If you think about the last presentation you attended, there is a great chance you left somewhat unsatisfied. The problem wasn’t with the speaker or the subject in general, because if you really hated the information or you couldn’t have learned from it, then you probably wouldn’t even have gone to the meeting in the first place. The real reason that people aren’t able to enjoy presentations and be entertained and stimulated by them is simply because most presenters don’t know how to give a presentation. Often, the problem is they don’t know how to incorporate PowerPoint and other presentation software systems into their lectures.
Real Slides Meant Real Information
As a piece by Duarte discusses, before the days of PowerPoint, people had to use real slides. The slides were not just painstakingly crafted with meticulous detail, but they couldn’t be stuffed full of information or else they would be hard to read. It is so important for everyone to remember that a slideshow presentation on PowerPoint is nothing more than a technologically advanced way of using old-fashioned slides.
Why should this matter to you today? The average human can’t properly absorb the information on a slide if it’s presented in sentences or paragraphs. What you need to do is to consider just how important and valuable those slides were back in the day, and use the same model when you are creating PowerPoint slides now. If something is going onto a slide, it had better be an excellent way of making a point or enhancing a presentation. If it doesn’t, then it just doesn’t belong.
Keep Them Guessing
With an audience today, you already have an advantage. If most people who go to a presentation believe it is going to be boring, monotonous, and otherwise dull, then you can surprise them throughout by continuing to add fun and excitement into your presentation. By being passionate and enthusiastic enough by yourself to get through the presentation without any need for PowerPoint, you already know that PowerPoint will only be there to enhance your event.
The key to keeping all of your potential listeners on the same page as you is to keep them surprised. As 24 Hour Company says, if you keep them from expecting what is next, they will start to wonder what is next. They will become more enthusiastic, and they will quickly become far more lively and interested in your message. Instead of listing bullet points, clip art, and outdated animations, PowerPoint can truly be used for what it is actually for. If you add in supporting pictures, thought provoking questions, and even taking the advice from LiveSlides and embed video in PowerPoint, you will be pleasantly surprised at how many audience members start to lean in for more instead of nodding off.
PowerPoint makes your presentation go from a decent talk, to a fully entertaining presentation. It is supposed to make your information memorable for the right reasons, and with the planning and execution of a few strategic slides, you can master the art of presentation with nothing more than a little help from trusty technology.
Timing Is Everything
If you have the ability to reel your audience in, then the last thing you want to do is let them off the hook. It’s so important to take these opportunities and use them to your advantage. As LifeHack says, timing is more important than you can possibly imagine. Not only the pace of your speech, but also incorporating supporting points in the form of memes, videos, quotes and more can really elevate the audience’s interest and tie your points together. And, while there are near countless examples of making timing your ally in a presentation, even the most basic attempts will still have your audience captivated as they wait to see what happens next.
When it’s all said and done, the way you choose to present your next piece of information is entirely up to you. The show has to fit with the message, and everything needs to come together in a way that you are comfortable with. However, if you use presentation software correctly, you can handle the entire presentation and then just let the software and add-ins help to supplement your show.
Featured image credit: ShutterStock
