1.
Remember that PowerPoint is used to enhance the
lecture material, not to simply repeat it. People read faster than you can
speak; when you use just words (and I am guilty of this as much as anyone
else), students will read, write and simply wait for the next slide. There is
little engagement there.
2.
Keep the information on a slide to a minimum.
Have you ever sat in a conference while someone projected a slide with 20 lines
of text on it? What is important in that mass of text? Can it be read easily?
Keep it simple and to the point.
3.
Forget about using all the tricks that
PowerPoint offers- do not use transitions and animations from slide to slide.
These take time and interrupt the flow of information. They add no information
to what is being presented, and are really the mark of a novice.
4.
Make sure your slides are easily readable. Not
all designs are the same. Some are busy or use odd color combinations. The new
template slides from marketing are excellent in ensuring that what is on them
can be easily read.
5.
Practice your presentation. Do not go in de novo
and expect to be a master at your presentation. For conferences, in particular,
it is important to anticipate time spent on presentation. I always think I have
plenty of time, and I almost never do. Practice makes perfect.
6.
The audience should be looking at you most of
the time, not the slide. There are many good books on how to make this happen,
but relying on fewer slides, and with less text, but more pictorial elements,
will help. Think of TED talks, for example.
7.
Make sure your version of the program is
compatible with the computer and projection system that you will be using. This
is critical in conferences, where you can lose embedded movie clips, mp3, etc.
because they are using a more modern or more outdated version than yours.
8.
Use black slides every now and again- no text
means they have to focus on you instead.
9.
Finally, speak well and clearly. Rely on
yourself, not on the slides.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment