8.3 Good Presentation Design

Conducting a good presentation is the key in successfully getting your message conveyed to your audience. In order to create a successful presentation you must first organize your thoughts. I would recommend creating a rough draft on paper writing down the different points you would like to present and then highlight the major points.

Next you should begin creating the lay out of the power point slides, only if that is the route in which you are choosing to present, as this is route in which I am discussing within this blog. Each layout should follow a similar theme throughout in order to show that the slides are a part of one presentation. In order to distinguish one slide to the next you should break the text up and group thoughts together. Any graphic art displayed should be up-to-date pictures or examples; as this will help keep the audience’s eye from wondering off of your presentation. Using sounds and animation can be a bit overwhelming so I would suggest keeping them to a minimal, however adding in short clips from movies and such keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.

In the organization of the slides I would recommend keeping your ideas one per slide. This will help you keep the audience from being confused and will allow you highlight the main thoughts. Keep your slides simple and free of clutter. Too much text on a page will overwhelm the audience and will prevent them from understanding what your key points are, think about it as “less is more”. If possible always include a personal story or anything that can tie the information you are conveying to something the audience can relate to. This will keep them thinking while you are discussing.

Once you have completed your slides start practicing for the big presentation. This will allow you time to figure out where your difficulties are, in essence in presenting. For example if you find yourself pausing in the wrong spots or find difficulties annunciating certain words you will be able to catch these obstacles before going in front of your audience. As you practice remember to remain calm, keep good eye contact and do not rush. As you go through each slide with your audience do not read word for word, as this will bore your audience. They can read and do not want someone to read to them. Most of the time I can read faster then the presenter can read aloud so I tend to read ahead, and if the presenter will not offer me anything other than straight text I will stop listening all together.

In conclusion always think from your audience’s point of view. If you feel your presentation is boring your audience will too, however if you find yourself excited they will be excited. I have sat through many countless presentations throughout life and only a handful actually captivated me enough to pay attention the entire way through.  Following these recommendations will not make you an amazing presenter, however they might improve your skills!