WARNING… content may be offensive to any employee that has been knighted as “Communication Professional” by their corporate head office.

This is my very special Power Point “Do Not” list. If anyone is offended by the following content then you need to examine your Power Point Habits.

Power point offers about fifty different options for slide transitions. Forty-eight should be completely ignored. The smooth alpha fade is the best and most professional looking. The ‘Horizontal Bars’ effect can also be used in certain applications… such as high school communication classes, frat party invitations and porn.

Also, please do amuse us by using a different transition on every slide. This technique is punishable by harsh mocking laughter.

Power Point has the ability to allow objects to move, including,  text and graphics that slide in, drop out, jiggle and do a whole host of movements that take the viewers attention away from the presentation. Microsoft staff do not take these options seriously. These are inserted into the software in order to keep communication professionals distracted by shinny moving objects thus taking their attention away from what is generally a terrible product.

Power Point has the ability to add sound. Save the whoooshing sound effects for playing Jedi Knights with your nephew. Nothing is more distracting then trying to focus on what a speaker is saying while his presentation is going ‘TINK’ every time a block of text falls into place.

Power Point has the ability to place a rather large amount of text on a single slide. Ask yourself  if you prefer that the audience pay attention to what you are saying or reads War and Peace through binoculars? Main headers and emphasized points only please.

Do not simply read from your presentation. The audience has taken the time to source out and show up to your presentation and they are expecting you to be able to expand on, what should be, a very condensed visual accompaniment to your spoken word.

Please, please, please give clip art a rest. As a matter of fact why not pretend it does not exist at all. The internet is full of free stock photography that can be converted to background images or placed graphics. Use them… wisely.

Presenters have a tendency to start with their least important point in order to build up to something more impactful. This means that they are putting forward their best points when the audience is mostly asleep. Save the crescendo technique for when you are performing Handel’s Messiah.  Start with the information that will captivate your audience in order to try and keep them interested. If you do this you might also realize that the lesser points may not be needed at all.

DO NOT print out your presentation as a hand out. There are a number of reasons for this.

1. Power Point does not have the ability to print out a presentation with any aesthetic value. In the simplest terms, it looks like crap. Ask yourself if this is really the last impression you want to leave your audience with. If you need something to hand out then do up a proper communication brief that follows your corporate branding.
2. Never give your audience and excuse to do mental math. If they are looking at a printout of your presentation with over twenty slides, and it has taken you over fifteen minutes to get through the first slide, the outcome will be obvious.

When in doubt hire a communication expert. My job is to make you look good and help you sell yourself, your services and your products professionally and efficiently thus allowing you to focus on your job.

Jon Valade, MGDC
Creative Director
IdeaZone.ca

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