Powerpoint isn’t an ugly word. Part 2

All right, you’ve got your message/concept worked out.
You’ve made sure it’s geared to your audience and their needs in a way that is authentic.
So what do you do with your images and content now?

Tip 5. Pay attention to design

People don’t like clutter and here are a few ways to keep it to a minimum.

a) limit your fonts :1 for body, and 1 for headlines if you want variety. Even this I don’t recommend. Instead use the bold and make the headline a second colour.

b) Have a colour palette: Choose 2 or 3 colours and keep them consistent. headlines the same, diagrams consistent, etc. Consider your industry, they tend to also have colour themes.

c) Images: try and keep these consistent by tying them together with lighting or content relevance. Tying in the above point on colour, try to have your images match the colour theme if possible.

d) Allow for white space: you don’t like to be squished into a crowded room and expected to interact with the other bodies, well neither does a layout. Each piece needs to breath, giving it some white space allows that.

e) Grids are good. Images placed in a consistent way, text (if any) is in a consistent place..the eye likes consistency it makes for a quick read. Have two grids that work (one for section covers and 1 for content), the odd change avoids monotony.

Tip 6. REHERSE

Most important of all you need to know your content inside out for a presentation to be quick and painless. You need to speak with a language that conveys your personality, and leaves them confident in your abilities. Don’t miss an opportunity because you were too embarrassed to practice in front of a mirror! So, practice, practice, practice.

If you like this topic, here are a couple books that may tickle your fancy. They are simple, straight forward and are geared to working professionals. Presentation Zen and Slide:ology.

Do you have any good Presentation resources? If so, please add a comment to share them.

Powerpoint isn’t an ugly word. Part 1

Powerpoint or slide presentations. Generally speaking, no one likes them.
It doesn’t matter what presentation software you use, a good presentation can be a big asset if it’s designed right. The problem is, they seldom are.

The Basic Principle

A presentation should support your concept or message. Not replace you.
Too many have content that is like a teleprompter, giving cues to the presenter. No one wants to sit through these types of presentations, it’s a quick way to lose your audience. If your slideshow can be read without you even there, it’s better sent as a document with a request for a follow up or used as a precursor to a meeting. The client or staff will thank you for this consideration.

Instead, a presentation  should be used as a tool to support you the speaker. Think of the movie “An Inconvenient Truth”, the whole thing was a slide show. No one seemed to really notice because it was used to illustrate points the presenter, Al Gore, was making. Anyone can do this, it just takes proper planning.

Here are the first 4 steps to ensure you are on the right track.

When considering CONTENT

1. Customize your presentations to the audience: Is for clients, investors, or your staff? Consider what kind of relationship you want to have with the viewers? A consultant, a go to person, a support person..? Gear your message to convey that.

2. Know the needs of your viewers/audience: Write them down in a list and begin to structure a presentation that addresses them.

HOW to plan out your presentation

3. Show ideas, not slides. Use the slides to show the concepts/ideas of your services by using diagrams and images. People can’t really read text and listen to you at the same time. So use the slides to illustrate your points. Highlight what’s important, keep it to the point.

4. Show your personality: It’s important to come across as authentic. You are your brand, therefore you need to sit down and figure out what your language is going to be: proactive, supporting provider, partner? Figure out what impression you want to leave with them once you’ve left the room, and then integrate it into your wording and language as you are presenting.

Having these bones of the presentation worked out in advance, will ensure that what you present will be effective.

See my next post for presentation design tips 5 and 6.