Don't lose the power in your point!

PowerPoint; a perfectly good tool has unfortunately earned a bad name because of the way it’s been used (or abused?) A good powerpoint presentation can be inspiring, a bad one can leave us listless. Here are some tips on how avoid the latter.

MAKE IT WORK: You may go with Power point because the workshop organiser demands it or because it’s easy to put together. Success lies in the preparation and the delivery in a manner that communicates a professional image and clarity of thought. And please don’t spoil it all by giving out the hand outs before you present?.

START WITH THE END IN MIND: Before you start working on your slides think about what you want your audience to take away. Take time to outline your presentation before you start to distil your key points. Doing so can save time and help you give a more clear and effective presentation. During delivery get to the main points quickly.

HAVE A CONNECTED MESSAGE: A logical approach often works if you can spice it up with interesting stories that support your points. If you wish to take a different approach be sure you don’t lose the key message or your audience in the process. And don’t try to show off your IT skills by going overboard with irrelevant imagery.

DON'T CROWD THE SLIDES: Your text is a cue for you rather than a message for the viewer. The audience is likely to switch off if they have to read from the screen when they expect to listen instead. Put together strong slides but practice the presentation beforehand so that your spoken remarks on the day are compelling.

DON'T READ WORD FOR WORD: Don’t make yourself redundant by reading the slides line by line. Put the key points on screen preferably as bullet points and amplify them as you talk. Speak confidently, pace your words; watch the body language of your listeners and be ready to switch gears if they look bored.

BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU'RE SAYING: Because content alone does not communicate this. Only your voice and body language can. Communicate energy by varying your intonations and maintaining a confident posture and eye contact as they speak. If you sound bored, your audience will too.

HANDLE QUESTIONS WITH TACT: In handling questions avoid a process that forces you to flip back and forth between slides; as it disrupts the flow. How about opening up for questions towards the end before your closing statement so that your key message is the last thing they hear from you?.

FINISH STRONG: The end is as important as the beginning especially if you had a poor start or mumbled through much of the presentation. As in the beginning remind yourself ‘why are these people here to listen to me?’ and repeat the most important information they need to take home.

Now take action: Take a topic that interests you; prepare& practice a presentation