A TED Talk slide deck is the antithesis of Death by PowerPoint. There are few (if any) bullet points, overly complicated slides, and speakers don't narrate what's on screen. Instead, the slides advance automatically behind the speakers and serve to enhance what they're saying, not act as a … [Read more...] about Best. PowerPoint. Ever.
Six ways to make a presentation more boring
Last month, I attended a session to learn more about a large project. The information the presenter wanted to convey was, by necessity, complicated. Unfortunately, the presenter made a number of gaffes that made the audience experience that much worse. Six ways to make a presentation more … [Read more...] about Six ways to make a presentation more boring
Why slide counts don’t matter
Have you ever been told that you could only have a certain number of slides in your presentation, like 3 or 5? Crazy, right? How could you possibly condense everything you want to say into just a few slides? I think the better question, though, is "Why should you have to?" Why people limit slide … [Read more...] about Why slide counts don’t matter
Become a PowerPoint ninja with the Alt key
Think about how many times you hit Ctrl+C for Copy, Ctrl+P for Print, etc. and you'll understand how keyboard shortcuts speed up your workflow. Well, it's time to move past the Control key and graduate to the Alt key. It's a feature, not a bug Have you ever been typing in PowerPoint and suddenly … [Read more...] about Become a PowerPoint ninja with the Alt key
Office Insider: Get the cool PPT toys before everyone else
Image © Microsoft Corporation Microsoft has an interesting way to get the public hyped up about its products: the Insider program. Becoming an Office Insider is a way for early adopters to see what the company has in store for upcoming releases of its products within the Microsoft Office … [Read more...] about Office Insider: Get the cool PPT toys before everyone else
Voicemail 101: Three basic rules for success!
This article is not so much about presenting as it is about presenting one's self to others. I recently suffered through a poorly recorded voicemail that left me more confused than intrigued. So I thought I'd take this opportunity to go over the basics of how to leave a great phone message. #1: … [Read more...] about Voicemail 101: Three basic rules for success!
Never assume things about your audience
When you're speaking to a group of enthusiasts, it's easy to assume that your audience already knows certain things. That's a mistake. A great presentation Last weekend, I went to a presentation about floral design. This is a skill I don't think too much about...that is until I bring a bouquet … [Read more...] about Never assume things about your audience
Simplifying PowerPoint collaboration
Anybody who's ever collaborated on a presentation knows the joy of the edit cycle. You create the presentation, submit it for review, receive an edited presentation with an explanatory email, repeat. There is built-in tool that simplifies this process. Unfortunately, it has a major flaw. The … [Read more...] about Simplifying PowerPoint collaboration