"Death By PowerPoint" Doesn't Become You
What is "death by PowerPoint?" Endless meetings accompanied by boring slide shows are truly soul-crushing.
What concerns me most is when the deadly slide shows come from marketers. As marketers, we are supposed to be able to reach people emotionally and intellectually. Unfortunately, many of our presentations are leaving audiences stone cold.
Andy Goodman and Cause Communications have published a great guide called "Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes." It's free at agoodmanonline.com if you are part of a not-for-profit organizations. I urge you to order one, even if his tips are just reminders for your next presentation.
For example, Goodman reminds us to tell stories (listeners retain stories), jump right into your presentation (don't bore with a long and weak introduction) and keep to a few basic points.
As for your PowerPoints, there are some very important reminders. Most important is that the PowerPoint is not a teleprompter. Don't write your entire speech on the PowerPoint slide and proceed to read each word off the screen. Instead, the authors suggest:
More graphics - In fact, the fewer words the better. People retain more of what they hear than what they read, so if you have something important to say, draw a picture and tell the audience what they are seeing.
Animate to convey meaning - Too often, animation is used because it is cool. However, animation should help tell the story (the author's words emerging from a book, etc.).
Don't "logoize" every slide - Use colors and to tie in with the message. A logo on every slide is unnecessary.
I also tell people to shut off the PowerPoint at the end of their presentation and step away from the projector (if possible). PowerPoints in a dark room lull people to sleep. Stay connected with your audience by reminding them there's a person with something to say behind that podium.
