e-skills UK Guide
Creating better business presentations
Introduction to Better Business Presentations
For many people the thoughts of standing up and conducting a business presentation is a very scary notion. Many would rather run a 2 minute mile. For others it is an easy task and something they relish. Whatever camp you fall into, it is always worth checking the type of presentation you have put together and seeing if it is really appropriate.
This is a small business IT guide, so we are not here to offer you presentation skills training, rather some tips on using PC presentation software.
By carrying out a really great business presentation you will be able to win more business, make more money and prove your worth to customers. The good news is that creating a business presentation will not cost any money, apart from the upfront cost of the software.
Death by PowerPoint
Many people have heard of “death by PowerPoint”. It refers to a presentation that consists of hundreds of PowerPoint slides delivered in a horrible style that ends up making the audience bored, angry, fidgety, resentful and grumpy.
This is one of the surest ways of loosing a deal and must be avoided at all costs.
Although the statement “Death by PowerPoint” refers to the Microsoft presentation product of that name it has nothing to do with the product, rather the way in which it has been (badly) used.
This guide will tell you how to avoid such a gaff.
What is presentation software?
This is graphical software that enables you to build a slide show. Much in the same way that we used to use 35 mm photographic slides and a projector, you can build slides on your PC for projection on a screen. These products come with a range of tools and utilities to help you style your slides in an attractive way – very useful if you do not have a designer’s eye.
Examples of presentation software products include:
Why bother with presentation software?
A good question. Many presenters rely too heavily on presentation software, some falling into the trap of reading the slides which is a real turn off for the audience. For many presentation software is a really useful tool for highlighting key points of the session and reinforcing the words of the presenter. The software also enables you to present graphics and images, for example sales charts. Once on the screen you can point out the salient features to your audience.
Presentation software is a really good tool if used properly.
Top tips when using presentation software
Think about the message(s) you want to convey to your audience. Try to keep them to three or four. Write them down as single sentences. From this point on, make sure everything you say and present contributes to communicating these messages. Be ruthless. Exclude anything else. If you have other material you think might be relevant place it in handouts, not your presentation.
Plan the flow through your presentation before getting stuck into the detail. As a rule of thumb, allocate about three minutes (or more) per slide. Don’t be tempted to say: “I’ll get through that one quickly”. There’s a very good chance you won’t. If you have to present and explain a diagram your audience hasn’t seen before, give yourself some extra time to allow you to confirm people’s understanding.
Decide if or when you want to take questions and stick to it. If you are asked a question and are prepared to answer it then always repeat the question as others may not have heard it. This also gives you some thinking time.
If you’re presenting as a team, give everyone something to do during the presentation but avoid frequent handovers. Give each person a session, if possible.
We are told that research demonstrates that people can track a maximum of seven points at a time. That means a maximum of seven points per slide. If it’s an important point, make it the only one on the slide. Slides that are too crowded with detail are unreadable and unprofessional.
Don’t use slides to remind you what you want to say. Don’t speak to your slides. Don’t read out the text on your slides. Instead, the slides should make the same points that you will make in speech but in a different way. People can easily absorb material from multiple sources so make the most of their time to ensure you get your point across.
Don’t use the templates provided by Microsoft. Most people in your audience will already be familiar with them (blue and yellow anyone?) and you risk being seen as boring and uncreative. Instead, take a template and modify it to your own style.
Or, even better, get a template developed professionally in your business colours.
Similarly, avoid using the Microsoft-provided clip art. Use high quality images instead.
Avoid build-ups and animation. Never use them for bullet points. Only use them if they help you communicate your point to your audience.
Don’t use transitions between slides unless you have a really good reason. It looks amateurish and is very annoying to see slides slowly drag across the screen.
Handouts and copies of the slides
There is a great debate about if or when to issue handouts. These are copies of the slides, often printed 3 to a page. If you issue them prior to a presentation they enable attendees to make notes on the slides. The downside is that people will be reading ahead in the presentation and may steal your thunder.
If you do issue handouts or send copies of the slides ALWAYS make sure that the notes pages are blank. Many presentations have gone out with rather revealing comments that have ruined many a company reputation!
At the moment best practice appears to be to send out the slide deck after the presentation rather than before, but ultimately it is your choice.
Extra presentation help
If you put “PowerPoint presentation tips” into your web search engine, you’ll find loads of sites ready to give you advice. Here are some particularly useful ones we found:
- PowerPoint tips – a host of ways to make better use of PowerPoint.
- More PowerPoint tips – even more ways to make better use of PowerPoint.
Commercial suppliers
We do not recommend specific products or suppliers; instead we provide you with a representative sample which covers the range of suppliers/products available. You may choose to look at these suppliers or products but this is entirely at your discretion.
What Now
* In order to print the guide or open it in PDF format, you will need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader.
