A while back, I wrote a Blog about everything you needed to know about preparing for a PowerPoint Presentation. If you don't know what PowerPoint is, it is a presentation program by Microsoft which is used by business people, educators, students, and trainers all around the world. Because everybody uses it, you tend to get a mixed standard of presentations. What most people tend to think is that the slides are the most important part of the presentation, not the presenter themselves.

I decided to make a PowerPoint Presentation at my public speaking club, Thanet Speakers Club ( ). I knew that not many people at the club use PowerPoint, so I thought I would do 'Death by PowerPoint', which would try and explain pitfalls and opportunities available with presenting with this medium. Here is a summary of the points I covered in my presentation.

PowerPoint is not the presentation...you are
PowerPoint is just a tool to present. You are the presenter, you are the message, you are the presentation. Without you, PowerPoint slides are just text and images. The audience has come to see you and listen to what you say. Taking this approach has its benefits e.g. If you have a power cut, you are in a position to give a presentation, no need for those supporting slides.

One of the worst things about PowerPoint is a presenter using PowerPoint as a teleprompter, standing up and reading bullet after bullet, word by word, word after word, word after word. They forget that PowerPoint is a visual tool only and the most important thing is the presentation.

Get your structure right and present from the heart
As with all presentations, there should be a beginning, middle and an end. A good way to do this is to plan all your thoughts on a storyboard. A storyboard is incredibly useful for planning what images and words you intend to use as well as giving the presentation structure.

Ensure that the presentation is balanced, that you are speaking from experience
Otherwise it comes across as incredibly artificial and robotic. Also ensure that you tailor the presentation towards your audience. Be yourself. Do not pretend to be someone you are not. Your quirkiest habits could turn out to be your strengths.

Test for everything
Check your equipment out yourself and set it up yourself. Don't leave it to someone else to do. Check connectivity, that you have spare batteries and a bulb for the projector. Don't just stop there, test for everything. There are so many ways a presentation can go wrong...do what you can to prevent problems.

Get there well in time to set up. Make sure you have a mobile contact number of the venue
Nine times out of ten you will always forget to take something with you or forget how to set something up. By getting there early, you have chance to sort out any issues and size up the room

Don't use PowerPoint templates.
Use the blank screen like a canvas. If you use standard templates you will necessarily end up with presentations that are cliched and riddled with bullets. Most of the times, I do not use any template. I use pictures and big font sizes.

Check your grammar!
It can be incredibly embarrassing and unprofessional if you don't. In most cases, grammar mistakes can distract the message you are trying to get over. It also affects your credibility as a speaker.

Too much text and diagrams can put off an audience!
If your slides contain the full text of what you want to say, you'll be tempted to just read from them, rather than communicating with the people in the room, and most of your audience will be reading them instead of listening to you. Too much text can be dreary and may suggest that you don't know what you are talking about!

Keep Charts and graphs simple
Charts and Graphs are supposed to make it easier to understand a concept. If a chart is complicated, put it in a handout that you leave behind with detailed written explanation. You want people to remember what you said, not be confused by it.

Use Photos wisely and avoid Clip Art
There are so many great sources for photos. Use your imagination, find the right photos. Avoid cliches and tired imagery as it may make people glaze over the point you are making. There are plenty of places you can get your images for free such as Istockphoto.com and Flickr. But please avoid clip art as looks tacky and may again stop you from getting your message over.

Make sure you get the brief right!
Make sure you find out who your audience are and understand there sensitivities. It would be inappropriate to have a nudity slide in something for a religious organisation.

Please no more animation
No more sound effects or Whizzing words or Clapping hands, they all are terrible. Just keep it simple. Animations in PowerPoint slow down the flow of the presentation making it longer. It also looks incredibly tacky and creates mistakes for the presenter if he is constantly trying to second guess when the animation will stop

There are jokers in your company who are willing to embarrass you amongst your peers!
If someone has produced your slides, check them before taking ownership of them. If you don't, you never know, but you might get an embarrassing practical joke in your presentation.

Get your facts right before you present.
If you are not totally sure of your facts in a presentation, leave them out or ensure that they are correct. There is always someone in the audience who thinks that they are smarter than you!

Never give out handouts before the presentation.
Give notes later. Don't give the slides as handouts in the beginning or everyone will get down to looking at them while you're talking and ignore you.

Don't forget to practice.
There is a lot to think about. Sure you have a screen you can follow, but you have a lot of variables to keep on top of to including your performance, the audience, the subject matter, what is going on behind you, the technology, the sound, the remote control et...bringing this altogether in a slick presentation will need considerable amount of practice.

But if you do practice, you will find PowerPoint is an enjoyable medium and yourself in demand as a public speaker.

For more tips, click on ?categoryID=3838" Presentation tips.

Ian Lockyer