Decide on the Goal of the Presentation
Most business presentations are either informative – trying to inform the audience of some information – or persuasive – trying to persuade the audience to take some action. Decide what the audience should know or do at the end of the presentation.

Use a Presentation Structure
Once you have a goal, you need to determine where the audience is right now and have a plan to move them from where they are at the start of your presentation to where you want them to be at the end of the presentation. This will include analysis of the knowledge level and bias of the audience as well as the level of credibility you have with them.

Select Colors that Have High Contrast
When you are designing your slide look, pick colors that have high contrast so that the text and graphics can be easily seen when shown. Popular color choices include dark backgrounds such as navy blue or dark purple with a light text color such as white or yellow. This makes the text float on top of the background.

Pick Fonts that are Large Enough
My rule is that you should never use a font below 24 point size, with the preference being 28 to 32 point size. For titles or headings, use 36 to 44 point size fonts. If the font is too small, no one will be able to read the words and the message will be lost.

Use Bullet Points
Instead of full sentences, use bullet points to deliver the key ideas on your slides. When using bullet points, make sure not to put too much information on a slide. The 6 by 6 guideline is a good one to keep in mind – each bullet should have no more than 6 words and each slide should have no more than 6 bullet points.

Build Bullet Text Points
When using bullet points, build them one by one on the slide using the build animation effect. This way, you can speak to each point individually and the audience will know which idea you are expanding upon.

Avoid Movement of Slide Elements
While moving text or graphics around the slide may look like fun, it is very distracting to the audience. Avoid the build animation effects where movement is outside the boundaries of the text or graphic. The preferred build effect is the Appear effect where the text just appears in the correct spot on the slide.

Select Graphics Carefully
Only use graphics – clip art or photographs – if they will add to the message of that slide. There are many wonderful graphics available today, but most fo them are not going to add to your message, they will detract from the message. Always ask yourself if this graphic adds to the points you are making before you put it on the slide.

Use the Proper Chart
Charts – graphs and tables – can be a great way to present information if they are used properly. When selecting the type of chart, consider whether the data you are trying to show is time sequenced or not and how many data sets you will need to show. For complex ideas, splitting a graph up into smaller amounts of data tied together in an overall graph may be the best way to go.

Practice, Practice, Practice
The best way to be comfortable when delivering your presentation is to actually feel prepared! There is no substitute for practice. All of the good speakers you have ever seen have practiced the art of presenting many times. Practice with your computer and projection equipment if possible to get a feel for it. Practice everything you plan to say, but do not memorize it because a memorized speech sounds "canned" and not like a conversation, the way a good presentation does.

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© MMIII Dave Paradi

Dave Paradi’s Think Outside the Slide™ approach helps presenters get results by showing them how to quickly create effective PowerPoint presentations. He is the co-author of “Guide to PowerPoint”, part of the Prentice Hall Series in Advanced Business Communication. He offers a free PowerPoint e-course, newsletter and articles on his web site at www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com.