PowerPoint Presentation Training

Scoring points with presentation software

You know the scenario. Man meets PowerPoint. Man fills PowerPoint slides with text. Man reads text aloud. Audience descends into slumber.

Give a business person the task of making a presentation of any kind and they almost invariably turn to PowerPoint or a similar presentation software program – and with good reason. PowerPoint allows information to be presented in ways that accord with the different learning styles of audience members.

For that reason alone it's important that businesspeople know how to assemble and present a PowerPoint presentation that enhances their authority, prestige and ability to persuade.

Unfortunately, as those of us who have sat through hundreds of PowerPoint presentations know, PowerPoint presentation training is sorely needed from the highest to lowest levels of corporate America. When a business person has not had the benefit of rigorous PowerPoint presentation training, we see a common set of bad habits that undermine the presenter’s efforts. The untrained presenter fails to:

• Create a simple presentation structure
• Think visually
• Narrate with authority
• Engage and truly focus on the audience
• Pause and take advantage of strategic silence
• Display data in a visual format
• Take advantage of the power of storytelling

Rather, the slides dominate the proceedings. Instead of taking command of the presentation, the presenter plays the subsidiary role of simply advancing the slides and reading text to the audience.

Getting the power out of PowerPoint

Suppose instead your people have been given PowerPoint presentation training, put themselves at center stage and turned the PowerPoint program into the supporting technology it was designed to be. Suppose the slides emphasized evocative imagery rather than text, prompting an emotional or visceral response from audience members. Suppose your people assumed the rightful role of narrator.

Lastly, suppose your people knew the finer points of:

• Strategic slide design
• The Three Second Rule
• The Rule of Thirds
• Proper slide interaction
• Creating the unforgettable moment

No more Death by PowerPoint

Executives such as Apple CEO Steve Jobs and environmental activist Al Gore have raised the PowerPoint presentation to an art form. You don't need to reach for the stars. Far less exalted and highly-produced PowerPoint presentations can be extremely effective for everyday executives, if they learn the presentation skills that are so often overlooked by even the most experienced corporate leaders.

I conduct PowerPoint presentation training sessions that teach executive-level PowerPoint and general presentation skills. It emphasizes taking command of a room, connecting with one's audience and conveying ideas through visual thinking, storytelling and persuasion. It also teaches how to best display those ideas in a well-organized PowerPoint deck.

I’m anxious to work with your organization. Call 925-449-1040 now, or write to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).