Do your next presentation without PowerPoint!

It is standard to have impressive PowerPoint slides prepared, when giving a presentation. But have you ever thought about just skipping the slides and going without them? Sounds too scary to you? Then this is exactly what you should do. You will see your next presentation will be much better. Here is why you should try to give your next presentation without PowerPoint, i.e. without relying on fancy visuals.

When preparing for a presentation/talk for many of us one of the first things to do, is drafting a great title slide and spending time on the design. Well and there we go, head-on right into the trap. I went through this process so many times; I started with the  layout because it is something I enjoy doing. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with the purpose of the presentation, which is to inform. The layout can only support the process of getting the message to the audience and nothing more.  The time spent on peripheral items before the talk itself is completed, is potentially wasted time. What if you decide to change the design in the last minute, because it doesn’t work with your message? (more…)