@onesix18:
So you're knocking the slideshow because it was too long, which takes focus away from the speaker? But in this case the slideshow was the speaker.

You say that "No presentation should ever have 61 slides, no matter what." That's rather rigid rule, no? There's more than one way to skin a cat.

Oops! I think I just violated the unwritten rule that "no cliche should ever be used to make a point, no matter what."

kftgr

For another terrific take on the effective use of PowerPoint check out Guy Kawasaki's The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint, [blog.guykawasaki.com], and then watch a video of his Art of the Start presentation where he puts it into action. Good presentations take work. Like good writing, good editing is essential. Guy's advice is targeted at entrepreneurs seeking capital, but I've tried it in a pitch for a project (it was not easy to put it together) and it was effective.

Tswarts

I teach college courses and about 1-1/2 years ago I totally revamped all my presentations to get away from the dull, bullet pointed lists. Now my presentations are mainly pictures. Instead of having a 20 page presentation, now my presentations are huge (some of them are well over 100 pages. I removed animation and build my slides slide by slide.)

It has made a world of difference in my classroom lectures! Many students tell me how much they enjoy my lectures. It's a little disorienting to the students at first, but I also provide detailed lecture notes (after the lecture) for future reference.

By using this approach, I realized a really great side benefit of using pictures...As I search for the right picture that encapsulates the concept I want to impart, the concept is internalized to me. Most of the time I don't need to refer to speaking notes, when I see the picture, I know exactly what I want to say. I had been using my bullet pointed slides as a crutch before, now my lectures are on-point but not scripted. I think it's turned me into a better, more interesting speaker.

Julie D

@onesix18: I disagree on the slide count. You should use as many slides as you need.

When I present, I typically shoot for a slide to remain on the screen for 30-60 seconds, much like Dr. Kapterev. Keep it moving, and you keep your audience awake.

kc2idf

I protest this philosophy!

If presentations became engaging...where would I find my nap time? Please consider the sleep deprived!

bluebuilder

I think the point about breaking up the idea into simple points, an extra slide costs $0.00 is VERY important. so many people get caught up in the idea that it needs to be '10 slides' no more - that they forget that focused is not equal to a small number of slides.

yoics

A big problem in my company is that such efforts are hamstrung by boring and restrictive presentation templates...

Russkiejedi

PowerPoint is a great tool when it is used correctly. If someone puts a big hole in your wall, you don't blame the sledge hammer - you blame the fool with the hammer who is using it incorrectly.

Michaelw

Like most people, I've watched so many bad PowerPoint presentations that I forgot what a good one was like. So I did what I always do, I checked the number of slides, saw a number >15 and steeled myself for the pain of boredom. But I was almost sad when it was all over. I learned more from that than I've learned in a long time. Thanks!

Averain

TL;DR. Kapterev's presentation has too many slides. No presentation should ever have 61 slides, no matter what.

My wife and I saw Bruce Mau speak the other night, and he gave an *amazing* hour-long lecture that included the most perfect use of slides I've ever experienced.

The presentation supplemented what he was presenting with carefully selected images and (occasionally) words, it did not take away from his presence as a speaker (most of the time the audience was focused on Mau instead of the giant screen), it did not contain any bullet points, and Mau did not read a single word that appeared on his slides. Further, there were maybe 20 slides for a 1-hour+ lecture.

onesix18

Powerpoint's the whipping child because it's so widely available, but many of these points apply to any sort of digital, on-screen presentation with a speaker/speakers.

And I love the TED presentations; they're undeniable proof that passion can really do wonders for a presentation.

kureshii

If you want to see the best presentations, take a look at the guys over at [www.ted.com] This is where you should look for great examples, and interesting ideas.

Mykol225

These are the kind of tips that should be required during training. I have a presentation today. I always make sure that my speech and the presentation slides complement each other. Keep the information to the point in a nice and simple package. You'll even get compliments afterwards.

Remember that the PowerPoint behind you is just there is illustrate a point. Focus on your public speaking skills, and don't acknowledge that the PowerPoint is even there.

Vytorious

On thing Alexei left out is that if you are going to go beyond the bullet-point format and introduce "wild" imagery- you're going to need imagination. Chances are that what you think is a compelling image will not be shared by the audience. Basic creative thinking is something that Alexia refers to- but eludes so many PowePoint-nauts.

Like most other things in life, you get better with practice. The next time you give a PP presentation make a note of which slides people respond to- and what draws the yawns. Different corporate/culture groups will respond in different ways. If you are suddenly the guy with the _wild_ PP slides, you might also soon be known as the new local nut-job that is unfocused. So rather than just invent a new PP self- learn from each presentation you give. Just as important- when you are sitting through a really shitty PP show, don't just tune out- look around the room and try to assess how others are responding.

