In this issue
1. Latest Slide Makeover
2. Learn to create & deliver web presentations
3. Sequence of information matters
4. Have you got your copy of The Visual Slide Revolution yet?
5. From the Blog
One
of the
Top 10 Business Books of 2008
Click on the cover to learn more
Book Dave to do a live program
for your group:
1) Transforming Text Slides into Persuasive Visuals
2) Hands-on Creating Persuasive PowerPoint Visuals
3) Cutting Presentation Preparation Time by Using Content Templates and
Creating a Slide Library
4) Creating and Delivering Effective Web Presentations
Click
here to learn more and book Dave.
Dave's Travel Schedule
December 6-9
- Calgary, AB (CAPS Convention)
January 28,
2010 - Indianapolis, IN (manufacturing - tentative)
January/February
- Orangeville, ON (Utility company trainers)
May 17, 2010 - Mississauga, ON (Purchasing managers - tentative)
September 13, 2010 - New Jersey (Emergency medicine professionals - tentative)
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Latest Slide Makeover Video
Financial or operational analysis often includes reporting on what the
outcome would be under different scenarios. Instead of
listing each individual scenario in a table from Excel, use the ideas
in this makeover to show the results visually. Click
on the
video below to play it in your browser via YouTube (or click
here to watch it on my web site in QuickTime format at
www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com/podcasts).
Health
scare cancelling meetings? Travel budgets cut?
Learn how to create and deliver effective web presentations
using WebEx, GoToMeeting, Live Meeting or other online meeting
services. For a variety of reasons, more and more presenters
are
delivering their presentations via the web instead of in
person.
The design, planning and delivery of web presentations is different
from in person presentations. My new video program explains
how
to create and deliver your web presentation effectively, as well as
reviews the key features you need to be aware of with the
service you use. Learn
about web presentations at www.EffectiveWebPresentations.com.
PowerPoint
Tip: Sequence of
Information matters
Research
by Michael Posner reported in John Medina’s book Brain Rules
shows why the typical sequence of information is not helping our
presentations be as effective as they could be. I’ve been
sharing this with my workshop audiences this year and I’d like to share
it with you in today’s tip.
The usual sequence is to methodically share every piece of supporting
data we have in a logical order and present the conclusion after all
the data has been shared. For example, a typical persuasive
sales presentation would list each feature of the product or service
and then present the conclusion that the product or service is the best
to solve the problem at hand. So why is this not as effective
as it could be? Because the audience doesn’t know where you
are headed. By the time you get to the conclusion, they have
forgotten the different pieces of data and don’t necessarily know how
the data supports the conclusion. With confusion comes lack
of action.
Research by Michael Posner suggests that audiences recall better and
understand your message better if they first hear the conclusion, then
the supporting data. This way, they know where you are headed
and can fit the data you present into the conclusion you have already
stated. It is similar to having the destination first before
you start to map the route. By knowing where you are going,
you can see how each road in the route moves you towards the
destination. This is a simple change that you can make in
your presentation that will make it more effective.
I want to take this research and extend it’s application one step
further. When you create a non-linear presentation, you state
the conclusion first, then give the audience a menu of data to select
from. The audience selects what data they need to hear in
order to convince themselves that your conclusion is valid.
This is a great way to engage the audience and customize the
presentation to this exact audience at this exact time. How
much time would be saved in meetings if the audience could direct the
presentation and hear only what they needed to hear in order to support
the conclusion?
If you haven’t read Brain Rules yet, click here to order a copy from
Amazon or pick it up at your local bookstore. If
you want to
create your first non-linear presentation and want to know how to use
hyperlinks in PowerPoint to do so, check out the “how-to” video in the
Hyperlinks section of my PowerPoint
How-To Videos page.
Have
you got your copy of The
Visual Slide Revolution Yet?
A reviewer on Amazon.com titled their review of my book "Excellent for every business
professional" and said:
"The concepts in this book are excellent and long overdue in the
corporate world where muddled PowerPoint is the norm. Most PowerPoint
books teach you how to create lovely-to-behold slides that contain very
little data. Paradi tosses that paradigm upside down, with slides that
even the artistically-challenged can create and that are rich with data
- perfect for business managers.
The concepts are clear and practical, and demonstrated with actual
examples from Paradi's consulting and training practice."
"... the content in this book is better than you'll find in books like
Beyond Bullet Points or Your PowerPoint Sucks..."
"Bottom line is this
deserves a place on every business professional's bookshelf."
If you haven’t got your copy yet, go to www.VisualSlideRevolution.com
today.
From
the Blog at PPtIdeas.blogspot.com:
Use hanging indents properly on your PowerPoint slides
I saw it again this week so I need to comment on the incorrect use of
hanging indents on PowerPoint slides. Here’s what happens. The
presenter wants to have text on the slides, but doesn’t want it to be
in bullets. It might be a quote or other text that is not bulleted. So
they use the bullet slide layout and simply deselect the bullet
formatting and start typing away. The problem? The first line of the
text is set to the left of the rest of the text, making it look
strange. The audience wonders what’s wrong with the text and pays less
attention to the message.
The problem is caused by the text placeholder still having a hanging
indent format from when it assumed bullets were being placed there. It
sets the first line further left than the rest of the lines. This
formatting causes further problems if you ever copy this slide into a
new presentation or update the look with a new template. Since
PowerPoint thinks you are using a bulleted list, it reformats your text
as bulleted text and now you have a slide that doesn’t look like it
used to.
What should you do instead? When you want to create a slide that has
non-bulleted text, start by selecting a layout that does not include a
bullet point placeholder. Select either the Title only or Blank
layouts. Then add a text box and format it so it has the size, font and
colors that you want. Now the text will have a consistent left margin
and the text will not be reformatted if the design template changes in
the future.
Properly formatting the text on your slides is one of the small things
you can do that will make your presentations more effective.
See all
blog posts and add
your comments at http://pptideas.blogspot.com
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