How many times have you been in front of a group of people, just about to give a presentation, and have said to yourself “I really hope they like this…..” If you are like me, I’m willing to bet it has happened more than once.
The unfortunate truth is, many presenters just do not know how to present effectively and end up just reading the slides they have brought along. The slides in your PowerPoint deck should be an aid to your presentation and not a crutch. You are there to give a presentation and not just to read a document. If your audience is reading exactly what you are saying, then why are you there in the first place?
In order to give an effective presentation, you need to start with a good deck. A good deck makes use of a color scheme and consistent use of images and alignment. All of which provide your new masterpiece with a cohesive look and feel overall. Keep the text on each slide to a minimum and try to aim for no more than one fact or point on each slide. This way, the viewer can focus and digest on exactly what is being addressed without distraction.
Lastly, an effective presentation is one that you have practiced and prepared for. You need to create the perfect story for your presentation and then augment this story with beautiful slides. Once this set up is done, practice, practice, and practice some more. Practice in front of the mirror, practice in front of your dog, or even practice in front of your co-workers and ask for feedback.
The more you rehearse, they better off you will be. The last thing you want to do is walk out in front of that audience without having put the right amount of prep time into the presentation. If you do put the time and effort into the presentation, then rather than asking yourself if they will like this, you will be saying quite confidently to yourself “They are going to LOVE this!”
To learn more about what you can do to be create and deliver a better presentation, be sure to check out Jesse Desjardins full presentation “You Suck At PowerPoint: 5 Shocking Design Mistakes You Need To Avoid”. Not only is this a great resource full of tips, but Jesse practices what he preaches and this presentation is both informative as well as entertaining. Enjoy!
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