Learn from others and from yourself.

nat lyon

Wow! Right on target, I wish more people shared this view of information presentation. I don't agree with every single point of the author's message, but I agree....POWERPOINT ABUSE MUST STOP!!

huey148

ok I got the direct link... wow, excellent presentation. A lesson I learned in college: K.I.S.S. -- Keep It Simple, Stupid!

Anyway, here is the direct link to the slideshow (pdf): [www.slideshare.net]

atomicrabbit

Michael Alley, and engineering professor from Virginia Tech, has a good site titled Rethinking the Design of Presentation Slides. Though he is targeting scientists and engineers, his ideas are broadly applicable. The site thoroughly explains the presentation design logic and comes with a power point template and examples. For those interested, Michael Alley further discusses his ideas on communication in his book The Craft of Scientific Writing (extensive preview available on google books).

gr3g

is it just me, or is the slideshow not work for anyone else. I tried visiting the site and it didn't work there either (in IE or Fx)

atomicrabbit

I think the other point to take away from this one is the rehearsal part. I recall a pseudo-formula of considering, say 30 people in a room for a 20 minute talk = 600 collective minutes. The least we can do is put in some portion of that time (maybe 20%?) in preparing and rehearsing so that our talk is worthy of those many minutes sitting in the room.

Dr. J

@KC2IDF & KFTGR: I'm simply trying to make the point that the speaker should wag the slides, instead of the slides wagging the speaker.

onesix18

Stop boring us with your crappy slideshows and watch Death By PowerPoint on core77.com's design blog

@onesix18: I think that was the point of the article, actually.

fadecomic

One thing I hate looking at when someone gives a PP presentation is looking at someone's cluttered desktop before/after a presentation.

On my laptop I have a user named Presentation. The desktop has only programs I'm going to use. The background has to do with the topic.

And always save your final PP as a Power Point Show (*.pps)

wehosea

Good presentation, but the author might note a typo in "recipient" on slide 55.

Wageslave43

Oh and one more thing, too much animations = annoying. You're presenting your topic, you're not presenting Microsoft's product.

nintendude

Ah nevermind. Realized what it actually is.

Destrox

This was good and taught me a few things. But one thing I could not help thinking the whole time was: How do you embed a Powerpoint like that? Or was that even Powerpoint? Any help with that?

Destrox

How about the radical concept of not using a slide show unless it truly adds value to the presentation? Why not use as few media as needed to make your point? Why not let or make the audience think, rather than trying to brainwash them?

Nah, too radical. People use Powerpoint, mostly because it's expected, not because it's needed.

scooper

@wehosea:

Excellent comment about saving finished powerpoints as *.pps instead of *.ppt, I'm definitely using it next time.

Instead of having seperate user for presentations, I've found it works well to have a totally black slide preceding the presentation proper, and another one following. open your .pps, then tell the laptop to start outputting video to the projector. When you finish, you'll have a black screen instead of a black screen that says "end of presentation"

wutzu

@wutzu: Oh, good gods yes. Use the pps feature. Why must we watch presenters fumble through needless steps?

Also: know how to use the damned software. I swear I will literally (yes, literally) scream the next time someone actually has to exit the show in order to go back one flippin' screen. Even if you can't be bothered to remember the backspace key, it's a simple right-click (or, move the mouse and click the bleedin' arrow).

Lastly, I'll (kind of) second scooper: I often use some software for presentations, depending on my objective. MS OneNote, for example, can be surprisingly useful for interactive, dynamic presentaions if you're proficient and creative enough. After a few presentations this way, I actually find that Powerpoint much too linear and limiting.

witeowl

I'm sending this to every teacher at my faculty. NO, you can't make a slideshow of EQUATIONS.

MJ

i have to give the same lecture to different groups of med students every 6 weeks and previously had a lecture that went very well. having read sites like these i re-did the whole thing, ditched unnecessary text, went for eye catching images and- they loved it.

thank you!

ffolliet

I always use the PDF format for presentations, gives me as much options and power as if I was making graphic work through Xpress and InDesign. I have no need for distracting and lame animations and because I use graphic apps I can directly use the content I'm working with like logo's, without having to export it and worry about compatibility and size.

hezz05

Alexei,

I absolutely totally couldnt agree with you more...and I hope you don't mind that I am sharing this on my blog..

[kennunes.com]

Ken

ken.nunes