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Death by PowerPoint - Avoiding Common Presentation Pitfalls

By: Michelle Dale Click author's name for more of his/her articles

I've always had a bit of a love and hate relationship with PowerPoint presentations. Despite their effectiveness, many people still perceive them to be cumbersome and old fashioned. I recently read a book by Cliff Atkinson, author of 'Beyond Bullet Points' who says that PowerPoint is the software tool associated more with boredom than brilliance. Yet they seem like such a necessary part of education and learning. So, in order to avoid death by PowerPoint, let's take a look at a few things you can do to keep your presentations fresh, vibrant and above all alive!

Think of each of your presentations as if it was a website.

Shape the structure of your PowerPoint presentation like a website. Everyone pays enormous attention to detail concerning the branding of their website - your presentation should be the same. Aesthetic concerns are paramount, and your presentation should look polished and well-designed. Use a theme going throughout and avoid the use of bright contrasting colours, as they will distract your audience from what you're trying to convey.

Abandon the ClipArt!

Utilise high grade graphics from stylish stock image sites to add a vibrant quality to your slides. There are several sites where you can buy photos for as little as $1 - a sound investment! Some personal favourites of mine include Stockxpert, Shutterstock and iStockPhoto, however there are lots more out there, so if you are curious, do a search on Google for "Royalty Free Stock Photography".

Less is More

Don't crowd your slides with irrelevant text - make them succinct and uncomplicated. Sometimes actions speak louder than words. With PowerPoint, your primary goals is to convey these actions through your images. Your presentation is a visual representation of what you are talking about - not an alternative to the presenter. Even if it's a simple line or quote, less is often more.

Use 3D

Give your diagrams added interest by making them 3D, and they will visually hold the viewers attention far more than flat, uninteresting diagrams. This works really well with pyramids, and it will make your objects leap off the page, instead of being static and boring.

And Finally... Don't Over Animate

Going animation happy and overdoing the movement on your template is a definite no no. Having things zooming in from all directions and flying out, rotating around and jumping up and down - will only confuse people. If you do want to use animation in your presentations, stick to simple, no fuss, elegant fading in and out. Leave the zooming around to the road runner!

Follow these simple steps and your presentation should be a pleasure to watch, rather than an uncomfortable coffee break, and if you decide that all of this sounds like too much hassle - employ a virtual assistant to complete the task on your behalf!

Article Source: ABC Article Directory

About The Author: Michelle Dale is Chief Executive of Virtual Miss Friday, an adept and highly-proficient Virtual Assistant Service which works closely with enterprising people who really want to succeed in their chosen field. If you'd like to learn more about online business building success strategies that are tailored to your needs, check out the Campaign for FREE Virtual Assistance right away!