Powerpoint presentations have become an expected element of any pitch, such that presentation creation is usually viewed as lacking if they don’t have a set of slides accompanying them. The problem with this is that the tail ends up wagging the dog; Powerpoint is basic to use but difficult to master, and the outcome is almost inevitably a sub-standard presentation that props up a talk without giving much to it. If you are going to do Powerpoint, it is worth doing properly since a poor slide-show comes across as amateur – obviously something to be avoided. However, slick Powerpoint design doesn’t just captivate the audience visually. It can also help you to deliver an excellent talk – without notes and the normal paraphernalia of such events.
Once upon a time, ancient orators trained in the art of rhetoric would use a series of mnemonics to help them to recall the consecutive arguments of a speech, thereby enabling them to avoid using notes in their addresses. A common device was to use points along a journey or features of a familiar building, which they would mentally link to ideas they were speaking about. Today we rely on cue cards or even read straightforwardly from a sheet – something that can lead to a halting and uninspiring delivery. Nowadays, politicians and other professional speakers often garner praise for their ability to speak for a lengthy period without notes.
Good presentation creation should enable you to do the same. sales presentations can be long, and faltering makes you look bad and reduces confidence in you and your ideas. However, by treating each slide as a mnemonic or summary of what you want to say, you can avoid the problem of leafing through a sheaf of notes or load of cue-cards. An ostensibly off-the-cuff presentation is far more impressive and professional-looking than one that rests on such paperwork – which makes you look like you aren’t familiar with your own pitch. Start to look at your presentation creation as a way to facilitate your own delivery and complement your speeches, rather than being additions that have been stuck on at the end as an afterthought because that is what audiences expect nowadays. You’ll find that it’s easier than you think, and your listeners will appreciate the extra effort you put in and the veneer it gives the event.
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