PowerPoint (Keynote for Mac users) allows you to do a lot of ‘cool’ stuff with a presentation, much of which you should never do.
Just because you can have words and images fly on and off the screen during your presentation, does not mean you should.
Just because you can insert the sound of gunshots or squealing tires while the images and words fly onto the screen, does not mean you should.
Just because you can have things blow up on the screen during your presentation, does not mean you should.
Just because you can pack a lot of words (with small font), and lots of data onto a single slide does not mean you should.
Just because you can read all the text on your slides to the audience word for word, does not mean you should.
Just because you can have your logo on every slide, does not mean you should.
In the majority of presentations the slide show should not be the central focus at the front of the room, you should. The slide show is simply a visual aide. The audience is there to learn from you. You however, are not the hero of the presentation, the audience is. PowerPoint and Keynote are tools to assist you in creating the best learning environment for your audience. Words and images flying onto the screen, background noises while words and pictures fly onto or off of the screen and things blowing up on the screen only serve to distract, overwhelm and annoy the audience. They might have seemed cool years ago when people first started using PowerPoint but it is time to get past the hype and create powerful, relevant slide presentations that enhance learning rather than annoy those in attendance.
Putting too much text or data on the screen also tends to overwhelm the audience as they are unable to process all of it, and make sense of it. People in the audience can read what is on the slide themselves. However, they cannot read what is on the screen and listen to you at the same time so shut up and let them read the quote or other small amount of text on the screen and then you can expand on the teaching point.
Just because you can, does not mean you should.
Take care.
Brian Willis – Committed to making a difference
Think Differently About Training – www.experiencewinx.com
At Winning Mind Training we are driven by our dedication to inspiring the pursuit of personal excellence and our belief that every law enforcement officer deserves to experience awesome training.
The Excellence in Training Course is coming to Vancouver, B.C. in May and November, Amarillo, TX and Minneapolis, MN in June, Littleton, CO in September and Tulsa, OK in October. Go to our website at www.brianw260.sg-host.com to register for one of these courses in 2014.
I am also available to speak on Excellence in Training, Embrace the Suck or any of the other related topics at your event or to your agency trainers. Contact me at winningmind@mac.com for availability and more information.
Address: