resulting pull-down menu, select Transform, and then choose the most promising shape. Move, resize, and reshape the circle by dragging it.

2. I Hate That Font

Don't like the font that you (or a coworker) used throughout a lengthy presentation? Want to change it to something else?

In the Home tab's Editing group, pull down the Replace menu and select Replace Fonts. Select the appropriate fonts and click Replace.

3. PowerPoint Won't Open My Presentation

You bring your presentation on a flash drive, plug it into your host's computer (connected to a projector), double-click the file--and get the fateful error message.

You may have checked ahead to confirm that the host computer had PowerPoint loaded on it, but did you ask which version? The file format changed with PowerPoint 2007.

The easiest way to avoid compatibility issues is to use the old file format. Your files will be significantly bigger, but you probably won't run into other problems.

You can make the old format your default in the PowerPoint Options dialog box. To get there in PowerPoint 2007, click the Office orb in the upper-left corner, and then click the PowerPoint Options button. In version 2010, click the Ribbon's File tab, and in the left pane click Options.

Once you're in the dialog box, click Save in the left pane. For the 'Save files in this format' option, select PowerPoint Presentation 97-2003.

The owner of the computer can fix the problem by installing either the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack for Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2007 file formats or the PowerPoint Viewer 2007. Both are free. But that's their decision to make, not yours.

4. The Audience Can't Read the Text

Your slides can be completely legible in the office, but projected on the big screen they may be difficult for your audience to read.

You can't assume that the projector you'll be using during the presentation will exactly replicate the colors on your monitor. Subtle--or not so subtle--differences in shade, brightness, and contrast are common.

The solution is to avoid subtle color differences when choosing your font and background colors. Think in terms of color opposites:

Black and white
Red and cyan
Green and magenta
Blue and yellow

Of these four pairs, yellow text on a blue background is probably the most pleasing to the eye. White text on any truly dark color will also be readable.

If you want to experiment but ensure that your results will be readable, try Dave Paradi's Color Contrast Calculator. For a design tool, this Web page is surprisingly text-heavy and unfriendly, but it can tell you whether your two colors will produce legible results.

The calculator requires you to enter the three numbers that define each color. To obtain these numbers for the background color, right-click a blank spot on the slide and select Format Background. In the Fill section of the resulting dialog box, pull down the Color menu and select More Colors. You'll see Red, Green, and Blue values below the colorful graphic. (If you don't, change the Color model to RGB.)

For the text color, select some text and then click the Ribbon's Home tab. In the Font section, click the pull-down arrow by the color icon (an A with a thick, red underline) and select More Colors. You'll get the same dialog box.

5. That's Not the Font I Picked!

So you replaced an ugly-looking font with an attractive one (see problem #2 above), and then you got the colors right (see problem #4). But when you launched your presentation, the font onscreen wasn't the one you picked.

Unless you're sure that you'll be running your presentation from your own laptop, you should embed your fonts to avoid font overrides from the host machine. You can do the embedding from the PowerPoint Options dialog box.

To get to that box in PowerPoint 2007, click first the Office orb and then the PowerPoint Options button. In 2010, click the Ribbon's File tab and then click Options in the left pane.

Once you're in the dialog box, click Save the in left pane. Then check Embed fonts in the file.

6. Audio Plays Only on My PC

Fonts aren't the only components of your slideshow that may fail to follow your PowerPoint file to another PC. If you've added music or other audio to your presentation, it may play flawlessly on your computer, but elsewhere leave you with the sound of silence.

First question: Does the presentation PC have speakers attached to it, and are they powerful enough to fill the room? If you have sound with your presentation, you need to answer this question in advance.

But what if the setup is capable of blasting Beethoven's Fifth through the audience, and yet the song in your presentation doesn't make a peep? Unless you're sure that you'll never have to run the presentation off anything except your own laptop, you need to set up your slideshow in a way that avoids this particular embarrassment.

There are two ways to add sound to a PowerPoint presentation: You can link the audio, which tells PowerPoint to play a particular audio file, or you can embed the audio information inside the PowerPoint file itself.

You might expect, in view of the advice I gave earlier about fonts, that the better approach is to embed the audio into your PowerPoint file. But that's not the case here because PowerPoint will let you embed audio that it may not be able to play. For instance, if you embed an MP3 file in PowerPoint 2010, you may not be able to play it in PowerPoint 2007.

A better approach is to link to the audio file in a way that eliminates all path issues. Before inserting any sounds into your slideshow, create a separate folder for your presentation. Put the PowerPoint file there, along with any audio files that you'll be using. (If you're playing songs from your audio library, be sure to copy--rather than move--the files. Otherwise, you'll have trouble enjoying them later.)

When it's time to insert audio, be sure to link rather than embed:

In PowerPoint 2007, click first the Office orb in the upper-left corner and then the PowerPoint Options button. Click Advanced in the left pane. Scroll down to the Save section. Make sure that the value of the 'Link sounds with file size greater than' option is smaller than the size of the smallest audio file you'll be using.

There's no such setting in PowerPoint 2010. In the Insert Audio dialog box, select but don't double-click the file; then pull down the Insert menu near lower-right corner, and select Link to File.

Take the folder, rather than the file, with you to your presentation.

After you're done with your technically flawless presentation, you can go home and have a good night's sleep--assuming, of course, that everyone in the audience stayed awake during the presentation.

Articles of Related Interest: For a review of non-PowerPoint presentation-software options available online, see "PowerPoint Alternatives: Presentation-Tool Showdown." For a Mac-centric discussion of how to improve a PowerPoint presentation, see "Five Favorite PowerPoint Tips." And for examples of what not to do under any circumstances, see our slideshow, "The World's Worst PowerPoint Presentations."

Contributing Editor Lincoln Spector writes PC World's Answer Line column and blog, as well as the movie blog Bayflicks.net. Follow Lincoln on Twitter.

MY THOUGHTS

Great tips. I still need to check the color contrast thing but the rest of the tips seem easy to work on.

PowerPoint Presentation Tips for New Grads

Is PowerPoint the Rocket Fuel for a New MBA Grad's Career?
PRWeb
Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Kirkland, WA (PRWEB) June 07, 2011

150,000 business school graduates in the U.S. alone will start their new careers this summer. But how does a freshly-minted MBA stand out among peers with 5 or 10 years experience?

The answer may be learning how to wield PowerPoint more effectively.

Despite the criticism aimed at PowerPoint, it might actually be the easiest way for new grads to shine. That's the advice of Bruce Gabrielle, author of Speaking PowerPoint: The New Language of Business and a corporate trainer on presenting to executives.

Most business managers admit the bar is very low on PowerPoint, says Gabrielle. "But it's actually an opportunity! If your PowerPoint slides are clearer and more professional-looking than others', you can stand out even among peers with 5 or 10 years experience."

