There is life after death by PowerPoint
lively without resorting to the endless use of bullet points TECHNOLOGY
PowerPoint presentations can be downright boring. In fact,some presenters use the program so badly there is a name for the affliction – ‘death by PowerPoint’. So poorly done are many a presentation that one organisation in the Asia-Pacific region has gone as far as to ban them – Meetings & Events Australia (MEA) banned presenters from reading a list of bullet points on PowerPoint at its annual conference as they deemed it an ineffec- tive way to communicate. MEA Chief Executive Officer Linda
Gaunt says presentations that are simple, emotive and tell stories are far more attractive to audiences than those involv- ing slide after slide of bullet points and clip art. “The bullet-point model was created in the pre-digital erawhen there was a shortage of expert information,” says Linda. “It was worth flying some- where to hear that kind of speech. Now theweb is full of expert presentations you canwatch in your own time and location, so meetings need to provide something beyond that.” So how can speakers deliver a com- pelling presentationwithout PowerPoint?
Keep it visual There aresome simpleways speakers can have an audience hanging on to every word, such as using short, relevant videos or a series of images and props to help tell their story. Find something that relates to the information you’re trying to convey which still retains an air ofmystery – peo- plewillwant to knowwhy you’ve selected a cupcake, for example, to demonstrate your point and are likely to pay more attention to what you’re saying. Find props that will capture people’s imagi- nation and use them as a metaphor. Using visual aids to showthe benefits
of something can also help – peoplewill soon sit up and pay attention if they can
Johanna Baker-Dowdell discovers how to keep presentations
see graphs or facts and figures that demonstratewhat you’re trying to say in terms they can understand.
Think outside the laptop Try going old-schoolwith awhite board or flip chart. Alternatively, draft in audi- ence members as volunteer actors – not only will this alter the energy in the roombut itwill also provide a useful tool for creating powerful images. Give real life examples to back up
what you’re saying and ask the audience questions to get theminvolved. Opening the floor up for people’s comments and observations will help them to feel engaged with what you’re discussing. A presentation, after all, is more than just you imparting information, it’s also about ensuring that that information is taken on board by the audience. E
Technical alternatives
Where some technical support is needed to tell the story, there are some alternatives to PowerPoint...
Prezi.com: a computer program that incorporates images, text and video into presentations
iMindMap: a program to help presenters develop presentations then communicate with the audience in three different modes – a 3D mind map, presenta- tion mode or a flat mind map
Camtasia: allows the presenter to use screen-capture software and share the information
Animoto.com: uses uploaded images, video and text
WindowsMovieMaker/iMovie: software for creating storyboard videos with images, text and video
2012 ISSUETWO |
WWW.EXECUTIVEPA.ASIA 21
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56