10 tips for an effective presentation

10 Tips for an Effective Presentation

Mike French, PowerSlide Solutions

First impressions count! Give some thought to your Title Page, it may displayed on-screen as the audience enters the room. In which case, their first impression of you may be based on what they think of your Title Slide.

First impressions count! Give some thought to your Title Slide, it may displayed on-screen as the audience enters the room. In which case, their first impression of you may be based on what they think of your Title Slide.

10 TIPS FOR AN EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION

Nobody’s going to be impressed by this Title Slide, are they?

Formatting your slides: it’s one thing looking at your presentation on your computer screen at home or at work, but what about when it is projected onto a screen in a large room?

Formatting your slides: it’s one thing looking at your presentation on your computer screen at home or at work, but what about when it is projected onto a screen in a large room?

All these use dark text on a light background, usually black on white; however, they are all for reading up close.

Formatting your slides

Here we have two examples of things that are viewed from a distance, TV’s and movies. Both predominately use light coloured text on a darker background. The same should apply for presentations.

Choose a Font that is easily read by everyone, such as Calibri or Arial.

Presentations can be likened to going for a meal at a good restaurant. The presenter is the chef’s signature dish – the main reason for going to that restaurant in the first place. Your slides combine the starter, side dishes and desert to enhance the whole experience.

Presentations can be likened to going for a meal at a good restaurant. The presenter is the chef’s signature dish – the main reason for going to that restaurant in the first place. Your slides combine the starter, side dishes and desert to enhance the whole experience.

The Starter is the Title Slide mentioned in Tip #1. However, a Contents Slide is also useful as it gives an idea of the topics you are going to cover.

Presentations can be likened to going for a meal at a good restaurant. The presenter is the chef’s signature dish – the main reason for going to that restaurant in the first place. Your slides combine the starter, side dishes and desert to enhance the whole experience.

The Main Course: you the presenter and your accompanying slides!

We will leave it at that for the moment, as most of the remaining slides supply the detail.

Presentations can be likened to going for a meal at a good restaurant. The presenter is the chef’s signature dish – the main reason for going to that restaurant in the first place. Your slides combine the starter, side dishes and desert to enhance the whole experience.

It’s nice to end the meal properly; and you can do this with your presentation too. Examples: a recap slide, a “Thank you” slide, or a “Question Time” slide.

The original Slide Shows consisted of 35mm transparencies mounted in a carousel on top of a projector. To do a presentation you showed some photos that related to what you, the presenter, were talking about. This is still the case – the audience has come to listen to you, not to read the whole thing for themselves like the credits on a movie.

The original Slide Shows consisted of 35mm transparencies mounted in a carousel on top of a projector. To do a presentation you showed some photos that related to what you, the presenter, were talking about. This is still the case – the audience has come to listen to you, not to read the whole thing for themselves like the credits on a movie.

Keep text to a minimum, headings or bullet points are fine; but if you can replace these with images, even better. As the old saying goes: a picture paints a thousand words.

What to do when you need have text in your slides is covered in Tip (pool ball) 7.

In the previous slide, the advice was about keeping text to a minimum; a similar rule applies when it comes to charts, graphs, and tables.

In the previous slide, the advice was about keeping text to a minimum; a similar rule applies when it comes to charts, graphs, and tables.

The pie-chart on the left contains a lot of detail and will not easily be read by your audience.

If you have something your audience needs to study, supply them with paper hand-outs at the end of your presentation.

In the previous slide, the advice was about keeping text to a minimum; a similar rule applies when it comes to charts, graphs, and tables.

The pie-chart on the left contains a lot of detail and will not easily be read by your audience.

If you have something your audience needs to study, supply them with paper hand-outs at the end of your presentation.

However, simple charts and tables are OK, like the pie-chart above.

Is the number of slides in a presentation important?

No, not really! What is important is the amount of time available for you to deliver your chosen topic. You could talk for 10 minutes on 1 slide, or you could get through 10 slides in the same time, it doesn’t really matter as long as you know it will take 10 minutes.

Is the number of slides in a presentation important?

Animation

Some people find it helps them concentrate better if they use a bookmarker or similar to obscure the text below the line they are reading. The person delivering a presentation can achieve the same by using animation in their slides.

Animation

Some people find it helps them concentrate better if they use a bookmarker or similar to obscure the text below the line they are reading. The person delivering a presentation can achieve the same by using animation in their slides.

Animation

Animation puts the presenter in control of how and when an item appears on the screen; this has the effect of removing any on-screen distractions from what he or she is saying

Some people find it helps them concentrate better if they use a bookmarker or similar to obscure the text below the line they are reading. The person delivering a presentation can achieve the same by using animation in their slides.

Animation

Animation puts the presenter in control of how and when an item appears on the screen; this has the effect of removing any on-screen distractions from what he or she is saying

Example: where you need to show a bulleted list, use simple animation to bring in each bullet point, line by line.

Your Audience

If you can, find out in advance about the people who will be attending. Pitch your presentation for the least informed members of the audience; this way, everyone will understand what you are telling them and you won’t come across as some sort of know-it-all.

Your Audience

If you can, find out in advance about the people who will be attending. Pitch your presentation for the least informed members of the audience; this way, everyone will understand what you are telling them and you won’t come across as some sort of know-it-all.

Your Audience

Avoid using jargon and acronyms, explain things in simple English wherever you can. Using well known acronyms or abbreviations is fine, and is often better, for example BBC, DVD, ITV, or NASA.

Memorize your lines as much as possible.

Do plenty practise runs, and check your timing.

Make sure you how to get to the venue (and how long it will take).

Memorize your lines as much as possible.

Do plenty practise runs, and check your timing.

Make sure you how to get to the venue (and how long it will take).

If you’re not using your own laptop, make sure you can run your presentation on the one provided.

Memorize your lines as much as possible.

Do plenty practise runs, and check your timing.

Make sure you how to get to the venue (and how long it will take).

If you’re not using your own laptop, make sure you can run your presentation on the one provided.

To make your opening look slick and professional, save your file as a “show” (~. ppsx) instead of the usual “presentation” (~.pptx).

Delivering your presentation: the next time you sit down and watch the weather forecast on TV, focus on the presenter instead of the weather.

Delivering your presentation: the next time you sit down and watch the weather forecast on TV, focus on the presenter instead of the weather.

Delivering your presentation: the next time you sit down and watch the weather forecast on TV, focus on the presenter instead of the weather.

Some of the things you will notice are:

They’re always suitably attired for the occasion.

They never turn their back to the audience.

They keep to the side of the on-screen information.

They make good use of hand and arm gestures.

And, they always maintain a pleasant disposition.

Delivering your presentation: the next time you sit down and watch the weather forecast on TV, focus on the presenter instead of the weather.

Some of the things you will notice are:

They’re always suitably attired for the occasion.

They never turn their back to the audience.

They keep to the side of the on-screen information.

They make good use of hand and arm gestures.

And, they always maintain a pleasant disposition.

Now that’s what I call presenting!

That’s it, I’m afraid; you’ve now had your 10 tips on creating and delivering an effective

presentation, I hope you found it useful.

Thank you for taking the time to view this Slide Show.

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