He may be onto something. Gabrielle recalls one MBA intern who showed Microsoft executives they may be ignoring an important customer segment. His PowerPoint slides included a slick-looking bubble chart, identifying and naming each customer segment. After that presentation, there was heated discussion about which segments Microsoft should target and executives re-used his slides and terminology. "Of course, that intern was offered a full-time job at Microsoft when he graduated."

Gabrielle suggests new grads adopt these five principles for developing PowerPoint slides, which even experienced managers fail to do.

1. Start your presentation by answering the exec's question. Many presenters, even experienced managers, re-enact their analysis for executives and leave their conclusions until the end. Instead, new grads should anticipate the most important question the executive has and answer that question in the first five minutes.

2. Don't lead with anything controversial. Even in the hard-headed show-me-the-numbers business world, brain science proves decisions are primarily emotional, not logical. So don't begin your presentation with something controversial, which invites debate and disagreement. Instead, lead with the most emotionally positive and relevant information, like customer quotes or examples of your competitor's advertising.

3. Write your slide title out as a full sentence. Research by Penn State University found audiences understood and remembered, on average, 15% more of a speaker's talk when the slide title was a full sentence rather than just a 2-4 word phrase. Notes Gabrielle, "How many slides do you see every day that could be improved with that one simple change?"

4. Limit your slide to 3-4 bullet points. Some presentation experts discourage using text on slides, but Gabrielle says that advice is wrong. "That may work in a keynote address or motivational speech. But in business, the audience wants to see your text, not stock photography." Studies by Blokzijl & Andeweg in 2004, and repeated in 2006, prove business audiences learn more from text slides than from picture slides or no slides at all.

5. Use the alignment tools for more professional-looking slides. Says Gabrielle, "alignment is the easiest thing you can do to make your slides look more polished and professional." He includes a how-to video on his website, demonstrating how to use the alignment tools.

Speaking PowerPoint: The New Language of Business is intended for new and experienced business managers who want to use PowerPoint more effectively at work, and especially in executive presentations.

Gabrielle now leads corporate training programs, teaching business managers and consultants the research-based principles he discusses in his book.

"We're still in the dark ages when it comes to PowerPoint," says Gabrielle, "But there is a growing body of research which shows us how to use PowerPoint effectively in business, in sales and in education. It's an important area that business schools need to teach."

Speaking PowerPoint: The New Language of Business (ISBN: 978-0984236046). Author: Bruce R. Gabrielle. Publisher: Insights Publishing. Available from Amazon.com or in bulk from Insights Publishing.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2011/6/prweb8532062.htm

MY THOUGHTS

I like these powerpoint presentation tips. Simple, workable and logical.

GIVE LIFE TO PRESENTATIONS WITH POWERPOINT 2010

10 Tips to give life to your ideas with Power Point 2010
Published: Thu, 2011-02-17 18:44

Power Point 2010 is the tool of choice for students, teachers, professionals and even children, when creating presentations and the new 2010 version offers more ways than ever to create and share dynamic presentations. New and striking visual and audio capabilities will help you tell a story with almost cinematic quality, so easy to create as attractive to observe. In addition, now PowerPoint 2010 lets you work simultaneously with others or publish the presentation online and access it from virtually anywhere, either through the Web or a smartphone.

1. Increased impact and visual power to your presentations.

Save time and money by applying sophisticated photographic effects without using additional photo editing programs. Transform images by using the new and improved features of image editing. You can adjust the color, brightness, contrast and saturation. There is also an advanced cutting tool. Power Point 2010 also boasts artistic touches such as blur, brush and watercolor filters. Edit your images and make them exactly what you want.

2. Work with other users without having to wait your turn.

PowerPoint 2010 redefines the way you collaborate. Through co-authoring, people in different locations can simultaneously edit the same presentation. In addition, with Office Communicator (now Lync) you can view the availability of other team members who are working on the presentation and easily start a conversation without ever leaving PowerPoint. Ideal for working in a team atmosphere.

3. Add a personalized video experience.

Embed and edit video files directly in PowerPoint 2010. Cut easily to show only the relevant sections or add markers at key points in the video to have quick access to them. You can also trigger an animation that starts automatically the reach these markers, as well as specify when the video appears and disappears, in addition to implementing a variety of styles and video effects (for example, reflections, bevels, 3D rotation). With these new features, you can quickly capture your audience's attention.

4. Imagine a presentation at the right time.

Share your PowerPoint 2010 presentations by sending a URL so that people can see your presentation on the Web. Recipients can view slides in high fidelity, even if they do not have PowerPoint. You can also convert the presentation high quality video with narration.

5. Get access to your presentations from more locations and on more devices.

Publish your presentations online for later view and edit them by web or Windows Phone:
• Microsoft PowerPoint Web App: extends the experience to the Web and enjoy views of high-quality on-screen full, store and edit your work when you're away from your PC.
• Microsoft PowerPoint Mobile 2010: stay updated and performs immediate issues through improved PowerPoint Mobile version specifically adapted for Windows Phones.

6. Create high quality with wonderful graphic presentations.

You don’t need to be an expert in design to create professional-looking graphics. Use dozens of additional SmartArt® designs to create flow charts, lists, diagrams of infinite possibilities and images to illustrate your ideas in the best possible way. Transform words into attractive images that best illustrate your ideas. Create diagrams as easy as writing a bulleted list or text and images becomes a diagram with just a few clicks.

7. Captivate audiences with new transitions and improved animations.

The new slide show transitions are now more dynamic, with new animation effects and transitions that look similar to graphics seen on TV. Get access to preview animations and then apply, customize or replace with ease. You can also use the new features to easily copy an animation from one object to another.

8. Organize and print your slides in a more effective way.

Easily organize slides by sections: divide a presentation into logical groups of slides, rename sections to facilitate the administration of the content (for example: assign slides to a certain author) or print a single section of the presentation easily.

9. More quickly perform tasks.

The new Microsoft Office Backstage ™ view replaces the traditional file menu to allow you to save, share, print and publish presentations with just a few clicks. With the improved Ribbon, you can gain access to your favorite commands faster. Create your own tabs or adapt existing ones to customize them to your working style.

10. Works on several presentations and multiple monitors.

PowerPoint 2010 offers a completely separate window for each presentation that opens. In addition, you can view and edit several presentations independently, in parallel or even independent monitors. So if you are creating the largest presentation of your career, working on a team or against a deadline PowerPoint 2010 gives you the ability to work with more ease and flexibility to meet your goals. Convert dull work into unique presentations to give life to your ideas with the full range of tools of the new Office 2010!

MY THOUGHTS

i tried using this last year. i wasn't that impressed. maybe because i never really explored the new features. maybe i should try it again.

ENCHANTING PRESENTATIONS

Keys to an Enchanting Presentation
Mar. 8 2011 - 3:14 pm | 886 views | 0 recommendations | 0 comments
By CARMINE GALLO

Former Apple evangelist, entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Guy Kawasaki, has published a new book on the art of changing hearts, minds and actions. As I was reading Enchantment I realized that many of Kawasaki’s techniques apply to all manner of public speaking and business communications, especially in the area of presentation skills. Here are several of Kawasaki’s tips that you can use to improve your very next presentation and to change a few more minds.

