If you want to show a lot of data, spread it out onto multiple slides, with one key message per slide.

The slide shown above comes from a recent seminar.   Too many bits of information on a single slide dilute the message.  In addition, the slanted writing in the background also competes with the data for attention.

If you are not familiar with Garr Reynolds and his presentation zen blog/books, take a look at some of his great examples of having just one key message per slide.  His books are listed in the right column with other reading suggestions.

The result was this:

1. the audience automatically disconnected from the presenter to read ahead the text that appeared on the slide
2. the audience read faster than the presenter talked
3. the audience couldn’t wait for the presenter to move on to the next topic.

A better slide would have had the image at full size, the title, and nothing else. This would have allowed the presenter to get the full attention of the public and the slide would have served its purpose as a “visual” aid to enhance the message.

With no speech on the slide, the presenter needs to rehearse  before the event  But communication improves as the eyes of the audience stay on the presenter (unless he watches the screen).

Could you do with a second opinion on the quality of your slide presentation?  Get in touch with me.

A good speaker, a good topic, a large and interested audience, but… the speaker frequently turned to look at the slides projected on the large screen behind him, effectively turning his back on much of the audience.

This was not necessary because:

1. The stage was fitted with a couple of screens on the floor on each side facing the presenter, so he could have easily avoided turning his head away from the audience.
2. He had a presentation remote, so he could have moved freely on the stage.

Next time you are up on stage, remember to keep your eyes on the audience as much as possible. Your presentation will be better.

The actual text displayed does not need to be the exact URL, it can be anything you want, even multiple words, and generally the http prefix is taken away for aesthetic reasons. But if the hyperlink is active and functioning in PowerPoint, it will also be active in Slideshare.  Remember that just typing a website address such as lesswire.it in one of your presentation slides will not necessarily  turn it into a hyperlink.  PowerPoint does not know you want a hyperlink unless it sees the http prefix or it can intepret a www prefix.   But you can add the hyperlink yourself to any text by first selecting it and then using the Insert / Hyperlink command.

The same method can be applied to a PowerPoint object, like a rectangle or an image.  Just select the object and use the Insert/Hyperlink command.  This can be useful to place icons with links to your Twitter, Facebook and other social network pages.

Here are a couple of very simple example slides posted to Slideshare.  You can move your mouse pointer to see which pieces of text and which objects have a hyperlink attached, and you can test the links by clicking on them.   The third page has sample social network icons with links, a great idea for the first or last slide of a presentation deck.

Not all winning presentations are good, but there is one that is definitely worth taking a look at. It is the winner in the Marketing category. The presentation was developed by a company called Corporate Visions, specialized in Customer Message Management.  It is titled “How to tell a story that sells”.
It’s both a well constructed presentation and a lesson in how to build sales presentations/messaging, which should be centered on the prospect and not on your company. Don’t miss the fun video on slide 21!

If you like the concept of “Customer Message Management” may I suggest you register and watch the free Corporate Visions Instant Webinar titled “How to Create Preference, Not Parity, in Your Value Propositions”. You will find great insights here as well, coupled with an appealing presentation style.