Presentations and PowerPoints

I love coming to these writing conferences. I always walk away from every session with brand new ideas for my book, ideas I want to implement immediately. But as someone whose job it is to get up in front of people and present training materials in an informal and entertaining way, I always find myself wondering if these speakers have ever gone to any presentation class.

Presentation classes are designed to teach you how to not only deliver a great presentation, but how to put together a great presentation using whatever visual tools you decide to use and in most cases PowerPoint.

Over the course of the weekend, I have seen PowerPoint Presentations that were designed perfectly, with only a few text on the slide, slides with just an image or text combined with an image. However, I have also seen PowerPoint Presentations full of text, that it was hard to concentrate on the speaker. I kept wanting to read the slide and therefore found myself tuning the speaker out, which is the last thing as a speaker you want to happen. I have also seen attendees get so hung up on wanting to write down everything on the slide that it interrupted the speakers flow as well as distract them from the fact that the speaker handed out the same text in paper form.

As a speaker, you're the reason people come to the presentation. They come to hear you speak and present.  A PowerPoint is designed to support you and enhance you're topic. It should never be used as a crutch.

I love these sessions, but my training background can't help but notice these pet peeves of mine.