Kawasaki defines enchantment as the process of delighting people with a product, service, organization, or idea. In order to accomplish that feat, you must be likable. According to Kawasaki, there are four factors that create a likable first impression: your smile, your dress, your handshake, and your vocabulary. On the topic of vocabulary, Kawasaki says “Words are the facial expression of your mind: they communicate your attitude, personality, and perspective.” Kawasaki offers several tips for a persuasive vocabulary:

Use simple words. When you use words people have to look up in a dictionary or search for in Wikipedia, you’ve failed.

1. Use the active voice. Consider the impact of two phrases: “Use the right words” versus “the right words should be used by you.” The passive voice is “wimpy,” says Kawasaki. Enchanters use the active voice.

2. Keep it short. “In ten years of listening to entrepreneurs’ pitches, I’ve never heard one that was too short,” says Kawasaki.

On the topic of PowerPoint slides, Kawasaki has a technique that I think is very effective if only because I see it used so rarely and yet it is very personal and makes an immediate connection with an audience. Kawasaki’s advice: Customize the introduction with pictures. For example, when Kawasaki spoke to HP’s printer division, he showed a picture of HP printers and faxes in his home office. When he speaks in a foreign city, he gets there early and tours the city to expand his horizons, finds out what enchants him about the city, takes photos, and incorporates the pictures into his presentation. Nice touch.

Kawasaki and I both agree that shorter, simpler, and more visual slides are far more enchanting – or delightful—than slides full of text. “Use evocative pictures to make your presentation exciting,” says Kawasaki. “The goal is to provide inspiring information that moves people to action.” Slides full of words and text seldom enchant. The fewer words, the better.

I’ve known Kawasaki for several years and I’m always pleasantly surprised to see that he and I agree on every area of communications. I come from journalism and Kawasaki comes from marketing but we agree on presentation techniques because the same concepts apply to both journalism and business – the person who tells the best story wins.

Carmine Gallo is the communications coach for the world’s most admired brands. He is a popular keynote speaker and author of several books including the bestsellers, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs and The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs. Follow him on Twitter: carminegallo

MY THOUGHTS

well said! go and use these tips. they are very good tips. especially the use of more visuals on your slides. bullets are becoming obsolete.

ENCHANTING PRESENTATIONS

Keys to an Enchanting Presentation
Mar. 8 2011 - 3:14 pm | 886 views | 0 recommendations | 0 comments
By CARMINE GALLO

Former Apple evangelist, entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Guy Kawasaki, has published a new book on the art of changing hearts, minds and actions. As I was reading Enchantment I realized that many of Kawasaki’s techniques apply to all manner of public speaking and business communications, especially in the area of presentation skills. Here are several of Kawasaki’s tips that you can use to improve your very next presentation and to change a few more minds.

Kawasaki defines enchantment as the process of delighting people with a product, service, organization, or idea. In order to accomplish that feat, you must be likable. According to Kawasaki, there are four factors that create a likable first impression: your smile, your dress, your handshake, and your vocabulary. On the topic of vocabulary, Kawasaki says “Words are the facial expression of your mind: they communicate your attitude, personality, and perspective.” Kawasaki offers several tips for a persuasive vocabulary:

Use simple words. When you use words people have to look up in a dictionary or search for in Wikipedia, you’ve failed.

1. Use the active voice. Consider the impact of two phrases: “Use the right words” versus “the right words should be used by you.” The passive voice is “wimpy,” says Kawasaki. Enchanters use the active voice.

2. Keep it short. “In ten years of listening to entrepreneurs’ pitches, I’ve never heard one that was too short,” says Kawasaki.

On the topic of PowerPoint slides, Kawasaki has a technique that I think is very effective if only because I see it used so rarely and yet it is very personal and makes an immediate connection with an audience. Kawasaki’s advice: Customize the introduction with pictures. For example, when Kawasaki spoke to HP’s printer division, he showed a picture of HP printers and faxes in his home office. When he speaks in a foreign city, he gets there early and tours the city to expand his horizons, finds out what enchants him about the city, takes photos, and incorporates the pictures into his presentation. Nice touch.

Kawasaki and I both agree that shorter, simpler, and more visual slides are far more enchanting – or delightful—than slides full of text. “Use evocative pictures to make your presentation exciting,” says Kawasaki. “The goal is to provide inspiring information that moves people to action.” Slides full of words and text seldom enchant. The fewer words, the better.

I’ve known Kawasaki for several years and I’m always pleasantly surprised to see that he and I agree on every area of communications. I come from journalism and Kawasaki comes from marketing but we agree on presentation techniques because the same concepts apply to both journalism and business – the person who tells the best story wins.

Carmine Gallo is the communications coach for the world’s most admired brands. He is a popular keynote speaker and author of several books including the bestsellers, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs and The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs. Follow him on Twitter: carminegallo

MY THOUGHTS

well said! go and use these tips. they are very good tips. especially the use of more visuals on your slides. bullets are becoming obsolete.

PAINLESS PUBLIC SPEAKING?

Painless Public Speaking: Low Stress Ways to Improve
By Jessica Stillman | January 28, 2011

Failure, as author Bob Sutton put it, “sucks but instructs,” and this is as true of public speaking as it is for any other area. But while we can all acknowledge that the school of hard knocks is one of the best, if least pleasant, teachers, we can also agree that minimizing failing in front of others makes life a lot less stressful. So how can you improve your public speaking skills without making a fool of yourself in front of actual members of the public?

Gen Y blogger Jenny Blake tackles this question in a recent post offering those relatively new to delivering presentations and speeches some tips on how you can tune up your public speaking skills. While you’ll never improve without actually practicing under pressure, her methods can minimize your embarrassment as you learn:

* Download a free recording app on your phone. Practice saying something at your normal pace, then practice slower, then EVEN slower. Playback so you can hear for yourself what the three sound like, and even ask a friend which is most clear.

* Take three ujayii breaths before starting. For non-yogis: this means taking a slow, steady, even inhale through the nose, then exhaling slowly and evenly through the nose. (More on how to do this here). These breaths are always incredibly calming for me and help clear any nervousness in my system.

* Make it a challenge for yourself to bring more awareness to your speech in every day interactions. Sometimes even when I’m talking with friends I will practice not saying “um” and other speech quirks that come across as unprofessional. Even though these are low-stakes situations, it helps me change my default speech to something that works in any setting.

* Give yourself a rating on scale of 1-5 after every class you teach (or training, or meeting you present at). How’d you do? This will bring awareness to the area/s you are hoping to improve and help you track progress over time.

* Pretend you are speaking to a non-native English speaker or a five year old. Does your pacing change? Another trick I use: pretend you are on The Today show, or speaking for the president. How would you talk? How do you want to sound or come across?

* Channel/observe a speaker or teacher you really respect. What do they do well? Ask if you can observe them at future events/meetings (if they live locally) –- or look for more examples and videos on YouTube or TED.

