Let’s Kill Bad PowerPoint Presentations

As I was reading Garr Reynolds’s outstanding new book, Presentation Zen, last weekend, I was reminded of all the bad PowerPoint presentations I’ve sat through -- and sometimes given, unfortunately -- over the years.

I think you know what I’m talking about -- presentations where slides are filled with too many bullet points, speakers do little more than read the slides, and charts are impossible to understand at a quick glance. At the end of one of these train wrecks, you in the audience are left asking yourself, “Why didn’t the speaker just email me the slides instead? I could have read them from the comforts of my own desk -- and in about one-tenth of the time.”

The problem, as Reynolds notes, is that the speaker incorrectly assumes “a presentation made with the aid of slideware…must necessarily include lines of text projected on a screen that mirrors the spoken word of the presenter.”

Creating Effective Presentations

So how can you and I do a better job of preparing for and delivering powerful presentations that inform, influence and dazzle? Here are a few of Reynolds’s suggestions:

• Step Away from the Computer: Don’t map out your entire presentation with PowerPoint open in front of you. “Plan analog,” as Reynolds puts it. Take time to think about your key messages and sketch out your ideas with pen and paper first. Come back to the digital slides later.



• Craft a Good Story: We remember good stories, not bullet points. Be sure to include authentic -- and personal -- anecdotes in your presentation that feature “clear beginnings; provocative, engaging content in the middle and a clear conclusion,” Reynolds says. 



• Go Visual: Use images to tell your stories and move your audience. Instead of listing all 12 failures of your existing CMS on a single slide, display an appropriate visual that communicates the message more evocatively, and then speak to some of the problems. If you simply must list all 12 reasons for the written record to please your boss, include them on a separate takeaway document you distribute -- after the presentation.



• Don’t Overdo It: When in doubt, leave it out! “Give [the audience] high quality -- the highest you can,” Reynolds says, “but do not give them so much quantity that you leave them with their heads spinning and guts aching.”

And don’t just take Reynolds’s word for it. Check out some of my new-media colleagues’ recommendations and Monster’s "Public Speaking Made Easy" article as well to ensure that your next presentation doesn’t bore your audience to tears. 

Presentation Horror Stories

Have your own presentation tales of woe to share? Let us know about them in the comments below.

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