HOW TO AVOID THE WORST PowerPoint MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE 2015 National Seminars Training. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this material or any part thereof in any manner.
HOW TO AVOID THE WORST POWERPOINT MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE Predesign Tasks When it comes to PowerPoint, the most common mistake is to jump right in and begin designing slides. To develop the best presentations, you must master the predesign tasks that lead to great presentations. Plan for Four Important Aspects of Your Presentation 2
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK The Best Use of Graphics Graphics should be used to enhance the presentation and not simply to add variety to slides. Graphics can be used for many beneficial purposes: As the sole message for the slide As a graphical representation of data To assist the text in delivering the message To brand the presentation or company To provide consistency and theme elements When using graphics, the following general guidelines are beneficial: Use graphics that match the slides in color and theme. Use graphics that look professional. Use graphics that are acceptable to the audience. Use graphics that match with your organization s culture. Use graphics that match with the audience culture. 3
HOW TO AVOID THE WORST POWERPOINT MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE Common Graphics Mistakes Three Common Mistakes Are Made When Using Graphics 1. Using graphics because your slides are boring 2. Using graphics that the readers cannot see properly 3. Using text when graphics will do 4
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK Using Fonts Well When you design a presentation, be careful to not overdesign it. You can provide flow through the use of consistent fonts. When too many fonts are used, it may cause confusion. Consider the following example: January s Sales Jane $15,678 Bill $12,089 Fred $7,908 Lynn $6,321 5
HOW TO AVOID THE WORST POWERPOINT MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE Common Typography Mistakes Avoid the four most common mistakes related to fonts and text so that your presentations shine. Four Font Follies 1. Using too many fonts 2. Using small text 3. Using too many colors 4. Using text at all 6
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK Using Animations Animations can certainly be useful, but they can also be overused. You want to use animations with a purpose and with constraint. This will allow them to serve their purpose: To illustrate processes To explain complexity To show flow or logic Text animation is very important. PowerPoint supports dozens of object animations that can be used for text entry. Some important guidelines include: Be consistent with text animations. Vary them only for impact and only on rare occasions. Be aware of common-use programming. People expect text to enter from the left and not the right. Motion animations can be used to create custom animations for process explanations. SmartArt objects may be animated as well as text and other images. 7
HOW TO AVOID THE WORST POWERPOINT MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE Psychology of Movement Animations affect us. It is important to understand the psychology of animations and movement and how you can use this in your presentations. Viewers can be programmed to expect left-to-right animations. In fact, these are the most common text entry animations used. For this reason, right-to-left animations can be frustrating to viewers. However, varying this can provide an attention tactic. For example, if you have a single word or line of text enter from the right on rare occasions, it will cause the viewers to pay more attention to that text. Most PowerPoint text entry animations are overkill. Simply causing the text to appear or even showing all of the bullet points on the slide at once can be effective. Use text animations with much forethought. 8
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK Using Color to Provide Meaning Colors have meaning. While the meaning may vary from culture to culture, you can use color to provide meaning and emotion in your slides. Consider the following examples of color and meaning: 1. Red emotionally intense 2. Blue peaceful 3. Black authority and power 4. White purity and illumination 5. Green nature 6. Yellow cheerful 7. Purple luxury and wealth 8. Brown earthy 9
HOW TO AVOID THE WORST POWERPOINT MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE Common Color Mistakes However, you want to avoid the two most common mistakes related to color selection. 1. Using painful colors 2. Using conflicting colors Applications are available that will assist you in selecting complementary color schemes. 10
PARTICIPANT NOTEBOOK Using Slides vs. Blank Screens Sometimes the screen should be blank even in the middle of a single slide. You can blank the screen to draw greater attention to yourself and your words. When to Blank the Screen You want to get serious. You want complete focus on you. You want to ask for questions. You want to take a break. You want to change locations. When to Display the Slides You must deliver technical content. You want to use animations to explain a point. You want to show a process or hierarchy. You have a slide that is not cluttered with distracting words and images. 11
HOW TO AVOID THE WORST POWERPOINT MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE Top 10 Ways to Improve Any Presentation These tips can improve the delivery of any slide presentation even a poorly designed one. 1. Have a purpose. 2. Know your audience. 3. Have a great opening. 4. Use a powerful closing. 5. Learn how to persuade. 6. Speak as yourself. 7. Smile! 8. Use position programming. 9. Listen to the audience. 10. Avoid rhetorical questions. 12