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Way too often, we try to squeeze in 40 slide decks into a 20 minutes presentations, let’s stop killing others by wasting time on these presentations that no one remembers. Get to the point!
So here is my take, often we have too many slides into a pitch or a presentation without a proper thought process. So we use too much vanilla to fluff up our deck. Fancy diagrams, hundreds of words, and my least favorite, the graphs with over complicated lines and dots. Does any clients pay us to draw up these over complicated graphs? They just want to story / meaning behind it, and that’s what a presentation is suppose to do. It’s about the story, not data.
Powerpoint is just a visual tool, a tool to help us visually explain something when it is hard with words. It not a substitute to our presentation. So next time before you are eager to spend 2 whole day working on your next big preso, think about the below:
1 Draw up the frame
This is where you define the purpose of the presentation, and summarise the main points you would like your listeners to take away. Always do this before you even think about touching the powerpoint, this should be done on paper.
2 Limit the slides
Follow the 10 / 20 /30 rule: your presentation should be no more than 10 slides, your presentation should be no more than 20 minutes and you font should be no smaller than 30.
3 Keep the idea in 3s
People remember in 3s 5s or 7s, keep it short so people can remember as to walking out of the room frustrated and confused.
4 You don’t have to have a slide for everything
Things like background, can be said in front of the audience rather than have it on paper. When you go in to present, especially a pitch, clients should already know their challenge. Mentioning it in a meaningful way beats having it up on the projector.
5 Rehearse beats powerpoint
There is a saying, a good presenter can present without powerpoint, but no one can be good without rehearsal. Too often, we spend too much time jazzing up our deck, and no where near enough time practicing.
In summary, it’s all for a good cause. Keep it simply, don’t rely on powerpoint so much, and let the ideas flow. Give it plenty of test runs, and you should hear the clapping soon.
Xikan
