March 20, 2008

Question: Why is my PowerPoint presentation so long?

Answer: Because you used PowerPoint to write the presentation. A client we worked for recently said that she and her staff were in “PowerPoint purgatory.” “Everything we do,” she said, “is done in PowerPoint.” Using PowerPoint to support your presentation is a good idea. Using it to draft your content is not, because you are more than likely to end up, as our client did, with too many slides, packed with too much text. We strongly urge you to plan your presentation in Word before building it in PowerPoint. And remember, PowerPoint slides should support your message. Here are some steps to follow to create an effective presentation:
Decide why you are presenting

• Think about your audience’s interests, needs, and concerns
• Focus on your most important message
• Answer your audience’s key questions by providing supporting information
• Create a set of slides that support and reinforce your message