Share what you know with millions of people
Focus is the best place to turn what you know into remarkable content
0
Death by PowerPoint! How do we tell someone that quantity of complex slides does not equal quality?
I am stunned by the the heft of some of the presentations these days. PPT is limitless and seems some folks feel the more the merrier! Specially in the SI sector. The point is sometimes lost in the endless pages and if falsely gives a sense of credibility to the presenter based on the sheer volume vs credibility and expertise. What do you think?
Events
- Dos and Don'ts of Small Business Marketing May 29 @ 11 am PT
- Lead Nurturing 202: The Next Generation May 31 @ 11 am PT
- The Tricks to Paid Media June 6 @ 11 am PT
- Display Advertising for Brand Awareness June 20 @ 11 am PT
Related Activity
35 Answers
Fantastic question! Believe it or not, almost every question about building a PowerPoint... or any text & graphic... presentation, was answered by Edward Tufte (google him). Tufte is a Yale statistics professor, and graphics editor for the New York Times. He's brilliant AND readable! His books sound like academic snoozefests (The Cognative Stype of PowerPoint; The Visual Display of Quantitaitve Inforamtion), but they are easy to read and often funny.
I can't match Tufte's brilliant observations on turning numbers into pictures, I will add five rules of my own:
1. Don't take a long memo or report and just turn sentences into bullet points. If you want to do that, put the memo or report on a projector. Don't bother to do a power point.
2. Research says that after 20 minutes, the human brain turns off in a presentation. If you take more than 20 minutes to get to your point, you're presenting to a comatose audience. Why would you want to do that? If the point of your presentation is that far back in the deck, move it forward and move the details on all the other pages to the end of the presentation for Q&A.
3. Remember the presenter's role. Reading what's on the screen to the audience is pointless. The screen shows major points, the presenter spreaks from a separate script (look at the "notes" section of PowerPoint). Once or twice a slide you may point to (and/or repeat) a bullet point or line on a graph, but if you just read the screen you're audience will fall asleep.
4. Have someone who has not seen the presentation look at each screen... for three seconds... and ask what they saw? If they see something that's not on the page, CHANGE the page. If they don't know what they saw, there are too many things on the page; you need to SIMPLIFY the page. Only if they see and comprehend what you want to communicate do you accept the page.
5. Here's a really important one: Take your most important slides and print them as index card size (4" x" 6"). Put that print out on the floor and then stand on a chair to read the card. The top decision maker in the room is probably 50 years old, or older. This is what your presentation looks like to the approving manager. Are you sure that manager can read it? If not, why are you making this presentation?
Tell them. Why must we always be look for the sugar coated response. "Hey, this is far too many slides for you to keep me captivated and for me to retain the core messages your trying to send." Also, I remind people that power point is a great tool to help them capture their own thoughts down on paper and to formulate their presentation. but the result of that exercise is not appropriate for a broader audience. each .ppt should be accompanied by at least three separate reviews with the express intent of cutting down the quantity of content.
Or, to put the above in powerpoint form:
• Help presenters resist the urge to show all their homework
• Provide speakers with your concrete standards for a good presentation
-- # of slides per minute, # of lines per slide, minimum font size, etc.
• If you don't have the authority, give your form to the presenter's peers during rehearsal
-- Let them provide anonymous feedback
I'd rather look at a professional Power Point than a badly scrawled white board. Certainly PP can be overdone, but it can also be a very useful tool (in moderation.) Let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Regardless of the content, these are the rules i learned hard over the years (as inspired by Steve Jobs)
Things to remember:
1. for the Content and Positioning
a. 9 areas on the screen - fill only 3 out of 9 areas
b. stick to 3 objects (text and graphics) per slide
c. more graphics - visual and lesses text (short text only) - details are in the website!
d. introduce antagonist
2. What will you say?
a. tell benefits not products
b. sell dreams and vision
3. How to deliver?
a. like telling a story about journey
b. deliver it as if your doing a painting - dont be afraid to refer back to previous statement to make sure a picture is vividly created on the mind of the audience.
There have been so many useful answers that I almost hate to add another voice to the chorus. But, the core problem is not PowerPoint. It is a fundamental lack of understanding of the basics of effective communications.
Someone with bad PowerPoint material would by likely have bad Word material, and probably would incapable of writing a coherent and concise blog. PowerPoint simply magnifies the foundational flaws.
Clear thinking about a clear vision results in clear communications, with clear visuals, clear summaries, and clear text esthetics. It's that simple - and that difficult.