* ASK FOR FEEDBACK – often! Make sure you have people who are willing to be honest with you. Ask them one thing you did well, and one area you can improve (if you just say, “what’s your feedback?” they’ll be hesitant to share development areas). You might also have people track when you speed up (certain segments?) and when you slow down, so you get more granular data about where to focus.

* Clench and release a muscle several times before going up to speak. Try making your fists into tight balls (or any other muscle — ahem, butt cheeks work too), then release and repeat. This will give your adrenaline something to do, and often helps stop shaking (which makes you appear more nervous than you really are).

* BONUS: Join Toastmasters. Toastmasters is a great way to get practice and feedback in a safe environment, and learn from watching others.

MY THOUGHTS

Painless? I doubt it. Not in my book. Speaking in public will always give me the jitters. Without fail. Especially when you're speaking to a hostile audience. Nevertheless, one can always do better. And the tips outlined in this article are perfect.

I remember being invited to speak about leadership. Fow a whole week, I listened (almost non-stop) to leaderhip dvds. Not to get the content as my material has been prepared. But more to get the speaking style. Have you ever noticed how, if you keep on watching a tv show you end up talking like the characters in that show? That's exactly my point.

DECIDE HOW YOUR AUDIENCE WILL DECIDE

DECIDE HOW YOUR AUDIENCE WILL DECIDE

from the article 'Create a Dynamite Presentation in 6 Easy Steps'
By Geoffrey James | April 19, 2010

Understand How an Audience Decides

A decision is always the result of change in the decision-maker’s emotional state.

Prior to making the decision, the audience does not feel that a decision is necessary. Not yet. Then something happens, in the audience’s emotional state, that brings the matter to a head. The audience now feels that a decision MUST be made.

At that point the audience (i.e. the decision-makers in the audience) decides.

A persuasive presentation therefore changes the emotional state of the audience so that they believe and feel that a decision must be made… right now.

In business there are six emotional keys that unlock that all-important decision-making process. They are:

* Key #1: Greed. “If we make a decision now, we’ll get a big reward.”
* Key #2: Fear. “If we don’t make a decision now, we’re basically toast.”
* Key #3: Altruism. “If we make a decision now, we’re good people.”
* Key #4: Envy. “If we don’t make a decision now, the other guys will win.”
* Key #5: Pride. “If we make a decision now, they’ll know we’re smart.”
* Key #6: Shame: “If we don’t make a decision now, they’ll know we’re dumb.”

Truly persuasive presentations contain all six of those emotional keys, because it is only under the pressure of these emotion that any decision will be made.

The underlying drivers behind these emotions are, of course, pain and pleasure. Truly persuasive presentations play upon the six key emotions to:

* RAISE the likelihood of pain and LOWER the likelihood of pleasure if a decision IS NOT made.

* RAISE the likelihood of pleasure and LOWER the likelihood of pain if a decision IS made.

When these expectations are set, a decision is INEVITABLE.

I realize that this all seems a bit theoretical. But if you don’t understand this basic stuff, the rest of this post won’t make sense. So bear with me because we’re about to get to the meaty parts…

MY THOUGHTS

Nice! It's like emotional blackmail but it's not. You are not just making a presentation. You are making a presentation for transformation. And since you are presenting to people- who have emotions - then that is certainly a good point of attack.

THINK IMPACT WHEN GIVING A PRESENTATION

THINK IMPACT WHEN GIVING A PRESENTATION

from the article 'Create a Dynamite Presentation in 6 Easy Steps'
By Geoffrey James | April 19, 2010

Decide on the Impact

When most people start out to create a presentation, they start with the question: “what do I want to say to these people?”

That’s the exact wrong question to ask because it’s all about you and not about the audience.

The correct question to ask is: “what decision does these people really need to make?”

The greatest enemy facing EVERY business — bar none — is inertia. People avoid making key decisions out of fear, stupidity, lethargy, tradition, etc.

So start from the point of wanting to be of service, and that means creating an presentation that persuades your audience to make a decision.

If you don’t know what decision you want the audience to make, don’t bother giving a presentation, because you’re just wasting everyone’s time.

Now, before going any further. Ask yourself, in all honesty:

* Do I know EXACTLY what decision I want my audience to make?

If you DON’T then please don’t bother to craft a presentation, because you’ll just be wasting everyone’s time.

However, if you DO know what impact you want to have — i.e. what decision you want your audience to make — read on…

MY THOUGHTS

of course! the best way for people to appreciate what you're telling them is to get something out of your presentation. there must be some need that your presentation can meet. your audience should want to do something different - or new- after listening to you.

i think you've made impact when your audience becomes uncomfortable. by uncomfortable, i mean not being happy with the way things are. suddenly, they question the status quo. presentations are too short to really make people change. but to get them to think (seriously) of altering some things - that, to me, is impact.

EASY STEPS TO DYNAMITE PRESENTATIONS

EASY STEPS TO DYNAMITE PRESENTATIONS

from the article Create a Dynamite Presentation in 6 Easy Steps
By Geoffrey James | April 19, 2010

This post describes a foolproof and easy way to craft a presentation that causes an audience to ACTUALLY AND TRULY MAKE A DECISION.

I’m not talking about those stupid bullet point lectures that put people to sleep.

I’m talking the real deal here. The kind of show-stopper presentation that makes things happen. Like closing a big sale.

Interested? If so, let’s get started…

Note: Except where otherwise noted, this post is loosely based on an interview with G. Richard Shell and Mario Moussa, authors of “The Art of Woo.”

STEP #1: Decide on the Impact

STEP #2: Understand How an Audience Decides

STEP #3: Research the Audience

STEP #4: Craft The Story

STEP #5: Compose Your Slides

STEP #6: Rehearse, then Go For It

MY THOUGHTS

looks easy? it will be if you read the coming posts on each step

DO AWAY WITH THE PODIUM

Break Away From the Podium to Connect with Your Audience
By Sean Silverthorne | March 25, 2010

Like many top teaching institutions, Harvard Business School invests heavily in training faculty to become dynamic classroom presenters. Observing the best of them at work is like watching a master actor take command of the theater.

HBS professors rarely stand still, often sprinting from student to student to tease out insights on a case study. Their hands fly over a half-dozen blackboards that raise and lower for emphasis. There may be a podium in the room, but the teacher is not behind it for long.

Leaving the podium lectern behind, getting physically nearer your audience, is one key to making sure you’re being listened to. In particular, you want to get within 12 feet of at least some of your audience, and the closer, the better.

Why 12 feet? It’s biology. If someone is a dozen or more feet away from us, our automatic personal security system regards them as non threatening — another way of saying they’re far enough away not to be of interest, reports speechmeister Nick Morgan:

“Standing behind a podium means that you’re almost guaranteed to be more than twelve feet from everyone. That means that no one is very interested in you, at the unconscious level,” Morgan writes on HBR.org. “So one of the easiest ways to up the ante on your performance is to warm up the connections between you and your audience by leaving the podium and entering into carefully chosen audience member’s personal space.” Personal space is defined as between four and 12 feet.

