Have you ever been in a dark room, sitting in the far back, squinting and trying to read through a slide with 10 bullet points and small text, and you’re done reading while the presenter is still on bullet #2?
You didn’t like this experience? You think it’s a good time to check your email on your phone?
You’re not alone.
Slides are not for reading, books are.
Slides are not the story, they support your story, you are the storyteller.
But life isn't always perfect, and after many disappointing experiences as mentioned above, I developed a successful workshop about best practices in presentation design.
I take the audience through seven major steps, each with relevant examples and time for conversation:
– Slides are visual aids, they are not your presenter notes
– Bullet points are boring. They distract from your story
– Pictures are expressive. We remember pictures, data not so much
– Please keep it simple!
– We like consistency
– Show what's important. One fact per slide
– Start with the WHY. The rule of the Golden Circle
Watch the recording (1:20h) of a recent online workshop I gave to project managers across Penn State.
Download the handouts I share after my workshops. Each page shows the slide on top left, it includes much of what I say in the workshop and it leaves ample space for your notes.