Posts Tagged ‘PowerPoint’

Presentation Magazine

Presentation Magazine This site offers a multitude of free information on all types presentations from speaking to slide preparation. They are many articles that offer helpful tips such as “target segment charts“.
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Topics include:

  • Presentations – Essential Presentation, Skills, Nerves, Ideas, Tips, Topics, Secrets, & images
  • Speeches – Persuasive, Informative, Famous, Wedding, Retirement, Funeral, & Nerves
  • PowerPoint – Free Templates, Ideas, Tips, Maps, Sound Effects, Free Download, & Open Office
  • Templates – Business, Animated, Maps, Template Builder, Medical, Open Office, & Seasonal
  • Public Speaking – Presentation Skills, Nerves, Ideas, Tips, Topics, Secrets, Images, & Sales Presentation
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Presentation Magazine website

PowerPoint Presentation Tips

When it comes to PowerPoint presentations, there are hundreds of sources of information on the internet. I have recently run across this Top Ten Slide Tips by Garr Reynolds that presents some very good tips, some of them, I highly recommend. Of the top ten these few are ones you should incorporate into you tool kit:

1. Keep it Simple & 2. Limit bullet points & Text – See my post on 10/20/30 Rule of Powerpoint by Guy Kawasaki, which talks along a similar line. Strive for telling your story in as few as words as possible. It takes practice to get this down. I believe for most folks, it is easier to start with the detailed versions and then begin to reduce the words. A general rule of thumb, if you already have said it in the presentation, don’t repeat it unless it is your summary slide. An even there strive to reword it to convey the same meaning.
4. Use high-quality graphics – This may be easier said than done, especially if you have limited funds. Resist the urge to put a graphic that is blurry because it is the only one you have. You will lose your audience!
6. Use appropriate charts – Several great examples are given by Garr. I would also add pictures where possible, especially when you have a product offering that can be shown via picture easier then trying to describe it with words. One tip I use is to create the graph in excel then using a screen capture program like HyperSnap, I make a jpg image that I can insert into PowerPoint. What is nice is the jpg scales, so I can make it larger or smaller and the text will resize nicely. If you do a copy and paste from excel you will find that when you resize the text does not cooperate. In a future post I will demonstrate this tip!
8. Choose your fonts well – Going back to the 10/20/30 Rule of Powerpoint strive to use the 30 pt font size or larger. This forces you to reduce the number of words. It is a great rule and you can learn to apply this with practice.

Go here to see the entire Top Ten and look at the examples:
Garr Reynolds/Presentations.

The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint

The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint

Guy Kawasaki, has written a nice blog piece on how PowerPoint presentations should have ten slides, last no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty point font when pitching to investors, making a sale, partnerships, etc…
1) Ten Slides
a) you can have as many back up slides as necessary
b) Insert pictures where possible as the old adage: “a picture is worth a 1000 words” is true!
2) Twenty Minutes
a) You need to know your pitch forwards and backwards.
b) Remember to “Pace” the presentation delivery so your mouth doesn’t get ahead of you brain.
c) You will be nervous, that is natural.
3) Thirty Point Font
a) Every slide should have one key point you are trying to leave with your audience
b) Strive for the least amount of words
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