One simple technique: When making an important point, move toward your audience or particular audience members. Move away to signal a change in subject.

“This choreography is a simple, easy way to enormously improve the connection you make with your audience, without even raising your voice.”

MY THOUGHTS

i hate podiums. and microphones. unless they are wireless and will allow me to move around. podiums seem to create a wall between the speaker and the audience. i don't want that. i want my audience to feel like we are in an informal environment having informal conversations.

BEGIN YOUR SPEECH IN THE MIDDLE

Begin Your Speech in the Middle
By Sean Silverthorne | February 8, 2011

How many times have you sat down anxiously to hear a talk, only to be stultified with blah-blah-blah. “Thanks for coming. I’m honored to be here today. Thanks specifically to Dennis and his team for bringing me to Acme Anvil to talk about developing marketing strategies in a global world. First, let me tell you a little bit about myself.”

The audience is already reaching for its collective Blackberries.

That’s why speech expert Nick Morgan advises executives to begin their speech in the middle. Here’s a great opener.

“Many people watching tonight can probably remember a time when finding a good job meant showing up at a nearby factory or a business downtown … That world has changed … The rules have changed. In a single generation, revolutions in technology have transformed the way we live, work and do business. Steel mills that once needed 1,000 workers can now do the same work with 100. Today, just about any company can set up shop, hire workers, and sell their products wherever there’s an Internet connection.”

Unfortunately for President Obama, who delivered those words at the State of the Union last month, they didn’t open the speech. They came after minutes of greetings to people in the audience and platitudes about democracy and jobs. He should have started his speech in the middle.

How can you tell what needs to be cut? Morgan advises:

“You can tell when rhetoric is empty — and therefore should be cut — because it would never be possible to say the alternative. Could a president begin by insulting the Speaker, ‘dissing’ a tragically ailing representative, trashing the democratic process, or coming out against jobs? Of course not. Therefore, nothing is being said. Speeches are much more interesting for the audience when they dispense with the polite nothings and get right to the meat.”

For more valuable advice, read his HBR.org blog post, How CEOs Can Improve Speeches.

I agree completely with Nick. If you want to capture the audience from the starting line, don’t begin with the obvious, the expected, the empty words. My BNET colleague Geoffrey James, who writes the terrific Sales Machine blog, takes up this theme as well. He says sales presentations should start with a “heart stopper,” such as telling a company they’ve just lost $100 million, and here is what can be done about it.

How do you begin your speeches? Do you futz around or get down to business?

MY THOUGHTS

the message is clear - if you're going to deliver a presentation or a speech, strive to be unique. start with a bang that makes your audience sitting on the edge of their seats. and wanting to hear more. tall order but possible. do away with the welcome remarks. jump right in to what people came for.

HOW TO BE A GREAT STORYTELLER - PART 4

How to Be a Great Storyteller and Win Over Any Audience - Part 4
By Steve Tobak | January 12, 2011

Part IV: The Close

The close is the easiest part to get right and the easiest part to screw up. I know that sounds contradictory, but it’s not. Here’s why. It’s the easiest to screw up because, all-too-often, folks forget to do it. They get so wound up in telling the story that they simply blow it.

It’s also the easiest to get right because the close is either telling them what you told them, as succinctly as possible, and/or driving home the one key point, the single message you want them to take away from your story or pitch. Simple. Just don’t forget to do it.

And yes, I have forgotten to close. I gave a speech at Beijing University where the audience was so engaged and the response was so overwhelming that I got caught up in the moment and forgot. I had a speech coach at the time. When she and I watched the tape together, at the end, she looked at me and said, “What the hell was that? You go all the way to China, give an incredible speech, and forget to close?!” I never forgot again.

Finally, remember this. Some people are more naturally adept at this than others are. You weren’t born with the ability to stand up in front of an audience and tell a story. It takes practice.

Videotape yourself presenting to an empty conference room or get someone with experience to watch you and provide feedback. If your company hires a speech coach for executives and up-and-comers, get in on it.

Most importantly, be patient with yourself. Finding your own style where you feel comfortable comes with experience. It may take a few years, but it’s worth it. Nothing can boost your career - or be more fulfilling - than being adept at telling a story and truly connecting with your audience. Nothing.

MY THOUGHTS

maybe i should get a speech coach. how many times have i forgotten to drive that one most important point in my closing. talk of getting carried away!

PART 3 - HOW TO BE A GREAT STORYTELLER

How to Be a Great Storyteller and Win Over Any Audience - Part 3
By Steve Tobak | January 12, 2011

Part III: The Delivery

While research and content are key, so is delivery. If you really want to engage your audience in an experience they’ll remember - which means they’ll remember your story - here are eight tips to follow:

1. Don’t read what’s on the slide. If you’re pitching from a slide presentation, don’t read words off a slide. Instead, know the pitch cold (without having to look except for a brief cue) and speak in your own words.

2. Don’t block the audience’s view. Don’t step in front of the screen or block it from view, except for the occasional walk-across. Gesture with your hand, but don’t touch the screen. Don’t use a pointer unless you must.

3. Engage the audience by asking questions. If they don’t respond, try offering an answer and asking for a show of hands or ask easier questions. Make the audience part of the experience.

4. Be accessible. Don’t stand behind a podium. Use a wireless mic if needed. Get close to the audience and move from place to place while maintaining eye contact, but only from time to time. Do not bounce around like a ping-pong ball.

5. Pause for effect and emphasis. Practice being comfortable with silence for two or three seconds. It’s the most dramatic way to make a point. Avoid ahs, uhs, and other fillers of uncomfortable silence; they’re annoying and detract from your presence.

6. Make eye contact. But only for a few seconds per person. Too short and you’ll fail to engage; too long and it becomes uncomfortable. Don’t bounce your eyes around constantly.

7. Use hand gestures. They’re engaging and interesting. But when you’re not, keep your hands at your sides. Don’t fidget, hold onto things, or put your hands in front of you, behind you, or in your pockets. Avoid nervous habits.

8. Don’t overuse props. Frankly, the most important thing for engaging an audience and telling a memorable story is you, the story-teller. So don’t do too much to distract the audience from you. I know it’s a little scary at first, but you’ll improve with practice and experience.

Part IV: The Close (wait for the last blogon this topic)

MY THOUGHTS

deliver it from the heart. that's all i can say. preparation is key. but presenting what you have prepared from the heart have been known to touch and impact even an unfriendly audience.

PART 2 - HOW TO BE A GREAT STORYTELLER

How to Be a Great Storyteller and Win Over Any Audience PART 2
By Steve Tobak | January 12, 2011

Here is Part 2 of How to be a great Storyteller

Part II: The Story

All effective, memorable stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Make sure yours does too. Depending on the situation, you can relate that to the old axiom: First tell the audience what you’re going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you told them. Sometimes that’s included in the story. Either way is fine.

