When you are presenting the end goal is to make a sale, not kill them with boredom. Yet so often that is what many salespeople do when they are presenting via PowerPoint. It is quite easy to blame the software but the real responsibility lies with the presenter. PowerPoint slides are there to support what the presenter is saying. So in other words, you are only as good as what are on your slides. The goal for a great presentation is quality not quantity, yet so often it seems like there is a contest to see how many words someone can put on one slide. If you are going to put down word for word what you are going to say, you might as well hand over the slides to the person sitting next to you and sit down or walk out. The goal is for your audience to pay attention to you and the more your audience has to read, the less they are looking at you. When you are presenting, this is the time for you to shine. This is your Super Bowl moment.
Here are 5 mistakes you need to avoid if you hope to keep your audience alive:
1. Having too much information- Effective communication when presenting is knowing what to cut out. You can easily lose your audience by having slides that are too cluttered. Work on becoming a strong editor.
2. Not using enough visuals- This is a great way to have your presentation stand out. This also helps ensure you are not using too many words. Avoid using the usual Microsoft Clip Art. Instead utilize online tools just as flickr.com or istockphoto.com. A key to remember with visuals is you want to make sure everyone in the room can see them.
3. Horrible quality- Avoid using boring fonts or those often overused. Perform a Google search and use some free fronts from great designers that can add that special touch to your presentations.
4. All-over-the-place- Categorize your presentations into sections to avoid being disorganized. Pick an exciting color scheme and don’t limit yourself just to the colors that PowerPoint offers.
5. Lack of preparation- Take the time and don’t just cram it all together the night before. Spend time gathering the information, then organizing it and finally rehearsing it. When you are done rehearsing it, rehearse it some more. A study found that only 25% of people say they spend more than 2 hours on a major presentation, yet most experts say that for a great presentation, it takes 30 hours or more of prep time!
Focus on designing your presentation not just shaping it all together. Remember when you are in a room presenting you are not only there to share information, but you are there to influence your audience.
Here are 5 mistakes you need to avoid if you hope to keep your audience alive:
1. Having too much information- Effective communication when presenting is knowing what to cut out. You can easily lose your audience by having slides that are too cluttered. Work on becoming a strong editor.
2. Not using enough visuals- This is a great way to have your presentation stand out. This also helps ensure you are not using too many words. Avoid using the usual Microsoft Clip Art. Instead utilize online tools just as flickr.com or istockphoto.com. A key to remember with visuals is you want to make sure everyone in the room can see them.
3. Horrible quality- Avoid using boring fonts or those often overused. Perform a Google search and use some free fronts from great designers that can add that special touch to your presentations.
4. All-over-the-place- Categorize your presentations into sections to avoid being disorganized. Pick an exciting color scheme and don’t limit yourself just to the colors that PowerPoint offers.
5. Lack of preparation- Take the time and don’t just cram it all together the night before. Spend time gathering the information, then organizing it and finally rehearsing it. When you are done rehearsing it, rehearse it some more. A study found that only 25% of people say they spend more than 2 hours on a major presentation, yet most experts say that for a great presentation, it takes 30 hours or more of prep time!
Focus on designing your presentation not just shaping it all together. Remember when you are in a room presenting you are not only there to share information, but you are there to influence your audience.
RSS Feed