You're (probably) Doing PowerPoint Wrong - Part 2

OK. As promised, here are the rest of my rules for PowerPoint. Haven’t seen the first 10? Check out my other post. In the meantime, here they are…

Rule 11. If you are embedding video or non-sound effect audio, be careful. Especially with video. Sometimes it’s better to have the video loaded on your laptop/tablet and exit PowerPoint when you’re ready to play it. Whatever you do, make sure you test on the system you’ll be using to present.

Rule 12. Once you have the presentation and your deck ready, practice repeatedly and edit without mercy. Delete any slide that doesn’t convey your message. Don’t fall in love with your slide deck by itself. What you need is a harmonious blend of your presentation and the visuals.

Rule 13. When you’re happy with the first draft of the presentation, deliver it to an impartial audience. It could just be one person. When you get close to something, it can be hard to be objective. Make sure what you’re presenting makes sense to someone other than you. Pro tip: watch for squinting eyes. This is the universal, unspoken sign of confusion. Repeat the test audience process whenever you make significant changes.

Rule 14. Use redundant systems. Keep your slide deck on your laptop/tablet, of course. Also keep a copy on a USB drive, preferably in a place other than your laptop bag. And email a copy to yourself. Save another copy as a PDF. You never know.

Rule 15. Fonts. No more than 2 fonts in a presentation. Ever. Preferably use just one. And keep them simple. Remember the people in the back. If you want to use a fancy font for accent, do so sparingly.

Rule 16. Another couple of things about fonts. Take it easy with all caps and italics. Watch the font size. Make sure it’s big enough.

Rule 17. Keep practicing and editing. Don’t get complacent. If this is a stock presentation for you, don’t let it become rote. Change things up. Revise your words, swap out images on slides. Keep it fresh.

Rule 18. Never. Ever. Hand out printed copies of your slides in advance of your presentation. People will flip ahead and not focus on what you’re saying. It’s human nature. If they want a copy, hand it out afterwards. On a related note, here’s how I know when my slide deck is about right: when someone inevitably asks me for a copy of it, he or she should have no idea what I was presenting about by looking at the deck alone. Legit. If you can get all your main points from a printed copy of the deck, you’ve included way too much text.

Rule 19. Anticipate questions in advance and practice your answers. Remember when you tested your presentation on an impartial audience? Did those folks have questions? That’s a good place to start. Look at your own presentation and use your expertise about your topic to figure out what attendees might not fully understand.

Rule 20. If you absolutely MUST leave a deck behind or email one for reference with complete details of everything that you’re presenting, then follow the above rules and create a slimmed down version to present with. It’s extra work, yes. But you’ll have a stronger presentation.

Rule 21. Do you even need PowerPoint? Seriously. You might not need to create a PowerPoint deck. Maybe all you need is a big poster. Or a flip chart. Or a white board. Or a sample of a product. Or  printed copies of a few charts to walk your audience through. Maybe this should be Rule 1. Stop and think if PowerPoint is the best way to illustrate your presentation. It might be, but it might not be. It’s certainly not the only way to make a presentation.

I hope these suggestions (ok, rules) help you create a stronger, more engaging and memorable PowerPoint presentation. Provided you need one, of course.

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