Comments on FORTIFY YOUR OASIS: PowerPoint - too much information

Terry - thanks for your excellent input. It's wort...

2008-06-04T20:47:00.000+01:00

Terry - thanks for your excellent input. It's worthy of a post in itself! I wholeheartedly agree with everything you are saying with the possible exception of point 6 - I think the challenge for us all as presenters is to take a text-based slide and obliterate ALL the text. Have you seen Cliff Atkinson's thoughts on re-presenting a 7 bullet point slide as 7 separate strong slides?

There's just too much data out there now demonstrating the ineffectiveness of using words up on screen. Recall and comprehension both suffer as a result of this method. The alternative is hard - but only for the presenter, not the audience.

Rowan, Thanks for the post! This study definitely ...

2008-05-09T20:40:00.000+01:00

Rowan,

Thanks for the post! This study definitely makes a lot of sense and should be taken to heart by any serious presenter. Death by Powerpoint is simply too common.

Here are a few other small points about power-point I'd like to mention.

1: Close Outlook when you are showing PowerPoint slides. Otherwise, email alerts pop up.

2: Always use the slideshow mode: it makes your slides easier to see.

3: Avoid standing in the projector beam, as it is distracting.

4: Think of the bullets on your slides as hooks. By that I mean that the bullet should remind you of your talking points but also incite curiosity in your audience. Use questions, alliteration (repetition of consonants) or juxtaposition of ideas to intrigue the audience.

The EQ versus IQ slides here are a perfect example of this.

5: Use more images

Incorporate images and negative visual space. Break up all the linear text on your slides with stories, examples, images & metaphors. Otherwise, you are not engaging your audience’s right hemisphere, the brain’s center of imagination. That’s when our minds start to drift, in spite of the fact that the data may be important for us to learn and understand.

6: Simplify text

Most PowerPoint slides are loaded with way too much text. Distill your slides down into simple bullet points with 4 or 6 words per bullet max. Instead, think of the bullets as hooks.

Thanks for bringing this study to my attention.

Glad you like it Liz. This simple image has provok...

2007-04-06T20:53:00.000+01:00

Glad you like it Liz. This simple image has provoked strong reaction from many audiences I have talked to. Hope something along these lines works for you.

Fantastic. I love the IQ and EQ slides...I am abo...

2007-04-06T20:19:00.000+01:00

Fantastic. I love the IQ and EQ slides...I am about to give a presentation using powerpoint and you have just changed my whole plan. Thank you so much!

Liz