******************************************************************* Dave Paradi's PowerPoint Tip     Issue #145 October 16, 2007 Published & Copyright by Dave Paradi of ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com Circulation 8,548 ******************************************************************* Please forward this newsletter to sales executives and professionals who want to achieve greater sales rep productivity and deliver presentations that close more sales.  If this newsletter has been sent to you by a friend, sign up to get your own copy at http://www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com/newsletter.htm . ******************************************************************* In this issue: Annoying PowerPoint Survey Closes This Week See me at PowerPoint Live in New Orleans Oct 29-31 Workshop Recording Coming Next Week PowerPoint Tip - Visual Slide Definition Best of the Blog - Use a remote for more than changing slides Dave's Travel Schedule ******************************************************************* Annoying PowerPoint Survey Closes This Week Thank you to the over 500 people who have already responded to the survey on what annoys you about bad PowerPoint presentations.  If you haven't taken the two minutes to fill out this survey, please do so now because the survey will close this weekend so that I can report on the results in the next newsletter.  Take the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=TzWkZi7eD0pPQPvasbIA4A_3d_3d Feel free to pass this link on to others so we can hear from them as well. ------------------------------------------------------------------- See me at PowerPoint Live in New Orleans Oct 29-31 In two weeks I'll be attending the PowerPoint Live conference in New Orleans.  I am the closing day keynote speaker but will be there all three days.  If you are attending, please let me know and I'd love to say Hi while we are there. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Workshop Recording Coming Next Week Due to your requests, I recorded the workshop I did a few weeks ago in Seattle as a screen capture recording.  You get to see my slides and hear me explain how to create effective slides.  The recording has been edited and I'll be releasing it next week, so watch for an e-mail early next week. ------------------------------------------------------------------- PowerPoint Tip: Visual Slide Definition This past week I created a new definition of a visual slide that captures where my position is different from some others.  Here is my definition: "A visual slide is not the absence of text; it is the presence of a visual that encourages a conversation with the audience." Now some people have stated that PowerPoint slides should never have text on them - visuals only.  And we have all seen the paragraphs of unending text on too many slides.  I think those are the two ends of a spectrum.  While it is important to know where the extremes of the spectrum are, I am not sure living there is the best approach.  I prefer something in the middle. In my definition, I deliberately chose to define a visual not by what is missing, but instead by what is present that is of greatest value.  Let me explain. A visual is not of value simply because there is no text on the slide.  The lack of text does not add to the benefit that the audience gets from the presentation.  What does add value is a visual, usually accompanied by some explanatory text, that starts a conversation that enhances the understanding of the audience.  The audience also sees the visual and draws their own conclusions that contribute to the discussion.  A visual should not be added for decoration, but serve a clear purpose in delivering the message. While the epidemic of overloaded boring text slides is clearly gripping the business presentations that we see, the solution is not to swing to the other end of the spectrum, but to find that middle ground that will best serve our audiences.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on this definition. If you are looking for ideas on how to create visuals instead of all text slides, check out my e-book "Transforming Text Slides into Visual Slides", which gives you ideas of what visuals fit different situations and the best practices for each of those visuals.  Here is the link to learn more: http://www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com/transformtext.htm . ------------------------------------------------------------------- Best of the Blog -  Use a remote for more than changing slides  I have advocated for years that presenters should use a remote instead of being tethered to the keyboard. But I see far too many presenters use it only to change slides. All the points come up on each slide when the slide appears.  As the presenter is speaking about the slide, the audience is trying to figure out which point the speaker is discussing. If you have a remote, use it to build each point on your slides. Then you can speak about each point separately and the audience knows exactly which point you are talking about. It shows that you have taken your skills to the next level. Other recent blog posts at http://pptideas.blogspot.com : New source of PowerPoint Maps ------------------------------------------------------------------- Dave's Travel Schedule I work with sales teams who struggle with the quality of their sales presentations and the productivity of the sales reps in creating the presentations. Sales executives would like their sales reps to easily create presentations and deliver a customized and consistent message every time. My research based PowerPoint Presentation Effectiveness System helps my clients achieve greater sales rep productivity and deliver presentations that close more sales.  You can save money by booking me to speak to your organization or conference when I am close to your area for other clients.  Here's where I will be in the next few months: October 19 - Hamilton, ON at the CAPS booth at CSAE October 25 - Ottawa, ON October 26 - Huntsville, ON October 29-31 New Orleans, LA at PowerPoint Live - register at http://www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com/powerpointlive.htm November 6 - Oakville, ON November 14 - Toronto, ON November 22 - Oakville, ON December 6-9 - Halifax, NS January 23-24 - Cincinnati, OH E-mail me at Dave@ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com to discuss how my Think Outside The Slide(tm) sessions can help your organization be more productive and improve communication throughout the organization. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Privacy Policy: I will never sell or distribute your e-mail or information to anyone. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Need articles for your newsletter?  Check out my many articles at: http://www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Recommended tools I use in my business: KickStartCart shopping cart system: http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/default.asp?pr=31&id=42487 Credit Card Processor PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/row/mrb/pal=8ADSGLU62YXWW Webinar provider GoToWebinar: http://snipurl.com/webinarhost ------------------------------------------------------------------- Check out the books, e-books and other learning tools at: http://www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com/resources.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you want to read back issues of this newsletter, click on the following link to go to the Archives: http://www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com/archives.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------- Microsoft, PowerPoint, Windows and other terms are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.  Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.  All books, products and seminars are independent publications and are not affiliated with, nor have they been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation.