Presentation Do’s and Don’ts

PowerPoint presentations have a mixed reputation.  Some swear by them, others swear at them! Most of us aren’t professional speakers and there is more than a little nervousness that most people feel when standing up in front of an audience.  But studies tell us that good presenters get more promotions, raises and bonuses. It’s so important that companies spend millions of dollars training their employees to be great public speakers.
Well if you don’t have the budget or time for professional training, we have a few tips - easy ways to improve your performance.

Talk to me!
Believe it or not, I’ve actually been in presentations where I never even saw the presenter until the lights were turned on at the end. I can assure you that not much communication was going on between us.

Don’t read to me!
If you don’t have anything to say that isn’t included on your PowerPoint slides either you have too much information on your slides or you don’t need to show up...just call it in!  Slides are helpful to illustrate your points, for emphasis or to keep a complex subject manageable.  They are also a great way to keep you on track when you are speaking...but don’t look at them too much - look at me!

Don’t keep me in the dark!
It isn’t necessary to keep the lights off during your entire presentation. In fact, you’ll help me focus on you (and stay awake) if you turn on the lights while discussing topics not fully dependent on your slides.

Get some specifics about using fonts and selecting colors for your presentations.

Make it Legible
Make it easy to read your presentation.  The text should be large enough to easily read at the distance it will be from me (probably 20pt+).  No flashing text, multi colored text, or too many animations.  And please make sure that you choose a text color with a lot of contrast from your background color. By the way, a sans-serif font is easier to read.

Simplicity, Please
Don’t try to make more than 3 points on a slide. Ask me if I’m with you before you move on. Encourage me to ask questions and give you feedback. When you start a conversation, you’re likely to forget to be nervous.

Practice using these ideas and watch your presentations improve!