How to create an excellent presentation

Creating an excellent presentation is not rocket science, so why do so many people always fall into the same bad presentation traps? Below is my recipe for creating an excellent presentation.

Presentation framework

An excellent presentation is made up on the following elements:
* A compelling story
* An aim and, or objectives
* Simple, clear and clean slides
* Embedded key messages
* Detailed and clear speaker notes

Building blocks of a slide

Speaker Notes

Your slide speaker notes should contain:
* An objective
* Relevant key messages
* Supporting notes/script that fits the style of the presenter 

(For presentations aimed at multiple presenters keep script/notes to bullets that are easy to talk around)

Bullet List

Your slide bullets should be:
* Concise
* Relevant
* Focused

Engaging design

To bring your bullets and speaker notes to life, judicious use of appropriate imagery, graphics, animation and sound can help to bring your presentation to life.

Preparation and planning

* Do prepare in advance
* Don’t just 'brain dump' down ideas
* Do plan out your presentation
* Don’t assume your audience all have the same knowledge level
* Do research what your audience wants to know
* Don’t create material based just on what you want to say
* Do get comments and feedback from peers
* Don’t assume your content will never change
* Do re-use relevant material

Consistency of style and tone

* Do use a consistent tone of voice, look and feel
* Don’t use a mix of different styles
* Do keep it clear, concise and simple

Visual accessibility

* Do use relevant images or graphics
* Don’t use difficult to view or uncommon fonts
* Do use a font size of 16 pt or larger
* Don’t use garish background and font colours
* Do be mindful of people with colour blindness
* Don’t create long bullets or sentences
* Do use bullets instead of paragraphs
* Don’t use more than 8 bullets per slide
* Do put a clear break between bullets
* Don’t use more than 12 words per bullet
* Do keep your bullets to a single line

Slide layout and content

* Don’t cram in too much detail and information
* Do keep slides to a minimum
* Don’t put in meaningless or superfluous slides
* Do make your presentations interesting and fun
* Don’t use acronyms without prefacing them in full
* Do use appropriate handouts
* Don’t put your whole script on the slide
* Don’t overuse sound and animation

Timing and delivery

* Do create detailed speaker notes
* Don’t over script cascade presentations
* Do rehearse your presentation

Key learning points

* Keep it simple! Be clear, concise and natural
* Plan, prepare and rehearse for success
* Know your objectives and messages 
* Provide clear and instructive speaker notes
* Know your audience and their communication needs
* Seek comments and feedback from peers

I hope these tips help you 'whip up' some excellent presentations of your own.