6 Ways To Avoid Death By PowerPoint

There are few things that are as visceral as a bad presentation. Your heart rate slows down, your life flashes before your eyes, as you start to imagine things you have not done and places you have not been to. Fear not you are in the throes of ‘death by PowerPoint’. Like me you probably have witnessed this phenomenon first hand and thankfully lived to tell. It may have been the geeky lecturer who trailed off in the background as you gazed into nothingness or the consultant whose words didn’t make sense, yet you were nodding like crazy to his ‘in-depth’ report.

Why is it then acceptable that if we know how painful it is to go through a death-defying experience, we then want to inflict the same pain? Why do we instinctively induce ‘death by PowerPoint’?

If you desire to Wow and change the lives of people who honour you with their time, to listen to your presentation, then you need to read these 6 ways of avoiding ‘death by PowerPoint’.

1.      Structure

As soon as you hear you need to give a presentation and you know you can do it using PowerPoint, please! Please! Put aside the computer and go and sit alone with a pen and paper and put your thoughts together. You can use a white board, sticky notes, whatever you fancy. Gather your thoughts and gain insights internally before you run to collect the trinkets that muddy your message.

People connect with simplicity. Understand what you are trying to communicate. Why are you communicating the message? Who do you aim to influence? How do you want them to respond? Your intentions should be very clear to you from the onset before you pick up any technology. You may discover that a face-to-face may be more productive.

Before you build a house, a plan is critical. Design what you need to build without limitations. A pen and paper as you think are powerful and they don’t constrain you. Clarify your ideas, your timing and how to do the presentation. Then you can move to transposing your thoughts to slideware.

2.      Less is better

Once you dive into crafting your slides. Know that less is better. Use less words. Use words that reinforce your words, not repeat them, Seth Gordin ascribes six words per slide. Choose wisely. Our minds can only absorb so much. It is overwhelming to see self-explanatory slides being projected during presentations. Are we meant to be listening or reading? Even superman cannot do the two at the same time. Realize that the most valuable asset when you are giving a presentation is the attention of the listeners. In case there is need for more information it can be shared in a report earlier, or later.

3.      You are the center of attention

 When you are presenting your slides. You are the center of attention. The slides are a prop. If not there was no need for the session and the report would have been sent privately.  You should convey the meaning, emotion and story of your message with clarity, while the slide reinforces your message.

During the presentation engage the audience. Ask and give answers. Empathize with them, and create an emotional connection.  That is your role so that they can become invested in your idea.

4.      Empty space is important  

We are good at using all the available empty space available in our slides, we thus end up with clutter. We need to appreciate empty space. It takes a particular boldness to allow it to sit there.Realize that empty space is essential and it speaks loudly. Honour and respect its presence.  

5.      Pictures tell more than words

A good picture says more than a thousand words. Use pictures as often since our brains anchor to them better. Use them to express your thoughts and ideas. Avoid using cheesy, cheap looking overused graphics, which will cheapen your message. Rather, seek out pictures taken from the world around us. There are a host of free online pictures, and others that can be sourced at a price. If you want more personalized quality pictures you can engage a professional to assist. Always curate a collection of pictures for your use. For those you use make sure they convey the message at hand.

6.      The rule of thirds

As you use pictures, utilize the rule of thirds. Place four intersecting lines on the slide using a grid to appear like a tic-tac-toe board. You will have nine boxes. Make sure that you don’t place the subject at the middle. Rather place it on any of the crossing points of the lines. This rule is derived from the golden mean, a basic design technique that helps add balance and beauty.

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