Just in time for the end of the semester, I have a little PowerPoint fact for all of you out there with final PowerPoint Presentations, and it looks like this:
There is a reason that this is the most commonly repeated PowerPoint Public Service Announcement. Less words per slide means more audience attention. If you don’t give everything away on your slides, people have to listen to you, whether they want to or not and whether you’re interesting or not. We somehow seem to have developed this idea that more words per PowerPoint slide means a more thoroughly researched presentation. But the entire point of a PowerPoint presentation is that it is, in fact, a Presentation. It’s a Pitch, a Conversation. A prepared Presentation means you’ve convinced your audience, not forced them to choose between the words you spewed on your slides and the same words spewing out of your mouth. This isn’t rocket science. It’s common sense.
Yes, it is also helpful if you dress nicely, use some humor, use pretty language, don’t present only to the professor, keep graphics and vibrant colors to a minimum, walk around a little, use minimal hand gestures, add a little bit of multimedia, etc.
And, of course, if you could get by without a PowerPoint Presentation at all, that would be fantastic. New media is the future.
But seriously, the first step towards a really great end of the semester presentation is simply fewer words.
Notecards are acceptable, 200+ words/slide are not. That’s it.
Thank you.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
This post makes me happy.
I am in favor of good oratory.
Love this! Genius.
P.S. Good Luck on finals!