There are a lot of ideas about how to organize .PPT's but not a lot of answers to your question Linda. What is wrong with politely and respectfully telling someone they have gone into overkill. Most everyone who presents a .PPT has sat through a mind-numbing lengthy one and should appreciate the guidance. If you are agreeing to view one, especially as a prospective customer, set an expectation with the presenter in advance.
Hi Linda! Show the offender his/her slides and then show one slide with the entirety of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address or the preamble to the US Constitution. Ask the offender, “Which presentation is more effective and memorable?”
Confusing presentations are easily demonstrated and quickly contrasted with effective messages. Show them a thirty-second slide show of the entire US Tax Code: proxlix, complex, complete and totally incomprehensible. Then display alternate superior shows: the Ten Commandments, The Performance Model, or any short set of clear captions that simply in very few words prompt the presenter to the next key topic... NEVER something that they merely read off the screen. That drives me totally nuts, to see a speaker reading exactly what they screen-display, which makes their presence absolutely superfluous and completely unnecessary, even if you can read the tiny crowded busy screen.
Review, revise, cut, truncate and review and test again and again.
Let us refer to the observation that those persons who have truly mastered a subject tend to express themselves simply, lucidly and with brevity. Using too many slides in a presentation shows a lack of mastery and may lead to confusing information overload. Also consider that the attention span of listeners no matter how well educated, may not suffice for long and complicated presentations. My suggestion is that we limit the number of slides to the barest minimum.
From what I've seen, many people see Powerpoint as an opportunity to show how much homework they've done. And that's pretty understandable, because for many speakers, standing in front of an audience and delivering information feels exactly like giving an oral presentation in high school.
But I wouldn't expect most presenters to know the so-called "rules" of good powerpoint presentations, or to think those rules apply to their own presentations. So, why not create an upfront evaluation/guideline form that asks concrete questions that enable speakers to assess their presentation? (e.g., Do you have more than two slides per minute of speech? That's too many. / Do any of your slides have more than six lines of information? -- Your audience will lose track of what you're saying. / Is every number on your data slides greater than 18 pts? If not, viewers won't see them., etc.)
In short, communicate your standards for a good presentation, It's a lot more effective than relying on vague criticisms like, "it's too cluttered" or "there are too many" or "Some parts are a little confusing."
Then, if you don't have the authority to tell presenters to follow your rules, hand the questions out as a guideline during rehearsals, and ask the presenters' peers to anonymously fill in their responses as they watch each other's talks. It kind of uses that "being graded on a test" feeling in a more positive, helpful way.
Print out an 150 page powerpoint handout with 8 charts and graphs on each page and explanations of each chart and graph on the same slide. Then, put it on their desk and tell them you need a synopsis for your meeting tomorrow. Make sure the last slide or 3 includes some good tips on PowerPoint presentation. :-)
Give them a copy of "Presentation Zen"
I am only going to say this once, tell them candidly and with respect.
Always make time for a subordinate (or peer) to rehearse with you BEFORE showtime.
"Beyond Bullet Points" is a very useful book to improve content, style and effectivenes.
Leave the whiteboard for Teachers.
The double whammy is that the most verbose PPT decks tend to be read by the presenter. Slides should be used to drive home key points and/or graphically present concepts or statistics that enhance the verbal presentation. When I do a presentation, if the audience is looking more at the screen than at me, I consider myself to be failing.
Linda, I plead guilty!
When a person is passionate about the presentation and material, it is so easy to try and put all that passion in the PowerPoint.
Truth is that the PowerPoint presentation is a method of bringing the highlights to focus, and then to draw attention to the presenter as he/she. using their personality - verbal and non-verbal communication - clarifies the point.
Truth is that I'd rather not us PPT and rely on eye contact. Handouts also get in the way. All of this lends itself to a dog and pony show. Who will the audience remember? The subject, you, or the printed material?
My experience is that the biggest PPT sin is not too many slides, but too much information on each slide. I cringe each time I hear a presenter pull out a laser pointer and say, "you many not be able to see this, but". Instead of the laser pointer, simply add another slide that zooms in to show the area of interest clearly. If the slide is too complex for the audience to grasp in a few seconds, break it up into multiple slides. Nothing is more boring than trying to decipher an overly complex slide that stays on the screen for several minutes.
Print out an 150 page powerpoint handout with 8 charts and graphs on each page and explanations of each chart and graph on the same slide. Then, put it on their desk and tell them you need a synopsis for your meeting tomorrow. Make sure the last slide or 3 includes some good tips on PowerPoint presentation. :-)
There are exceptions to every rule. Some might be, if it is a training power point for x amount of dollars. People tend to chose the 80 slide training module for x amount over the 20 slide training module for the same amount. Another small percentage might be those who carried the misconception that a books value is proportional to the number of pages. So if purchasing or selling, size does matter. :) We develop industrial related technical training PowerPoint, so they can be quite large once a 3-5 day training seminar PowerPoint is created.
