Presentations—Power Up Yours with Visuals

Each week, we brief other departments on how we’re providing support to them. It usually just involves giving them a list of what we’ve done, then taking questions, and it’s pretty dull. Is there a simple way to put more life into our presentations, without a lot of work? —George T.

A. For sure. Consider giving a PowerPoint presentation. You can put one together in about the same time it would take you to list your key ideas on overhead transparencies. Jeff Wuorio (jeffwuorio.com) is an author and consultant who writes about small business and personal finance, and offers good advice on this topic at Microsoft’s Small Business Center Internet site. His suggestions about PowerPoint apply to any good presentation that uses graphics and illustrations to make a message more compelling. For example:

1. Use compelling material.

Your content must be able to reach the audience on its own. A dazzling graphic, even a slide with motion or a video clip, can’t overcome a dull idea, wordy copy, or ideas that don’t benefit the audience or tell people something new and relevant. Ask someone who will tell you the truth to look at your copy to see if people will like what you say. Then you can dress it up even more with dynamic graphics.

2. Keep it simple.

You’ve probably seen presentations where the speaker fell in love with every wrinkle, special effect and gadget available. But the most effective presentations are simple—charts that are easy to understand, and graphics that reflect what the speaker is saying. One good guideline: use at least 24 pt type, with no more than five words per line and no more than five lines on each slide. Don't clutter your the message with too many words and graphics. Cut any word or graphic that doesn’t help you get your idea across quickly and hold their interest.

3. Limit figures and numbers.

A compelling slide conveys ideas and supports a speaker's remarks in a concise manner. Most effective presentations don't overwhelm viewers with too many figures and numbers. Leave those for more thorough handouts distributed at the end of your talk. Don’t fill a transparency with a full page of figures from a report, display it on the screen, then face the screen (not the audience) and review every piece of information—line by agonizing line.

If you want to emphasize a fact about the prevalence of Alzheimer's patients, you could include a photograph of an older person, rather than just showing a number on the screen. A good source for interesting and even funny photos and artwork is greeting cards. As long as you’re not going to sell or distribute multiple copies of the presentation, you won’t get into copyright problems by making a single-use copy for your presentation.

4. Maintain Eye Contact.

One bad habit of even PowerPoint users is to read the visual presentation to the audience—right off the screen. It’s not only redundant—it makes even the most visually appealing presentation boring. A good visual presentation works best with spoken remarks that build on and discuss, rather than mimic, what's on the screen. People didn't come to your presentation to see the back of your head.

5. Time your talk.

Your comments must coincide precisely with the appearance of a fresh slide. If there’s a disconnect, it splits your audience's attention. A well-orchestrated talk brings up a new slide, gives the audience a few seconds to read and digest it, then follows up with remarks that broaden and amplify what's on the screen. You don’t simply read your key ideas, summarized in a few words on the slide; you expand and enrich them.

6. Give it a rest.

Experienced presenters aren't bashful about letting the screen go blank on occasion. This gives your audience a visual break, and it’s also a great way to focus attention on more personal give-and-take with your audience, such as a group discussion or a question-and- answer session.

7. Use vibrant colors, images and graphics

Use bold colors to grab and hold attention. Download images and graphics for variety and visual appeal, including video clips. A humorous graphic can help convey a key message and loosen up the crowd.

8. Distribute handouts at the end—not during the presentation.

No speaker wants a crowd that's busy reading a summation of his or her remarks. Unless it’s critical that people follow a handout during your talk, wait until you're finished to distribute handouts.

10. Edit ruthlessly.

Review your remarks and assume you're just one of the folks listening to them. If something is unappealing, distracting or confusing, cut it out. Your presentation will be the better for it.