PowerPoint Slide Makeover #71: Using tables in PowerPoint

Below I’ve posted a new Slide Makeover Video Podcast based on the ideas in "The Visual Slide Revolution". A table is a good way to organize information into rows and columns. Unfortunately, the default appearance and behaviour of tables in PowerPoint does not make them as effective as they could be. This makeover shows a default table improved so the message can be communicated more effectively.

The slides I use in my makeovers are drawn from my consulting engagements and training workshops. If you want to submit some of your slides to be considered for a future slide makeover, e-mail them to me at Dave@ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com.

You can get all my podcasts through iTunes, subscribing to my YouTube channel, or through Brainshark. If you have subscribed via iTunes or YouTube, please provide your positive feedback on the videos in the Comments and Ratings areas of the service so others know the value you get from the videos.

PowerPoint Tip: Why presenters spend way longer working on presentations than they need to

One of the issues I am often asked about during my workshops is the length of time it takes to create a PowerPoint presentation. Many presenters bemoan the hours and hours it takes. When I inquire as to what they are doing in that time, there are two big issues that are usually contributing to the length of time spent on preparing a presentation.

The first issue is that they tell me they spend a lot of time revising and reorganizing their presentation. Is it because they always deal with incredibly complex topics? No, the root cause is that they don’t spend time on structuring their message at the start. If you don’t spend quality time thinking about what you are going to say, you end up doing that thinking during the creation process instead. And your thinking gets interrupted by working on slides and takes much longer than it should.

Instead, block off some time before you even touch the computer. Use that quiet time to reflect on the goal of the presentation, what your audience is thinking right now, and what points you need to make in order to move the audience from where they are to where you want them to be. Write an outline on paper or use sticky notes so you can move ideas around. Add sketches of what visual will best communicate the point. You are not done the structuring stage until you have a complete outline and are convinced that this is the right message to deliver to this audience.

If you spend the time on the structure first, the creation of any slides is much easier. You already have a good idea of what visual you want to use to make the point and can simply create the visual you need, whether it is a graph, photograph, diagram, table, or other visual.

The second issue I hear that causes presenters to spend a lot of time creating presentations is that they don’t know how to use PowerPoint efficiently to create visuals such as graphs or diagrams and they don’t know how to include media such as pictures and video clips. Unfortunately, most organizations do not offer proper training in the common office programs like PowerPoint. It is assumed that you have already learned the skills in school or a previous position. If not, the common thought is that you can easily learn these programs because they are so easy to use.

My experience is that while you can open up PowerPoint and use the basics, most presenters don’t know what they don’t know about PowerPoint. In my workshops, some of the most useful tips I give are small ones like shortcuts or key combinations that can solve frustrating problems that many people have using PowerPoint. I encourage presenters to never stop learning. Actively seek out focused training that gives you the practical knowledge you can use immediately.

I offer this type of focused training through in-house workshops, one-on-one consulting, and the upcoming webinar series (get more information at www.EffectivePresentationWebinars.com). When you are looking for training and trying to decide between the different options, make sure that the trainer is a presentation professional, not a computer specialist who knows every feature of the technology and is only going to run through a technical laundry list. The training should be designed so you see how PowerPoint is used in a real presentation situation then you are shown the feature in PowerPoint that was used. Look for a trainer who knows enough about PowerPoint to show you the insider tricks, not just the common features you already know. Make an informed decision about where to invest your training time and money so you get the payoff you are looking for.

If you allocate time up front to structuring your message, then learn how to efficiently use PowerPoint to create persuasive visuals, you will spend far less time creating your presentation, and have more time left for practicing and polishing your presentation.

PowerPoint Slide Makeover #70: Using proportional diagrams (example from Pres. Obama SOTU)

Below I’ve posted a new Slide Makeover Video Podcast based on the ideas in "The Visual Slide Revolution". In the recent State of the Union address, President Obama used some visuals in the enhanced broadcast on the web. One of those visuals was a proportional diagram. This makeover shows how you can use a proportional diagram effectively on a slide.

The slides I use in my makeovers are drawn from my consulting engagements and training workshops. If you want to submit some of your slides to be considered for a future slide makeover, e-mail them to me at Dave@ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com.

You can get all my podcasts through iTunes, subscribing to my YouTube channel, or through Brainshark. If you have subscribed via iTunes or YouTube, please provide your positive feedback on the videos in the Comments and Ratings areas of the service so others know the value you get from the videos.

PowerPoint Tip: Can you solve presentation problems by switching tools?

Many people acknowledge that far too many presentations are not designed or delivered nearly as well as they could be. So how can we solve this problem? The solution, say some, is to change the tools we are using. Throw out PowerPoint because it causes the problems, they claim. Instead, they say we should use tools like SlideRocket or Prezi, or even switch over to Keynote on the Mac, as one organization did.

So will this finally solve the problem once and for all? I haven’t seen any evidence that this rush to change tools solves the problem. I recently got to see my first Prezi presentation live. Prezi is the latest hot presentation tool that has captured attention. It allows for non-linear presentations where you scroll across a large canvas, showing each visual in whatever order you want. In comments made to me afterwards, and my own impression, it was clear that the dizzying scrolling movement did not make the topic any clearer, and actually distracted from the message.

In all of the surveys I have done, the overwhelming response is that the tool is not the issue. The misuse of the tool, whatever tool is used, is the true problem. You can create an awful presentation in PowerPoint, but you can also use Keynote, SlideRocket, Prezi or any of a number of other presentation tools to inflict just as much pain on an audience.

The real solution to the problem of ineffective presentations starts with better training for presenters. Here are some solutions you can use today, with the existing version of PowerPoint you have on your computer.

First, before you open PowerPoint, spend some time thinking about your message. What do you want the audience to do at the end of the time you have together? What points do you need to make in order to move the audience from where they are now to where you want them to be? You will save hours of time by simply getting your message clear before you start using any tool.

Second, use visuals instead of writing everything you are going to say on your slide. Instead of copying a spreadsheet on to a slide, create a graph. Instead of listing five steps of a process, use a diagram. Instead of a wordy description, show a photo. There are many ways to make the visual you use more effective than a “wall of text” (that’s why I wrote a whole book on it, The Visual Slide Revolution).

Third, if you want to use a non-linear presentation style, use the built-in hyperlinking feature of PowerPoint to enable you to jump between sections as the audience reaction and questions dictate. I’ve been creating and delivering non-linear presentations for years, so this isn’t a new feature of the latest version of PowerPoint.

Finally, don’t read your slides. Audiences have told me over and over again that the single most annoying thing a presenter can do is read the slides. Don’t do it. If you’ve followed the previous three suggestions, you won’t have all the text on the slide, so you won’t end up reading. Use the visuals as a starting point and have a conversation with the audience. It is better for them and easier for you.

The next time someone says that you should try the latest presentation tool that everyone is talking about, keep in mind that it won’t solve the true problems. Work on creating and delivering better presentations and you will get compliments no matter what tool you choose to use.