As an option, you can start with an icebreaker to break the tension (yours and theirs). It can be as simple as a welcome gesture or as involved as a brief and engaging or humorous anecdote. Above all, keep it brief, relevant and appropriate. Don’t tell a joke.

After your optional icebreaker, tell your audience why they’re there and what they can expect. This will relieve any tension or anxiety on their part because they’re not sure what to expect. That, in turn, will allow them to focus completely on your story. If you’re absolutely sure they already know why they’re there, i.e. somebody else provided a solid introduction, then it’s okay to dive right into the story.

Now it’s story time. For the story to be memorable, to resonate with your audience, you have to make sure it delivers on what they came for, as we already discussed at length. That’s critical so it’s worth repeating. Given that, it needs to be dramatic in some way that evokes an emotional response. It helps a lot if the speaker feels it because it comes from his or her direct experience, from the heart, so to speak.

Here are some examples:

* If you’re an entrepreneur pitching investors, your story could relate to the genesis of the idea - if it’s an interesting or amusing story - and how it will change the world, so to speak. If you can somehow relate it directly to investors as individuals, i.e. involving family, technology they might use, etc., that’s good but not necessary. Just make sure that, somewhere along the line, you answer all the requisite questions investors want answered before they’ll, at some point, write a check.

* If you’re pitching potential customers, you can tell the story of how your product or service did something amazing for another customer and how that customer benefitted in terms of gaining market share, for example. Again, something dramatic that will resonate with the audience and answer the questions we discussed in the setup.

* If it’s an elevator pitch about your company, don’t do the usual boring … we’re based in Toronto, Canada, we have 6,000 employees, and our revenue last year was $1.4B. Instead, give a quick one paragraph explanation of what your company does better than any other company and then launch right into your biggest success story that you know will resonate with your audience. Something like that.

* If it’s an interview and you’re asked to tell them about yourself, don’t just rattle off the companies you’ve worked for and your accomplishments. If you truly know your audience, you can tell them a story from your experience that encapsulates the skills and traits they’re mostly looking for.

And so on. Get the idea?

Part III: The Delivery (watch out for next post)

MY THOUGHTS

it's hard to get started. how do you start with a bang so that people would say "this sounds interesting, i'd better find a comfortable seat"? harder still is keeping them interested. you start with a bang, you'll have to find ways to not lose your audience's desire to want more. if you were successful at keeping them at the edge of their seat during the intro and the body of your talk, your ending should make them want to do something. you start with a bang, you should end up with a bang with spurts of spurts of fireworks in between.

SLIDE PRESENTATION AND DELIVERY TIPS

Top Ten Slide Preparation and Tips Delivery Tips

PowerPoint uses slides with a horizontal or "Landscape" orientation. The software was designed as a convenient way to display graphical information that would support the speaker and supplement the presentation. The slides themselves were never meant to be the "star of the show" (the star, of course, is your audience). People came to hear you and be moved or informed (or both) by you and your message. Don't let your message and your ability to tell a story get derailed by slides that are unnecessarily complicated, busy, or full of what Edward Tufte calls "chart junk." Nothing in your slide should be superfluous, ever.

Your slides should have plenty of "white space" or "negative space." Do not feel compelled to fill empty areas on your slide with your logo or other unnecessary graphics or text boxes that do not contribute to better understanding. The less clutter you have on your slide, the more powerful your visual message will become.

Your presentation is for the benefit of the audience. But boring an audience with bullet point after bullet point is of little benefit to them. Which brings us to the issue of text. The best slides may have no text at all. This may sound insane given the dependency of text slides today, but the best PowerPoint slides will be virtually meaningless with out the narration (that is you). Remember, the slides are meant to support the narration of the speaker, not make the speaker superfluous.

Many people often say something like this: "Sorry I missed your presentation. I hear it was great. Can you just send me your PowerPoint slides?" But if they are good slides, they will be of little use without you. Instead of a copy of your PowerPoint slides, it is far better to prepare a written document which highlights your content from the presentation and expands on that content. Audiences are much better served receiving a detailed, written handout as a takeaway from the presentation, rather than a mere copy of your PowerPoint slides. If you have a detailed handout or publication for the audience to be passed out after your talk, you need not feel compelled to fill your PowerPoint slides with a great deal of text.

We’ll talk more about this in the delivery section below, but as long as we are talking about text, please remember to never, ever turn your back on the audience and read text from the slide word for word.

Top Ten Slide Tips Preparation Tips Delivery Tips

PowerPoint uses slides with a horizontal or "Landscape" orientation. The software was designed as a convenient way to display graphical information that would support the speaker and supplement the presentation. The slides themselves were never meant to be the "star of the show" (the star, of course, is your audience). People came to hear you and be moved or informed (or both) by you and your message. Don't let your message and your ability to tell a story get derailed by slides that are unnecessarily complicated, busy, or full of what Edward Tufte calls "chart junk." Nothing in your slide should be superfluous, ever.

Your slides should have plenty of "white space" or "negative space." Do not feel compelled to fill empty areas on your slide with your logo or other unnecessary graphics or text boxes that do not contribute to better understanding. The less clutter you have on your slide, the more powerful your visual message will become.

Your presentation is for the benefit of the audience. But boring an audience with bullet point after bullet point is of little benefit to them. Which brings us to the issue of text. The best slides may have no text at all. This may sound insane given the dependency of text slides today, but the best PowerPoint slides will be virtually meaningless with out the narration (that is you). Remember, the slides are meant to support the narration of the speaker, not make the speaker superfluous.

Many people often say something like this: "Sorry I missed your presentation. I hear it was great. Can you just send me your PowerPoint slides?" But if they are good slides, they will be of little use without you. Instead of a copy of your PowerPoint slides, it is far better to prepare a written document which highlights your content from the presentation and expands on that content. Audiences are much better served receiving a detailed, written handout as a takeaway from the presentation, rather than a mere copy of your PowerPoint slides. If you have a detailed handout or publication for the audience to be passed out after your talk, you need not feel compelled to fill your PowerPoint slides with a great deal of text.

We’ll talk more about this in the delivery section below, but as long as we are talking about text, please remember to never, ever turn your back on the audience and read text from the slide word for word.

Use object builds and slide transitions judiciously. Object builds (also called animations), such as bullet points, should not be animated on every slide. Some animation is a good thing, but stick to the most subtle and professional (similar to what you might see on the evening TV news broadcast). A simple "Wipe Left-to-Right" (from the "Animations" menu) is good for a bullet point, but a "Move" or "Fly" for example is too tedious and slow (and yet, is used in many presentations today). Listeners will get bored very quickly if they are asked to endure slide after slide of animation. For transitions between slides, use no more than two-three different types of transition effects and do not place transition effects between all slides.

Use high-quality graphics including photographs. You can take your own high-quality photographs with your digital camera, purchase professional stock photography, or use the plethora of high-quality images available on line (be cautious of copyright issues, however). Never simply stretch a small, low-resolution photo to make it fit your layout - doing so will degrade the resolution even further.

