Earlier this year, I coached a group of executives as they practiced their pitch for a large account. I heard myself say something I’ve said hundreds of times over the years: “There is too much information and technical detail on the slides. Your client doesn’t want nitty-gritty details.”
One of the executives, David, piped up and said, “But the client expects us to get into the nitty-gritty details. Otherwise, we’ll sound like we don’t know what we’re talking about!”
I said something else I’ve said, in so many words, many times before, “The purpose of this presentation is not to prove that you know what you’re talking about by showing the client crowded slides. You’ve made the shortlist because you know your stuff. You’re there to close the deal, which requires chemistry, passion, and engagement.”
First, Own the Message
In my 25 years as a communications coach, I’ve helped individuals and teams of every description practice with their presentation slides. The main goal is often to keep the slides from getting in the way of an excellent presentation, demonstrating the presenter’s commitment, passion, and vision.
I meet with the team in the early stages of organizing their material and suggest they “map” their presentation before first.
Mapping your presentation includes identifying the big idea or central message, 3-5 primary subtopics or focus areas, and only the essential facts to support the big idea. Lastly, add the elements that stick. Tools that make a message stick include the use of story, creative openings and closings, and conversational engagement with the audience,
If you start with PowerPoint and begin to think of your presentation as slides, you will lose ownership. Once you’ve spent hours arranging text and typing speaker notes, you begin thinking about how to say those lines. Without your fundamental map to guide you, you lose your foundation and the ability to spontaneously deepen your message.
When an individual comes to us with a deck already done, we walk through it, slide by slide, pulling out information and adding images and graphics.
PowerPoint Principles from the Expert
Richard E. Mayer, a Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the authority on multimedia learning, has established some clear guidelines for us. Here are five of Mayer’s 12 Principles of Multimedia Learning that can be applied to PowerPoint presentations.
1. Use Images and Graphics
People learn better from words and pictures than from words alone. This is a simple, common-sense rule, but most corporate slides still tend to be crowded with text.
Once your message is mapped out, you can strategically add visual aids by working only with the essential concepts in your presentation and pairing those concepts with visual elements. When used this way, PowerPoint becomes a creative tool, helping presenters express themselves creatively.
2. Remove Unnecessary Content to Maintain Coherence
Working with only relevant content lightens the cognitive load and helps people focus on the most critical concepts.
3. Use “Signals” to Emphasize Key Points
People learn better when visual cues draw attention to focus areas and key points. Signaling involves using headings, highlights, underlining, and bolded text to draw learners’ attention to essential information.
4. Avoid Redundancy on PowerPoint Slides
Redundancy refers to the repetition of information where it is unnecessary. Redundancy can lead to cognitive overload.
5. Display Related Images and Text Close To Each Other
Spatial contiguity involves presenting related words and visuals close to each other on the screen. When words are used sparingly and relevant visual elements are closely connected, comprehension improves.
Words Well-Chosen
“A picture is worth a thousand words” is an adage attributed to Fred R. Barnard in an advertising trade journal. The article promoted the use of images in advertisements.
Greta Friesen, a TEDxYouth Speaker, believes that phrase is only sometimes true, depending on interests and attention. She points to the never-ending stream of photos and videos on social media. These photos and videos don’t show the full story; they only show a crafted, edited, filtered version of ourselves, the version we want everyone to see.
Hello and Goodbye without a Slide
I always suggest presenters skip slides and focus only on the audience for the crucial opening and closing of the presentation. A spoken message, with words well-chosen through an authentic connection, can be compelling.
Before there were presentations, there were conversations, which were a little like presentations but used fewer bullet points, and no one had to dim the lights. — Ian Parker, The New Yorker
Do You Really Need Slides?
You don’t really need slides for an authentic talk. We use them as a crutch more often than not. When I gave my TEDx Talk, I didn’t use slides.
Without slides, you are focused on the Universe’s richest medium and visual aid: the human being.
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