Selecting fewer slides also encourages the presenter to design their presentation wisely, keeping it clear and concise.
Much like the constraint on the number of slides, cutting down on your speaking time forces you to do plenty of editing. Kawasaki says to limit your presentation to 20 minutes. This has been a mistake, in part due to having too many slides in the first place. Although as an audience member I sometimes dislike listening to other audience members ask questions, I do like to ask my own questions.
Further, very few people can sit patiently listening to a lecture for an hour without engaging with more interactive dialogue. You have to be pretty interesting to retain my attention for a full hour in an engaging way. You come together to confer with other people, and so you need this space to allow time to discuss your ideas.
Coming back to the essay comparison, a good presentation focuses on an argument. And an argument must be something that people can take different sides on.
Are you already telling people something they already know? This shows my bias towards the essay format, as I think good essays reflect this focus as well. Additionally, note that as a presenter, you can also be the one to ask questions. The teacher asks challenging questions to students and invites them to engage.
A good essay and a good presentation share many similarities. For example, for my second keynote presentation, my Tech comm trends - take two post was the essay form of the post. The essay was about 8, words, which is about right for an hour-long presentation. For my first keynote, the essay was an earlier version of the same trends topic. The absolute best advice for any presentation is to structure the idea journey as a story.
I mean presentations should follow the general story arc. You have some sort of goal, and you encounter challenges to that goal. The bulk of your work is in getting through these challenges, until you finally come to some realization or conclusion.
This flow aligns perfectly with the essay format. Overall, if I can shape the essay right in the first place, it usually eliminates most of the problems with presentations. In this blog, I write about topics related to technical writing and communication — such as software documentation, API documentation, visual communication, information architecture, writing techniques, plain language, tech comm careers, and more.
Unfortunately the bad and average presentations are the predominant but this can be coached and the tips you shared in this post are good reminders for any presenter who is trying to deliver a clear message to the audience. Thank you for a very educative post. I have learned a few tips that I have been struggling with in my slide preparations. Excellent article and tips! There is a definitely a delicate balance when it comes to slides and presentation. I also encourage presenters to remember that they are human and it is okay for them to have notes and not feel like they have to give the image of remembering every word!
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How many minutes per slide? Mistake 4 — Slides Double as a Handout Many presenters print their PowerPoint presentations and distribute them to the audience as a takeaway document.
The fewer words, the better, as these examples show: In the following slide, he focuses on just one example of how to make the most out of your daily caloric intake. Here are two final tips: 1. Comments 13 Brian says:. October 29, at am. Donna says:. November 2, at pm. Jill Chamberlin says:. April 3, at pm. Brad Phillips says:. Pedro GR says:. June 26, at am. Julie says:. March 27, at am. November 7, at pm. AB says:.
October 30, at am. Trudy Phillips says:. December 10, at pm. Ben says:. January 8, at am. Julian from SlideModel. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue. No account yet? Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article methods.
Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1. Provide the right amount of information. PowerPoint presentations are useful to provide an overview, a general description of a given topic. Your presentation should not be encyclopedic. They should be just one part of your presentation, not the whole thing. Break complex slides down into several simple slides. PowerPoint presentations are at their most effective and powerful when they adopt a clean, minimalistic style. Include audiovisual support only as needed.
Sometimes it works to put words on a screen, but generally, your text should be limited. Do you need the graphics as a starting point from which you will explain results, trends, predictions or specific outcomes? These and other relevant questions should guide your decision-making process when settling on the right number of slides for your presentation.
Go through your entire presentation and ask yourself if you really need a given slide. If the answer is no, or if you find you can deliver the info verbally instead, eliminate it.
Method 2.
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