A500.8.3.RB - Blog - Good Presentation Design

For this week’s entry I had to focus on my thoughts on good presentation design.   Some of the information may seem repetitious due to fact that I share my thoughts in the weekly discussion forum.  I find this discussion very interesting because to me presentation plays a huge factor in my career field of education and training.  One question that comes to mind when it comes to presentation is what we did 25 years ago.  Did large butcher block pads and chalkboards do the same as today’s computers?  Were presenters of the past more skilled when it came to presentations than today’s speakers and presenters?  Make no mistake about it, I feel all types of professional presenters over use and abuse electronic presentations. The trendy phrase I often hear in presentation complaints from adult students is “Death by PowerPoint”.  Just like David Letterman has his nightly top ten; I have my own top 10… “I call this my "10 deadly sins of presentations"

(1) KISS- Keep it simple, stupid!

(2) A speaker must remember that a good presentation is there to support the speaker, not to do their job for them (they are the expert not the computer).

(3) Avoid distraction…annoying sounds and loud colors. With that said, the presenter must also remember that what looks good on a 20 inch computer screen may not be so good on a 9 ft. screen.

(4) Practice, Practice, Practice…enough said on that

(5) Avoid using audio visuals unprofessionally

(6) Avoid using out of date material. Make sure what you present is current (goes to credibility)

(7) Avoid using inappropriate humor that may not be funny; understand that some may be offended with certain jokes, if you would tell it to you mother keep it to yourself (know your audience)

(8) Avoid using poor grammar, pronunciation, and enunciation

(9) Being unfamiliar with YOUR information

(10) LAST BUT NOT LEAST…BE ON TIME & BE ORGANIZED. 

Another point I would like to address is using PowerPoint and other presentation tools as a crutch. I think the most important things is we must keep in perspective is that computers and presentation software are assistance tools and should remain as such. A question all presenters should ask themselves is, “Do you want the audience to pay attention to you or the presentation?" The biggest issue that I think is overlooked when it comes to presentation is problem the one the presenter has the most control over.  This issue is practice.  No matter how experienced a presenter is, they need to review their slides ahead of time before they present.  Personally I think a review should be done at least twice. A good review can assist in identifying slides that might be irrelevant.  The bottom line is the more prepared and familiar you are with your slides, the smoother the presentation will go.