Avoid using PowerPoint Clip Art or other cartoonish line art. Again, if it is included in the software, your audience has seen it a million times before. It may have been interesting in 1993, but today the inclusion of such clip art often undermines the professionalism of the presenter. There are exceptions, of course, and not all PowerPoint art is dreadful, but use carefully and judiciously.


MY THOUGHTS

speakers use bullet points because they use the powerpoint presentation as a crutch. if you're a good presenter, you'll use your slides as an aid. i love pictures. and a story line. my own story. so, my slides won't be any use for others. unless they're interested in the photos. i love cartoonish images though. but not when the presentation are for board members.

PowerPoint Presentation Tips – Avoid Last Minute Surprises

PowerPoint Presentation Tips – Avoid Last Minute Surprises
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The PowerPoint tips featured here are not about creating better or more effective presentations, instead they help you avoid any last minute surprises that may crop up when an eager audience is waiting to see your slide show.

*They are all based on my personal experiences at a recent BarCamp.

Tip 1: Put the PPT files on a USB Drive

Yes, there’s box.net, slideshare.net and tons of other PowerPoint hosting services where you can upload your PPT files but I still recommend carrying files on a USB drive because there are chances that Internet may be very slow (or unavailable) in the presentation room. With files on the USB stick, you are always in control.

Related: How to Reduce Size of PowerPoint Files

Tip 2: Use Arial or Times New Roman Font


The default fonts in Office 2007 programs are Calibri, Corbel, Cambria, etc but unfortunately these fonts are not available on computers running older version of Microsoft Office. If you want the presentations to look the same in the conference room as on your laptop, use fonts like Arial or Times New Roman which are universally available.

Related: Best Fonts for PowerPoint Presentations

Tip 3: Always Carry the Microsoft PowerPoint Viewer

You have designed a great presentation using the latest PowerPoint 2007 but it possible that the computer, where you will run the presentation, is running an ancient copy of PowerPoint 2000. In that case, your presentation will fail to run. not run at all.

Download the free Powerpoint 2007 Viewer, transfer it your USB drive and be rest assured that your slide show will be play just perfect on any Windows computer.

Tip 4: Print a PDF of your PowerPoint Presentation

You can use Acrobat or the Save as PDF plugin of Microsoft Office 2007 to convert your PPT into a read only PDF file. Some members in the audience will always ask you for a copy of the Presentation slides and if you are not too happy in giving away the source file, PDF is a great alternative – it also maintains the layout, transitions and even the fonts.

Tip 5: Take Care of Margins

If the display properties of your computer do not match that of the projector, chances are that the presentation slides will be cut off at the edges – to avoid this, designate a margin safe area when designing presentations and limit your text or graphics to that area.

Tip 6: Some Presentation Rooms Can Be Very Big

Do not use small fonts as that will make your slides unreadable especially for back-benchers when the room size is large. The minimum recommended font size in PPT slides is around 24-points (more for headings).

Tip 7: Screensavers, IMs, New Email Notifications

Turn Off all these distractions before running the slideshow – they can sometimes be very embarrassing.

Tip 8: Power Management

Some computers (especially laptops) turn off the screen after 5-10 minutes of inactivity. Always turn off this feature using the Power management console.

MY THOUGHTS

i've learned it pays to test the slides - are the font's large enough, can peoplefrom the back read the text, are the pics and graphics clear, are colors okay. whenever possible and convenient, i bring the LCD myself.

PowerPoint Presentation Tips: 10 Tips on Becoming a Better Presenter

10 Tips on Becoming a Better Presenter
Improve Your Presentation Skills and Be a Better Presenter
By Wendy Russell, About.com Guide

Make this year the one that defines you as a wonderful presenter. These ten tips will help you to make a lasting impression as a skilled presenter using PowerPoint or other presentation software.

1. Know Your Stuff
Your comfort level with presenting will be high if you know everything about your topic. After all, the audience is looking to you to be the expert. However, don't overload the audience with your complete toolkit of knowledge about your topic. Three key points is just about right to keep them interested, allowing them to ask questions if they want more.

2. Make it Clear What You are There to Share With Them
Use the tried and true method that skilled presenters have used for eons.
- Tell them what you are going to tell them. Outline briefly the key points you will talk about.
- Tell them. Cover the topic in depth.
- Tell them what you told them. Summarize your presentation in a few short sentences.

3. A Picture Tells the Story
Keep the audience's attention with pictures rather than endless bulleted slides. Often one effective picture says it all. There is a reason for that old cliché - "a picture is worth a thousand words".


4. You Can't Have Too Many Rehearsals
If you were an actor, you would not be performing without first rehearsing your part. Your presentation should be no different. It is a show too, so take time to rehearse -- and preferably in front of people -- so that you can see what works and what doesn't. An added bonus of rehearsing is that you will become more comfortable with your material and the live show will not come off as a recitation of facts.

5. Practice in the Room
What works while rehearsing at home or the office, may not come off the same in the actual room where you will present. If at all possible, arrive early enough so that you can become familiar with the room setup. Sit in the seats as if you were an audience member. This will make it easier for you to judge where to walk about and stand during your time in the spotlight. And -- don't forget to test out your equipment in this room long before it's show time. Electrical outlets may be scarce, so you may need to bring extra extension cords. And -- you brought an extra projector light bulb, right?

6. Podiums are Not for Professionals
Podiums are "crutches" for novice presenters. To be engaging with your audience you have to be free to walk among them if you can, or at least vary your position on stage, so that you will appear to be approachable to everyone in the room. Use a remote device so that you can change slides easily on the screen without having to be stuck behind a computer.

7. Speak to the Audience
How many presentations have you witnessed where the presenter either read from his notes or worse -- read the slides to you? The audience doesn't need you to read to them. They came to see and hear you speak to them. Your slide show is just a visual aid.

8. Pace the Presentation
A good presenter will know how to pace his presentation, so that it flows smoothly, while at the same time he is prepared for questions at any time -- and -- going back to Item 1, of course, he knows all the answers. Make sure to allow for audience participation at the end. If no one asks a questions, have a few quick questions of your own ready to ask them. This is another way to engage the audience.

9. Learn to Navigate
If you are using PowerPoint as a visual aid to your presentation, get to know the many keyboard shortcuts that allow you to quickly navigate to different slides in your presentation if the audience asks for clarity. For example, you may wish to revisit slide 6, which contains a wonderful picture illustrating your point.

10. Always Have a Plan B
Unexpected things happen. Be prepared for any disaster. What if your projector blew a light bulb (and you forgot to bring a spare) or your briefcase was lost at the airport? Your Plan B should be that the show must go on, no matter what. Going back to Item 1 once again -- you should know your topic so well that you can make your presentation "off the cuff" if need be, and the audience will leave feeling that they got what they came for.

MY THOUGHTS

No. 1 tip is the best. Know what you're talking about. No matter what happens, you'll know how to adjust. Your presentation will be free flowing,each slide presented to tell an interesting story.

