4. Outline
• “Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster”
• PresentationWorse “PPT” presentations
• Better “oral” presentations
• Food-for-thought on presentation
Pix source: online.wsj.com
5. Too Much Text, and Font too small
• Don’t put large blocks of text in your presentation.
• Emphasize the main points.
• The “Six-by-Six” Rule.
• Use pictures—PowerPoint is multimedia!
• Use a large font. At least 30-point or more.
Source: elmhurst.edu/~jacobh/WorstPresentationEverStandAlone.ppt
6. Bad Color Choices
• Avoid loud, garish colors…dark text on light
background is best.
• Avoid text colors that fade into background, i.e.
blue and black
• Avoid color-blind combinations:
– Red and green
– Blue and yellow
Source: elmhurst.edu/~jacobh/WorstPresentationEverStandAlone.ppt
7. Overwhelming Pictures
• Use pictures, but don’t let them use you.
• Keep slides SIMPLE! Too much diverts audience
away from content.
• Too many pictures also make saving a
presentation difficult.
• 1 or 2 pictures per slide is probably enough.
8. Using too much Slide Animation
• Again, keep slides simple!
• Apply one Slide Transition style and one
Animation Scheme to ALL slides.
• Don’t change between styles- a single style
makes a presentation look unified.
• “Busy” presentations divert audience attention
from content.
9. Ignoring Murphy’s Law
• “Something WILL go wrong”
– Test your presentation before you show it.
– Always have a backup of your presentation on hand.
– Be prepared to do the presentation without the
PowerPoint. Professionals ALWAYS print handouts for
the audience.
Source: elmhurst.edu/~jacobh/WorstPresentationEverStandAlone.ppt
10. Presentation Tips
• Talk to your audience, not the slides. Face them!
• Don’t just read what’s on the board. We can read
that. Use a visual presentation as a starting point.
• Avoid apologizing for a presentation shortcoming.
Press on!
• Leave time for Q & A.
Source: elmhurst.edu/~jacobh/WorstPresentationEverStandAlone.ppt
11. Presentation Tips (Con’t)
• Check grammar! A presentation is the worst time to see
missspelings.
• Don’t make too many slides—avoid the “slide rush”
(trying to rus through the last 20 slides because you
ran out of time).
• Cite your sources on each slide or at the end of your
presentation.
• Remember: KEEP IT SIMPLE! It’s just a tool!
Source: elmhurst.edu/~jacobh/WorstPresentationEverStandAlone.ppt
12. Presentation Tips (Con’t)
• “Ten presentation tips” from Steve Jobs
(by Carmin Gallo)
Source: www.carminegallo.com
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15. 3: Introducing the Antagonist
In nearly every classic story, the hero fights the villain. The same holds true for a Steve Jobs presentation.
In 1984, the villain was IBM, known as “Big Blue” at the time. Before Jobs introduced the famous “1984” television ad to
a group of Apple salespeople, he created a dramatic story around it. “IBM wants it all,” he said. Apple would be the only
company to stand in its way. It was very dramatic, and the crowd went crazy. Branding expert Martin Lindstrom says that
great brands and religions have something in common: the idea of vanquishing a shared enemy. Jobs created a villain that
allowed the audience to rally around the hero — Apple and its products.
A villain doesn’t necessarily have to be a direct competitor. It can also be a problem in need of a solution. When Jobs
introduced the iPhone in January 2007, his presentation at Macworld focused on the problems mobile phone users were
experiencing with the current technology. The iPhone, he said, would resolve those issues. Setting up the problem opens
the door for the hero to save the day.
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Source: www.carminegallo.com
21. Food for Thought
“A good sermon should be
like a woman's skirt:
short enough to rouse the
interest, but long enough to
cover the essentials.”
--Ronald Knox
Pix source: www.yesstyle.com.jpg