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!
How do you show bad news in PowerPoint?
Sometimes it's necessary to tell your audience something that's not so great. Most presenters really don't want to be the Bad Guy, but it's important that their audiences have all the facts about what's going on, whether it's an underperforming fund, a bad quarter, negative ratings, or flagging … [Read more...] about How do you show bad news in PowerPoint?
You don’t need to number your PowerPoint slides. Discuss.
People often ask me to work with PowerPoint templates that include slide numbers. I can't imagine why slide numbers would be important. Maybe it makes presenters feel like they're accomplishing something if they glance at the screen and see that they're on slide 92, I don't know. But putting slide … [Read more...] about You don’t need to number your PowerPoint slides. Discuss.
What is the number-one PowerPoint annoyance?
If you think that a core dump and recitation of your entire store of knowledge on a particular subject makes for a captivating PowerPoint presentation, think again. According to a survey conducted by renowned PowerPoint expert Dave Paradi, a whopping 73.8% of the 603 respondents chose "The speaker … [Read more...] about What is the number-one PowerPoint annoyance?
Army PowerPoint Rangers Shock, Awe with Comic Sans and Bad Design
I just found out about an unclassified Army PowerPoint presentation that really, really could use a lot of help. In fact, I do believe I'll include it in the Monthly Makeover section of my newsletter! This deck is composed in Comic Sans, the red-headed stepchild of the font world. The fact that … [Read more...] about Army PowerPoint Rangers Shock, Awe with Comic Sans and Bad Design
Ugly Templates Make Ugly Presentations
A colleague of my husband's recently forwarded me a PowerPoint template that he was required to use for a presentation he was giving at a particular event (let's call it XYZFest). He was lamenting its many flaws and wondering how he would be able to make a decent presentation from such a lousy … [Read more...] about Ugly Templates Make Ugly Presentations