Is your presentation sexy?

Many corporate presentations I have seen have had the same look and feel: logo at the top or bottom, some bullet points and/or charts in the middle of the slide and a small picture or clipart somewhere in the corner.

Don’t you have a “Déjà vu” feeling every time you see slides like these?

Standard, crowded, boring…

Here are some tips to improve the look of your next presentation:

• Keep it as simple as possible. Over-engineering the presentation will make it hard to understand and follow.

TIP! Don’t be afraid to leave blank space. It gives an impression of cleanliness and allows the audience to process the information included in a slide very quickly and efficiently. It also emphasizes the importance of the object on the slide.

• Avoid including large amounts of text in one slide. Prepare handouts with extensive information, so you can use your presentation only as an illustration of your speech. You don’t want to occupy your audience with reading while you are talking to them, do you?

TIP! If you still need to explain a complicated graph / diagram / scheme, split it up into small pieces. Introduce audience to the graph / diagram / scheme gradually. Explain each step and only then show the final picture as an overview.

• Choose one color scheme and stick to it through the presentation.

TIP! If you have a hard time choosing an appropriate color scheme, you can either choose a color scheme that complements your topic or go for your corporate colors and use them instead of sticking a company logo on each slide.

• Be consistent with your visuals! Use one type of charts and diagrams. If you chose to use 3D effect diagrams, use only 3D effect visuals to keep the same style. Consider carefully the type of visuals you choose: what effects you need/don’t need for expressing your idea.

TIP! Don’t use anything because it’s fancy. Always think of the context and of how the element serves to explain your content.

• Use few contrasting elements. Contrast allows you to emphasize or highlight key elements within your presentation.

TIP! Remember that contrast works only if you don’t use it too much. Include one or two contrasting elements, depending on the length of your presentation. Too many contrasting elements, colors or fonts will make your presentation look messy.

•  If you still think bullet-points and clip-arts is the way to go, this entertaining video might help to change your mind!

TIP! Have fun, play with new elements and techniques, research, think of excellent presentations you’ve seen, consult your colleagues, use some Wide Thinking for a Change… and you will realize how easy it is to enhance the power of your presentation.

Presenting with impact…

We’ve recently addressed the Death by Powerpoint syndrome or the poor use of visuals in presentations. Now we turn to the poor use of oneself!

Becoming a great presenter takes time and practice. It’s a combination of art and science. So, I hesitate a little bit in attempting to cover this topic in a single blog post. However, the tips below will provide you with a useful benchmark for where you are now as a presenter and some insights into how to become even better. They will also enable you to choose a presenting coach or training program should you wish to take your existing skills to an even higher level.

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare

Remember, you’re there to tell a story and to achieve something for both you and your audience. So, first you need to know who might be in your audience. Then you need to start with defining your outcome and these questions will help you do this:

Is your audience bored?

  v.  

Have you ever seen a boring presentation? Yes? Really? Me too. Unfortunately too many of those… But why is the presentation boring?

A very common mistake

How to get the concept right?

Have you ever been sitting in front of your computer and a pile of papers trying to make a good presentation that works for your target audience and includes all the facts and figures you want to share?

Often we can spend hours and hours in front of our computers trying to design a good presentation. However, this process will never lead to the perfect result.

What if we go analog and start by turning off the computer and turning on the ideas?

No tools are magic. You have to start off by

Where are you wasting your money?

Often we are reluctant to name the elephant in the room. However, at a recent TEDx 2011 event in Brussels, John Bohannon not only named the elephant, but also stated how much it costs.

Some of the calculations may seem incredible and surprising. Often we don’t think about the costs of our time. We keep doing the same thing over and over without considering any change that actually could make a huge difference and improve the way we work and communicate.

 

Will you use some Wide Thinking for a Change… to reduce your costs and to improve the quality of your communication?

*Watch the complete speech of John Bohannon here.