I recommend the book Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds. Also, there's something to be said for just telling people their powerpoint decks are too wordy - in fact, if they report to you, it's your responsibility as a manager to help them be a better presenter.
I agree with Laura Schroeder.....Garr Reynolds' book, "Presentation Zen" has changed the way I make presentations and the story I tell (visually). It's not so much about the number of slides in one's PowerPoint deck as it's about the quality of information being shared (visually).
Presentation Zen is a must read.
If you disagree with ones style of presentation and they ask for help, help them. If they don't ask and you do not have a vested interest in the success of their presentation keep your mouth shut.
If you have a vest interest in the success of the presentation than tell them what you concern is and give them some direction.
While presenters give a varity of excuses for overloading their slides, they usually say they do it for one of these reasons:
■ they don’t want to forget anything
■ they need it all to stay on track
■ their audience needs to see everything so they’ll understand everything
■ their audience will be impressed with details
■ their audience expects it
■ their manager wants it
■ they don’t know what else to do.
The good news is it's relatively easy to change their approach when they:
■ hear a convincing raltionale from a credible source
■ see a better method modelled effectively
■ understand their data will not be lost but will be handled differently
■ believe it is a company expectation that they present differently
■ have a simple formula they can replicate easily
■ realize their audience will "hear" them better with a different strategy
■ see a more effective approach being used around them.
Let's not hammer PowerPoint too hard. The problem is that it is fool proof--which means anyone can use it foolishly, and they do. That said, there are a number of ways to change a presenter's approach and yes, Presentation Zen is one of them.
While presenters give a varity of excuses for overloading their slides, they usually say they do it for one of these reasons:
■ they don’t want to forget anything
■ they need it all to stay on track
■ their audience needs to see everything so they’ll understand everything
■ their audience will be impressed with details
■ their audience expects it
■ their manager wants it
■ they don’t know what else to do.
The good news is it's relatively easy to change their approach when they:
■ hear a convincing raltionale from a credible source
■ see a better method modelled effectively
■ understand their data will not be lost but will be handled differently
■ believe it is a company expectation that they present differently
■ have a simple formula they can replicate easily
■ realize their audience will "hear" them better with a different strategy
■ see a more effective approach being used around them.
Let's not hammer PowerPoint too hard. The problem is that it is fool proof--which means anyone can use it foolishly, and they do. That said, there are a number of ways to change a presenter's approach and yes, Presentation Zen is one of them.
I think it is important for people to understand the difference between a presentation and the takeaways of a presentation.
The slides used to drive/support a presentation should do just that.
The slides used as a post-presentation reference can, and often should be, detailed and voluminous (although other tools such as word and Excel are usually better for details.)
There are a lot of ways to explain this to people doing presentations.
1. Do a presentation on how to do presentations. Make it detailed and complex. About 25% of the way through stop and start over with a more concise presentation covering the same 25%. Often examples like this drive the point home quickly.
2. Give a "presentation" of a recent vacation. Instead of using just a few good photos that tell a story, use a ton of photos, that essentially tell the same story. when people look bored (give them about 5 minutes) switch to a presentation with the same huge number of photos AND slides between each explaining what you are going to say. They will then wish they had never met you. Finally switch to a good presentation and fnish up quickly (before they revolt).
3. Have them watch something with subtitles. Preferably something in English, with English subtitles. Too many PowerPoint presentations simply list every word that presenter says. These are only good if the audience cannot hear.
4. Someone else mentioned him, so I will too. Tufte.
Many years ago, I was told that a slide should take 2-3 minutes to present. So if someone has 80 or 180 slides, do the arithmetic, and ask the presentor if he/she really meant to talk for that long, and be able to hold the audiences attention.
Hello all. Thank you for the many fantastic replies to my question. Here is another data point. I find that consultants (specially big firm consultants) tend to do an overkill with complex ppt in an effort to establish domain experience and knowledge. Often if you strip these individuals from their ppt arsenal and given them a whiteboard, they will have a very hard time carrying on the multi-hour ppt-led discussion. What I often do, is start off meetings by telling folks that this is a massive tech brainstorming, we have a few whiteboard and let's let it rip! I get the best participation by folks who 'know' the discussion topic and frankly, what we achieve in a few hours, far exceeds the outcome of a fancy ppt presentation. Sometimes, testing someone in this manner helps you see what is real and what is not. I had a friend present a several hour ppt presentation in innovation, where in fact he is completely unable to execute these ideas.. PPT is an awesome tool but is not the replacement for our thinking, processing and brainstorming innovation capacity and frankly, let's cut out the infinite builds per slide, shall we!
