With the holidays drawing to a close and most offices back into full swing, now is the start of the seminar and presentation season. Companies are dusting off their presentation media and are planning how to communicate information to an audience. This might be an internal presentation, client meetings, a luncheon debate or a larger conference.

Whatever the presentation format the challenge is always the same. How do I say what I am trying to say whilst retaining the interest of the audience and using the right tool for the job?

More often than not someone is tasked with turning a very long list of information into a PowerPoint presentation. How many have you seen where the information presented resembles detailed speakers notes rather than presentation support? Think for a moment, how many engaging presentations have you ever seen? And how many were a bit of a slog?

Reliance on a set of slides can be a real achilles heel to the point where the speaker is so engrossed in the slides they have built, or worse reliant upon them, that the presentation for anyone else is very hard work.

With this in mind I have prepared a few simple rules of thumb (yes in bullet point format) to help you on your way.

If you want help beyond this quick guide drop us a line, from simple PowerPoint consultancy to bespoke animated media we can help you create effective presentation solutions.

We are proud to present 5 tips for better presentations;

1. Know your subject

There is no substitute for knowing your subject and being able to deliver this information without reading it from a list of bullet points. The audience can also read the list and will likely do so quicker than you can run through it. This will leave them reading and listening at the same time and not doing either very well. Use your slides to reinforce the message, not as notes. Use the speaker notes to support the screen content for your prompts, printouts and further distribution if required.

2. Break it down

Plan what you are trying to say into manageable chunks of related information and try to find a logical path through this from start to finish. Observing basic storytelling structure with a beginning, middle and end is a good start. Use an introduction to tell people what you will be presenting, the middle section to elaborate upon this and the ending to recap and restate the important points.

Not only will this help you give a clear and structured presentation but will help identify the points you want to reinforce.  Use this structure to start building your slides. The fewer and simpler the slides are, the easier it will be to keep the audience interested.

3. Avoid endless bullet points

Use no more information on each slide than you would put on a T-shirt, less really is more.

For example, a 12 slide presentation with 5 bullet points on each assumes your audience is capable of taking in a list of 60 points in perhaps 30 minutes. They are not. If you were to identify five things you want your audience to remember and focus the presentation to cementing these points you will likely achieve your aim. There are numerous ways of providing them with detail and supporting information after the event.

4. Make use of images

This might be charts, graphs, photographs and even clipart. Again be careful that the information is not so complex that it is impossible for the audience to digest the point you are making. If the chart you are presenting seeks to illustrate a trend or an outcome, perhaps focus on this in a simpler visual and use a reference to the source of the data. There is nothing more frustrating than being told, ‘as you can see here’ or worse you probably cant see this but’ when referring to a chart on screen.

Always be sure you have permission to use the images you choose.

5. Consistency and form

Once you have the information clear, and the structure of the presentation in place, be sure you don’t cloud this with needless gimmicks, transitions, colours and effects. Having done the work to refine your message the last thing you want to do is hide it. If you present frequently it is well worth the time spent getting a series of slide templates and styles established. This might also be the time to consider the software you are using and how the information might need to be distributed after the event. Web based solutions, bespoke media for use in other applications, welcome graphics, PDF distribution and physical duplication options are numerous.

If you think you need help with your presentations or simply want to find out a little more then contact us.