PowerPoint - The 30 Second Rule
Shripriya Subramanian
Authentic Storyteller. I can help you spot a story and narrate it well. My services include LinkedIn?? training, managing Company Pages, writing for B2B, and coaching on creating and delivering effective presentations.
Imagine travelling by train and sitting next to a stranger. Both of you are bored and decide to strike a conversation. According to me, 5 minutes is what it takes to decide if you would want to continue the discussion with the stranger or sit next to the window sipping your cup of coffee.
Presenting to an audience is no different. The audience shall decide what would add more value to them- your slides/ their smartphone or the stranger sitting in the adjacent seat. And trust me they just need 30 seconds to decide that!
Let us take a case in point. You have been asked to present in an Industry conference and here you go armed with your best slides- which you believe are very informative. Each slide is packed with powerful content. Somewhat similar to the one below:
The above slide may have the necessary information, but would the audience be able to understand in the first glance? To the audience which is seated at a distance of 10 feet, the information is just a heap of words and nothing else!
The best way to enlighten your audience is presenting the information in format which they can digest in 30 Seconds :) possibly like the one below!
The above slide presents the CRUX/ MESSAGE which can be easily read and registered! The supporting information can be explained by the speaker.
The information should be presented in the simplest form possible for audience to glance and like it in the first 30 seconds! Remember Less in more!