According to Kurt DelBene, president of the Microsoft Office Division, as of July 2012 1 billion people worldwide use Microsoft Office (which, of course, includes PowerPoint). With such market penetration, it is no wonder that PowerPoint has become the lingua franca of business communication. But … [Read more...] about What is a PowerPoint presentation?
Do you need header and footer blocks on PowerPoint slides? No.
We see it all the time—a slide that has a large, colored bar along the top for the title and another one along the bottom for a logo, page number, and various other footer items. Why has this become the norm? It's true that many of the templates that come standard with PowerPoint use this … [Read more...] about Do you need header and footer blocks on PowerPoint slides? No.
How to royally screw up a PowerPoint presentation
Here is a transcript from a horrible presentation made by rookie presenter, Joe Fumbler. In August 2012, I conducted a contest exclusively for Design Dispatch readers to find all the flubs made by Joe Fumbler during his presentation, and reader Robbie Kularski came up with eighteen mistakes! … [Read more...] about How to royally screw up a PowerPoint presentation
What the Spartan Sprint taught me about presenting
On August 11, I participated in the Spartan Sprint, an obstacle course of a little more than three miles that test the limits of one's endurance. The Sprint is the entry-level race, and if you survive that you can graduate to the Super Spartan, attempt the Spartan Beast, or really indulge your … [Read more...] about What the Spartan Sprint taught me about presenting
You are not the focus of your PowerPoint presentation
The other day, a friend of mine wanted my advice on pricing the redesign of her client’s pitch deck, the initial presentation shown to a prospect to get hired. When I opened the presentation, my jaw literally dropped because it was an 11-page résumé in 16-point type sandwiched between a title slide … [Read more...] about You are not the focus of your PowerPoint presentation
Good presentations start with good scripts
A gentleman once asked me to provide a quote on redoing a PowerPoint presentation. He provided a link to the presentation, which included a voiceover narration. I had to explain to him that he'd be unhappy with the results if I just did the cosmetic fixes he'd asked for. Sure, the presentation … [Read more...] about Good presentations start with good scripts
Six reasons you should pay for PowerPoint design
I make a lot of prospecting calls to tell people about my presentation design services and to ask for their business, so I hear many variations on “We don't want any,” such as, “We already have a template,” “We do all of our PowerPoint in house,” and “My admin takes care of that.” Maybe you are … [Read more...] about Six reasons you should pay for PowerPoint design
Do you read your PowerPoint slides to the audience? Knock it off!
According to a recent survey conducted by PowerPoint designer Dave Paradi, the number-one PowerPoint annoyance is when presenters read their slides to the audience. In fact, "reading from the slides" has been one of the top five most annoying PowerPoint habits since he started conducting this survey … [Read more...] about Do you read your PowerPoint slides to the audience? Knock it off!