Try the PowerPoint Insomnia Cure

Having trouble sleeping? Try sitting in a darkened room watching somebody read out their PowerPoint slides. In no time at all you’ll find your eyes getting heavy as you achieve a state of blissful distraction – works every time!

Despite what I’ve just said I’m a big fan of PowerPoint and similar presentation aids; so long as you remember that’s all they are – aids!  They are not the presentation (you still have to do that yourself), and they’re not there to bail out dull presenters who haven’t taken the trouble to create an interesting and engaging story.

Well thought-out PowerPoint slides add impact, help you emphasize critical points and make your presentation more memorable. They are there to support you rather than being something you can hide behind.

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Make your visuals ‘visual’

We’ve all sat through uninspired presentations: screen after screen of bullet points that we could read for ourselves. And often we are even spared that effort by a presenter who reads them out for us. How engaged and involved did you feel the last time you were subjected to this type of thing?

Reading out your slides is not the same thing as presenting.

Isn’t it so much better when your attention is held by the presenter and only directed to the screen when there’s something important to see or an image that reinforces the message?

Put yourself in the spotlight

You want the audience’s attention to be focused on you. You want them engaged and attentive and really taking in what you have to say. If the audience is focusing on clever slide transitions, animations and an intricate background design, they’re not paying attention to your message. So what should we be doing?

Here are my top tips for using PowerPoint:

• Decide whether you actually need it in the first place. Is it going to help you get the message across? Or are you using it because ‘it’s expected’ or because you’re worried that otherwise you’ll forget what you wanted to say?
• Be imaginative. Use slides with images and key words to reinforce your message. Don’t just break your presentation speech into bullet points and stick these on the slides.
• Keep designs plain and avoid fussy backgrounds.
• Use clear fonts like Arial as they are usually easier to read at a distance (not that you’ll be displaying a lot of things that people need to read).
• Make sure there is a good contrast between text and background – remember you may not have control over the lighting in the room!
• Use as few slides as possible. More slides mean more activity on the screen and less focus on you.
• Don’t keep turning round to look at your slides. You can half turn to point to something on the slide, but do so as infrequently as possible and always face the front when speaking

Follow these guidelines and you’ll turn your PowerPoint presentations into engaging and memorable experiences – rather than something to be endured with a rolling, or closing, of the eyes.

Hugh Graham, The Bid Coach

For more information or to discuss a specific presentation that you’re working on please contact us via email hugh@thebidcoach.com or ring our office Tel: (01963) 240555

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