Linda, you've opened a whole other interesting subject that tickles me greatly as an outside consultant.
I've always favored clear, overhead transparencies and draw on them as I talk. I try to capture the concept we're discussing in a series of cartoons or simple stick drawings the audience can watch on the screen as we go. The medium gives me complete flexibility and the audience is riveted to the screen.
In the end, I review everything we've discussed by showing them the "slides" flipped in time to a piece of familiar music. (I can't do that with a white board.) Most of the time, my review produces a standing ovation with the final cymbal crash.
Now, when I ask the client to have an "old fashioned overhead projector" available for me, I am invariably informed that it's an outdated technology and I should learn to use PowerPoint. I usually have my own overhead delivered and use it in combination with the PowerPoint the client expects.
But here's the question your comment prompts me to ask. Do you think the consultants you're referring to produce PowerPoint overkill in an attempt to meet and exceed client expectations? Or do you think they just don't know there are alternatives?
EFL, just saw your comment to me and you made me laugh. In terms of PPT, you're right, of course--and you make my point too.
On a screen, all those bullets are killers. But not in a reading document. Why bury good info in a dense paragraph when bullet points work better?
PPT and written documents are two different animals and need to be handled differently.
Fern, the consultants I am referring to are from the very high end large consulting firms. They might think they are meeting/exceeding expectations, fact is that is not the case. They are exceeding the 'wow' factor of 'my god, really, can you do this with powerpoint?' but they are missing the execution credibility. In some instances, they are on retainer with their clients so less concerned with 'landing' the contract, but rather, having tons of stuff to discuss. After they have left the execution oriented strategists like me go in and we start working on what can we execute in innovation. Hey, I love my friends in these firms and truly their Visio, PPT and other talents are superb, but they are missing the boat. I am finding clients are speaking up now and things will get level set again... Hey never under estimate the power of a white board (or your overhead slides)... I have won my largest contracts based on whiteboard discussions without any powerpoints! Also helps to tell your clients how much of their dollars you are spending on ppt! they will immediately ask you to 'cut it out' and focus on the work! Just a thought!
Obvious from the sheer quantity of responses, we ALL feel your pain, Linda. Charlie Judy is spot on. Just say it like it is, from the heart.
Once a .ppt BECOMES the presentation, it has become too large. The idea is to emphasize the truly key points, and drive the big ideas into the memory of the audience, stimulating the desired response. I can't tell you how often I have seen, and been just bored to tears by, presenters using their .ppt as their note cards. Some do not even remove their eyes from their own .ppt, losing all audience contact.
Whatever the case, if a .ppt is something less than engaging to the audience, you owe it to its creator and presenter to be direct and honest about it.
Together, let's put the fun back into work!
Belldon Colme
belldoncolme@gmail.com
Linda,
Great issue and lots of good discussion.
A picture is worth a thousand words. So, do you have a PPT that you think is simple, direct and effective? Share it with this person!
Have you gotten feedback from other "audience members" about this person's feedback? Share it!
Provide this person with emotional support that indicates you want them to do a great job and be successful. From this perspective, the person will know you care.
You might ask the person why they chose to put some much information in the slide deck and then point out slides that you feel could be eliminated/combined and why.
Coach, coach, coach. Most people want to improve and do a great job. With a bit of support, most can achieve this goal.
Linda: Lots of good feedback here. One I would add is to have this person or those in the organization who are prone to this white board their presentation. Have them work through the key point of what they are trying to say and draw it out and practice presenting it as a white board. This is bound to reduce the text and overkill on content and is a great way to get them to get to the point in a more rapid, coherent fashion. If after the white board session they want to follow-up with a more exhaustive PPT, then let them send that way.
Carlos Hidalgo
@cahidalgo
if you're old enough to remember the 70's commercial where a 'friend' leaves the offending party a bottle of Scope mouthwash outside their door...just give your colleague this (http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/powerpoint) or this (http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_vdqi). Both by Edward Tufte, they're guaranteed to work!
Hi Linda,
One more thought. Introduce the offending powerpoint practitioner to PREZI.com. Prezi presents graphic and numeric information dynamically. Cognitively, it lets viewers' minds 'rest' on a context slide before zooming into to see the content. The zooming in and zooming out feature is visually spectacular and help make complex points easier to remember. For examples, please go to www.prezi.com.
Mike
new (and happy) prezi user
Answer This Question