(1080 words)

We’ve all had that sinking feeling of walking into a meeting, seeing the screen and projector set up, and knowing that we were in for 2 grueling hours of mind-numbing PowerPoint. It is what we expect. It is the norm, the default. And even if we are called on to give a presentation we know what the audience anticipates: not much. The best that we or they can hope for is the same we hope for from our dentist performing a root-canal: get it over quickly and make it as painless as possible.

What if there was a better way? What if slides during a business presentation could excite and challenge the audience? What if those images could actually add to retention and interest and not lead to boredom?

The good news is that great PowerPoint presentations are possible by anyone but it does require some rethinking and, unfortunately, it does require some work. (By the way, when I use the term PowerPoint I am usually referring to any of the available presentation programs: Keynote for the Mac; Google Docs Presentations; Prezi and others.)

How is this possible?

Let’s quickly deconstruct the typical PowerPoint presentation. A few days, or even the night before the presentation, a very busy regional sales manager, Jack, finally begins work on the slide deck. He has to present the latest numbers along with some explanations of new projects and their numbers. Jack has a stack of documents and he quickly culls the necessary information from them along with some additional facts and figures that will surely impress his peers. He then drops them into a standard PowerPoint template. Lots of facts. Lots of charts. Most of the data is of a supporting nature but not critical. He is concerned that too little data will give the appearance that he did not do his homework so when in doubt he puts more in.

Jack organizes the slides into a logical order, adds fancy title slides, a conclusion and, just to spice it up, some clip art included with the program. Jack prints out his slide set as a handout and he is locked and loaded. Ready to present. Unfortunately we all know just how bad Jack’s presentation will be.

But wait there’s more. Jack knew he should have rehearsed a little but just ran out of time. So he did what so many PowerPoint presenters do – the number one aggravation for the audience – when presenting he turned and read the slides directly from the screen. Some call this “Death by PowerPoint.” It really is just slow torture.

So how can we fix this?

It requires some different thinking about what images can do to enhance a presentation, how much the audience can retain and why all this work is important.

The first question as to why this it is even necessary to improve on the typical PowerPoint horror seems obvious: stop torturing your audience! Communicate! Give them information that is meaningful, motivating and manageable.

There is another critically important reason. Whenever a speaker has the opportunity to stand and deliver in front of anyone – his peers, his boss, his clients, anyone, he has the opportunity to advance himself and his career. Big time! There is so much bad PowerPoint out there that a reasonably good presenter can appear to be a communications superstar just by rising above the typical dreck. But it takes work.

Sharon hits a home run.

Let’s reimagine this scenario. Sharon works in the same office as Jack and gets the assignment to deliver the next quarter’s presentation. She knows that this could be her time to shine so she goes through these 7 steps:

1. She writes her presentation out first without images, charts or graphs. She knows that if it can make sense to the audience with simple direct terms then it will work even better with the right visuals. She practices her speech without visuals well enough in advance to smooth out the rough spots and make the message clear.
2. She organizes her thoughts around a big central message. If she could only tell her audience one or two things what would they be? How can they be presented as simply and clearly as possible? Do all the details support these messages? She knows that she could speak about 5-10 important separate points but retention would be zero so she picks her main ideas carefully and builds a case for each. Then wraps it up neatly in a conclusion.
3. Sharon creates simple title slides with strong images to introduce key points. She knows that quality graphics send a message of professionalism so she only uses the best images she can find and avoids the cheesy, fifth-grade clipart that comes with the program.
4. She adds graphics, numbers and diagrams carefully as needed. As she goes through her presentation she sees where a chart or graphic can add to understanding or deliver impact and then inserts them as needed — not just to fill up the screen. Data-rich, but confusing, charts are avoided. When they must be used she highlights or zooms in on the critical information. Background or validating information can be relegated to a handout that can be examined separately. She knows that a screen filled with data can easily distract the audience from the main message. She avoids dumping data on her audience for the sake of looking smart.
5. Sharon uses simple quick fades as her slide transitions without any animation. She realizes that 95% of all transitions and animations look child-like and quickly become annoying.
6. She rehearses. And then rehearses some more. It’s that important and Sharon wants to earn the respect and admiration of everyone in the audience.
7. Sharon delivers a superstar performance. She is confident and rarely looks at the screen. The message is clear. The visuals help deliver the concepts without distracting from her presentation. Her peers and superiors are impressed. She soon becomes Jack’s boss.

It is easy and expected to serve up mindless data to others instead of doing the heavy-lifting of actually communicating. This becomes a presented a golden opportunity for a good presenter to stand head and shoulders above the crowd. Doing PowerPoint right takes some reorganizing of the basic preconceived ideas of business presentations. Plus it requires a bit of homework and practice. The rewards for your career, and your company, are worth all the preparation and effort.

o o o   Copyright © 2012 Tom Nixon Design   o o o

Tom Nixon, delivers keynote presentations and workshops on effective PowerPoint presentations.  He has over 30 years of experience in the graphics world as a photographer, designer and writer helping clients of all sizes deliver powerful, clear communications. He may be reached at 770.289.0752 or at tomn@tomnixondesign.com.