I hate PowerPoint. I know that for many of you, them’s fightin’ words. After all, the wildly popular software is the staple of presentations everywhere. Even kids in elementary school these days are taught to use it for show-‘n’-tell.
I have nothing against the product itself, I just can’t stand how badly executed most presentations are. More than 25 years of my fascination with the Panama Canal, for instance, were nearly destroyed last year when I sat through an hour of a dull PowerPoint presentation by canal officials. I refuse to do them myself and haven’t created a .ppt document in years.
Everyone gets so excited about putting up all kinds of graphics, fancy fonts and jazzy transitions that they pay no attention to the content, overstuffing the slides with useless stuff. Badly executed PowerPoint just cannot be salvaged.
However, there are ways to make better presentations using PowerPoint, including these tips:
- Stick to one thought per slide.
- Keep the presentation short.
- Don’t get carried away with the bells and whistles.
And from the blog of Guy Kawasaki, hi-tech pioneer and venture cap guy, is his “10/20/30” rule of PowerPoint:
It’s quite simple: a PowerPoint presentation should have 10 slides, last no more than 20 minutes, and contain no font smaller than 30 points.
Kawasaki’s tips are aimed at folks in business, but I believe the they apply to almost anyone who uses PowerPoint.
Microsoft’s official PowerPoint site has some tips and thoughts on improving presentations as well. And just when you thought there were no additional ways to complicate PowerPoint, I see that you can easily add video backgrounds to your slides. We’re all in trouble now.
Your turn: send me sites you like at poynter@sree.net (include your name, affiliation and city).
NOTE: WEB TIPS FRAPPR PROJECT — Help us create a collaborative media project by joining 140+ of our readers at http://www.frappr.com/poynterwebtips.
When you get there, click on “add yourself” on the right of your screen.
If you live in the U.S., put in your name and zip code. Attach a photo (if you wish — optional!). Remove the “Create a Frappr Account for me” (if you don’t want one) by clicking on checkbox. Hit “Add Me.”
If you live outside the U.S., put in your name, then click on “Not in the U.S.? Click Here.” Start typing your city and a menu with your city should show up. Attach a photo (if you wish — optional!). Remove the “Create a Frappr Account for me” (if you don’t want one) by clicking on checkbox. Hit “Add Me.”
We’ll watch this little project grow in the months ahead. Meanwhile, I am still working on my follow-up column about Social Networking for Journalists and looking to connect with readers at LinkedIn.com.
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