To deliver an effective presentation today you need to break out of the Microsoft PowerPoint paradigm of how presentations need to look like and start using more of the alternative visual communication design approaches available to you.
One of them is all about simplicity and being highly visual.
Even with words.
Super-PowerPoint-expert Ellen Finkelstein reports:
"For example, take a look at a presentation by Dick Hardt of Sxip Identity.
If you're interested in looking at an excellent presentation, watch this one.
His slides are very simple; this is sometimes called the Takahashi or Lessig method. The method can be summed up simply:
One or two words per slide, keep the pictures simple.
The beauty of Dick Hardt’s presentation is not so much in the simplicity of his slides but in the structure and concept that he used.
Dick Hardt
Dick Hardt was introducing his company which offers web-based technologies that help companies identify Web site viewers. And he was introducing himself. So he started talking about his own identity (his name, where he was born) and weaved that into the concept of how people can know and trust someone’s identity.
Yes, he created a great duet with his slides but that added to his theme. The structure of the presentation demonstrated that he’s smart, fast, and on top of the latest technologies.
Put more attention on the content and structure and their appropriateness to your message and less on the slides. Simple slides may remove many defects of a bad presentation, but they won’t create a good one.
Nevertheless, if you're looking to create a smart, fast presentation, you might use this technique:
- Let the text on the slide repeat a word or phrase that you're using, no more.
- Use images that evoke what you're saying, but don't add any words to the images.
- Show each slide for just a second or two. This method uses lots of slides, each for a short time.
- Keep the pace fast.
Have fun!"
originally written and published by Ellen Finkelstein
as "Presentation Styles"
Ellen Finkelstein is the author of AutoCAD 2002 Bible and How to Do Everything with PowerPoint 2003.
How to Do Everything with PowerPoint 2002 contains all the new features, including the new animation. Plus complete discussion of PowerPoint's features and presenting tips. A must for presenters. A free 19-page download from the book is available here
