I was speaking recently to a group of keynote
speakers at a professional speakers convention on
the topic of when PowerPoint should be used. Many
people found the ideas I shared helpful, so I
thought I would share them with you in this article.
As I explained to the group, I think you can see
almost any business-oriented presentation as
somewhere along a continuum where one end is a fully
inspirational presentation and the other end is a
totally informational presentation. One of the key
distinctions along the line between the two ends is
how many points you want the audience to remember.
A purely inspirational presentation, like a pep
talk you would give your team, has very few points
you need the audience to remember, perhaps only one
key point. A highly informational presentation, like
a training program, can have many points that you
want the audience to remember in order to improve
their job performance. In between the two ends of
the spectrum there are a variety of different
presentations with various numbers of points being
made.
To help the audience remember your message, you
should use recall aids. A recall aid is something
that the audience can use to recall the points you
have made after you are finished the presentation.
There are many different forms of recall aids,
including handouts, workbooks, cards, and yes,
PowerPoint. PowerPoint can be a recall aid because
it can give visual reminders of the points we are
making.
The most popular usage of PowerPoint as a recall
aid is when we use the title and bullet points to
reinforce the key points we are speaking about. An
even more effective way to use PowerPoint as a
recall aid is to use photographs to help tell a
story that illustrates your point.
Audiences remember your powerful stories more
than any other part of your presentation. You can
burn the points in their memory even more by showing
a photo, telling a story related to that photo, then
making the point that the story and photo
illustrate. In this way, the emotional impact of the
photo will add weight to the point you make through
the story.
PowerPoint should not necessarily be the only
recall aid you use, but it could be a valuable tool
in helping your audience remember and act on your
points. When you plan your next presentation (you do
plan your presentation instead of just jumping in to
PowerPoint I hope), think about where you are on the
continuum between an inspirational and an
informational presentation. Then consider how
PowerPoint may fit into your plan for recall aids.
©2004 Dave Paradi ~
www.ThinkOutsideTheSlide.com
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