8 Secrets to a Knockout Business Presentation

8 Secrets to a Knockout Business Presentation
From Darrell Zahorsky, former About.com Guide

The presentation is starting. Dim the lights. Time for a nap. These are the thoughts of many audiences subject to yet another boring business presentation. How can you awaken the cognitive powers of your audience? Start by learning the 8 secrets of a knockout business presentation.

Dig Deep: Having an effective business presentation that will have the audience on their feet requires more than the usual factoid dropped into your PowerPoint. Find a relevant fact beyond your topic norm. Give them the unexpected. The one obscure and contradictory piece of information that will raise heads and stimulate discussion. Where do you find such information? Go past the typical quick search engine scan. Check out educational websites for new research, interview industry mavericks, or scour the business press.

Avoid Info Overload: PowerPoint expert Cliff Atkinson, author of Beyond Bullet Points says, "When you overload your audience, you shut down the dialogue that's an important part of decision-making." He points to some important research by educational psychologists. "When you remove interesting but irrelevant words and pictures from a screen, you can increase the audience's ability to remember the information by 189% and the ability to apply the information by 109%," recommends Atkinson.

Practice Delivery: A knockout business presentation is so captivating it makes you forget about the speaker and become absorbed in the talk. Practice your delivery over and over until you remove the distractions including nervous tics and uncomfortable pauses. Pay particular attention to your body language. Is it non-existent or overly excessive? Good presenters work the stage in a natural manner.

Forget Comedy: Business presenters will flirt with the temptation to deliver the stand up humor of Chris Rock. Remember your audience didn't come to laugh; this is a business presentation. Leave your jokes at home. It's ok to throw in a few natural off the cuff laughs but don't overdo it.

Pick Powerful Props: You don't need a box full of props like the watermelon-smashing comic, Gallagher. A few simple props to demonstrate a point can be memorable in the minds of your target audience. Management guru, Tom Peters, uses a cooking timer to show how quickly factory expansion is occurring in China.

Minimize You: "Frankly, your audience doesn't care as much about your company history, as they do about whether you can help them solve the specific problems they face. Write a script for your presentation that makes the audience the protagonist, or the main character, who faces a problem that you will help them to solve," says Atkinson.

Speak the Language: A knockout business presentation doesn't leave people wondering what you said. It might be tempting to throw in a few big words but are you alienating your audience? Always explain terms and acronyms. The number of smart executives who aren't up on the latest terminology would surprise you.

Simple Slides: Beware of the PowerPoint presentation. Many corporate brains will turn off at the sight of yet another PowerPoint presentation. Over 400 million desktops currently have the PowerPoint application. If you want your business to stand out, don't be like everyone else. Use slides in your knockout presentation to highlight and emphasize key points. Don't rely on your slide projector to run the show.

It all comes down to what your audience walks away with in the end. Did you deliver another boring business presentation? Or did you persuade or motivate everyone to action? Apply the 8 secrets to a knockout presentation and watch your ratings soar.

MY THOUGHTS

useful. very useful. i'm interested in what the audience say during the presentation. but it's what they say afterwards that i'm more interested in - "what they take away".

Powerpoint presentation tip: make sure you are the center of attention

Make sure you are the centre of attention when presenting
Wednesday, 20th October 2010
Don’t let PowerPoint seduce you with its bulletpoints
Jeremy Hazlehurst

HERE’S a statistic for you: according to Microsoft, 30m PowerPoint presentations are made every day. You are probably thinking one of two things now. Either that this is a wonderful thing, and it means that clear, concise information is being conveyed all over the planet as we speak. Or you imagine a horrible hell of confusing and meaningless slides flashing before your eyes, signifying absolutely nothing.

PowerPoint divides people. A Yale professor and expert in the visual presentation of data called Edward Tufte says that it “routinely disrupts, dominates, and trivializes content”, making us less efficient. Nasa uses PowerPoint for its communication and Tufte claims that this contributed to the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003, which led to the deaths of seven astronauts. But then again, if Nasa uses it, can it really be so useless?

“PowerPoint is a technology, just like the wheel is. We wouldn’t say that the wheel was good or bad, we’d ask how humans use it,” says Clive Holtham, professor of information management at Cass Business School. “The problem is much less to do with PowerPoint than humans.”

The use of bulletpoints is one of the major flaws of computerised presentations. In the old days before audio-visual presentation, people wrote out reports – risks were spelled out in full sentences and people saw, read and digested the report before the meeting, whose main purpose was discussion. Bulletpoints make it far easier to hide problems – whether deliberately or not, says Holtham.

Technology is seductive, but if it is used badly it can make presentations less clear and more complicated. Don’t underestimate the power of the human voice to persuade, says Holtham. “It worked well for many millennia. Even in the modern era, Churchill or Kennedy or Martin Luther King could inform and persuade in a few minutes purely by voice. Of course they had trained and honed their skills.” Remember that you are the persuader, and the computer is just a tool.

The key to a good presentation is to have a narrative, and use technology to clarify or stress points in that narrative. To aid this, Holtham says that he has started experimenting with a system called Pecha Kucha, which uses 20 slides timed to change every 20 seconds. This limits presentations to six minutes 40 seconds, and also means you need to think of a presentation as a story. “It requires vastly more preparation and planning, indeed choreography, so that it becomes virtually a performance rather than a boring lecture. There is very little need for words on the screen. There needs to be a very strong storyline,” says Holtham.

Dave Paradi, author of 102 Tips to Communicate More Effectively Using PowerPoint, agrees that it is all about the story. “By first deciding how you will move the audience from where they are now to where you want them to be at the end of the presentation, you dramatically cut the time spent creating slides,” he says. “A good structure to your message makes it clear what supporting visuals you need.”

He says that you should never read out your slides: “Make your presentation a conversation instead of a reading a report.” Using a black slide focuses attention away from the screen and on to you. “There is no rule that says you must always have a slide showing when you are speaking. When you want to focus the audience on a key point or example you are sharing, use a black slide so there is nothing to distract the audience. They will listen more intently to what you are saying,” he says.

The unloved bulletpoint should also be avoided, and replaced by visuals such as graphs that have more visual impact. A good slide has three things: 1) a headline that summarises the key message of the slide; 2) a visual that summarizes the key message of the slide; and 3) a visual that illustrates the point.

You should select colours that have enough contrast. Paradi suggests using www.ColourContrastCalculator.com to test them. Also use a sans-serif font that is seen easily, such as Arial or Calibri in 24 point or larger. Most importantly, though, remember two things. Firstly, that you are telling a story. And secondly, that what you have to say is more important than your slides, no matter how pretty.

MY THOUGHTS

i love telling stories. that's why i love designing my presentations from scratch. even my reports would have some sortof a story line. depends,of course,on the audience. i've encountered 1 or 2 groups who still prefers the bullets. i need to improve on my visuals though. i'm not much of a techy so i guess i need to brush up on this.