What makes a good presentation?
Who hasn't fallen asleep during a long winded and boring presentation? I have logged many Zzzzzzz's in dark rooms many times. There was actually times when I looked forward to the dimming of the lights so that I could get a power nap. Did I take anything away? Nope.
Seldom did a 47 slide presentation capture my attention. Most times, I tried to count how many times the presenter said, "um" or "ah" to stay awake. It became a game. I would make tick marks on the hotel provided memo pad every time one of these filler "words" were said.
So, what makes a good or great presentation? It's simple. It's one that gets and keeps my attention. It is to the point and does not bore me with a lot of talk, effects and animation. Give me the bottom line up front (BLUF).
A good presentation should have:
- Simplicity
- Personal stories
- Reduced text
- High quality graphics
- Use of video and audio only when appropriate
- Only use one idea per slide
Probably the most boring presentations is when the presenter reads the slides word for word and does not engage the audience.
Bad presentations have way too much clip art, animation and poor quality graphics and cartoons. This usually occurs when the presenter uses templates.
Here is an example of a widely used graphic:
This is really the one that really gets me:
This is probably the one that gets my goat!
Presenters, just keep it simple. Present the bottom line up front and know your audience.
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