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PowerPoint

Point & Turn Method
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Presenting Image
Style and Substance

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Top 10 Techniques

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Confident Speaking

Telling it Straight - Tip: 05

PUBLIC SPEAKING CONTENT effective use of PowerPoint

Not wanting to single politicians out for special attention but style might appear to win over substance. At first sight it might. But when you want your audience to go home with a nugget of information or a clear and succinct message your content is the top priority.

This month we look at the role of content in public speaking. And merging both content and style we also look at the best PowerPoint presentation technique.

Public Speaking Content:

Yes, style and delivery is very important. But content is still king when it comes to effective presentations. Style and delivery might be capable of short term plaudits but they don't meet the need for longer term understanding.

For public speaking content and relevancy are two sides of the same coin. When presenting a scientific paper we would expect the speaker to respect their audience's aptitude for facts, figures and data – without patronising the listeners with gimmicks. And at a sales conference, the good speaker will respect their audience's appreciation for sales figures, target achievements, market shares and % growth in region, again without patronising their understanding.

Knowing the details of an arcane performance bonus plan might sound tedious but for a sales audience there's got to be interest. That's their take home pay on display. It's a simple presentation technique.

A check list of content for the next business presentation might include:

	Facts
	Figures
	Examples
	Quotations
	References
	Case studies
	Graphs
	Graphics
	Illustrations and pictures
	Examples

Note that the onus is not on multimedia. Allow the content to take priority before making choices about its delivery – at that point you can consider audio and video options.

Effective PowerPoint Presentation:

The deck of PowerPoint slides is typically the starting point for most management presentations today. Note that for many of us this implies the slide deck has become a necessary crutch for confident public speaking. If we didn't have the deck we would fall over.

NEWS

The PowerPoint show. Remember to dress rehearse the phasing of your PowerPoint show:

Practise the F5 shortcut to kick off a slide show.
Explore the PowerPoint "set up show" function.
Use the PowerPoint "continuous loop" function. It prevents the show from reverting to the standard slide view at the end of the presentation – which looks unattractive.
Practise any slide transitions you have built.
Ensure you have mastered the FN F5 command (or whatever is appropriate on your notebook) for displaying the show on both the notebook screen and an overhead projector.

Presentation Skills Training

So if you are dependent on PowerPoint here are some presentation tips for effective public speaking:

	Be clear with your presentation objectives.
	Build a clear theme for your PowerPoint presentation.
	Don't overdo the number of slides. Have no more than one slide for each 2 minutes of PowerPoint presentation. If you use more, you run the danger of your audience paying more attention to your slides than to you.
	Use graphics and illustrations to get your message across. Refrain from too much text on any one slide.
	Bullet points are useful – but they can be over done with PowerPoint.
	Don't read the text you do include. If it's good content your audience will read it themselves.
	Take care with the fonts and typefaces that you use – too many and the result looks over busy.
	Learn the flow of your presentation. Don't be surprised with the screen display.
	Don't turn your back on the audience and look at your own slides – it never works.
	Use a pointer if needed – not your wavering finger. PowerPoint has its own cursor system which works effectively with some practice.
	Don't overdo the whiz bang elements of PowerPoint – fading, transition, starbursts etc. If you must use them, remember to keep them consistent and fast.
	The slow reveal of bullet points is aggravating to most CEOs I have ever met. Use them at your own risk.
	PowerPoint has great potential for incorporating moving images and visuals – often these are overlooked for bullet, note and diagram-led displays.

It's a crutch, yes. But a crutch can be good for confident public speaking.

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