Avoid death by PowerPoint with these tips

The phrase Death by PowerPoint has become more popular than we’d like, because of the way people misuse both PowerPoint and their audience’s time. You can break down Death by PowerPoint into three sections.

Death by content

A presentation that doesn’t meet the audience’s needs bores and annoys the audience. The content might be too technical or not technical enough. The audience might already know what you’re saying. A good practice is to try to get as much information about what the audience knows and needs to know before you write your talk.

Death by design

Slides that have too much text on them are a sure sign of Death by PowerPoint. Audiences complain of text that’s too small to read or not clear on an overly-elaborate background. Other symptoms are very complex diagrams and charts.

Keep your slides simple and think of ways to communicate visually. Audiences can’t read and listen at the same time, according to both research and common experience. (Try it yourself!) For this reason, you shouldn’t put what you’re saying on the slide. It’s okay to talk without a slide!

Death by delivery

When a presenter doesn’t speak clearly, doesn’t look at the audience, and says “um” too many times, audiences get restless. Take the time to practice and videotape yourself for feedback.