Seth Godin sums up the best PowerPoint presentations:
"The home run is easy to describe: You put up a slide. It triggers an emotional reaction in the audience. They sit up and want to know what you’re going to say that fits in with that image. Then, if you do it right, every time they think of what you said, they’ll see the image (and vice versa)."
Raise your hand if this was your last experience with Powerpoint? Anyone? Anyone?
I didn't think so.
Seth has some other good advice, including no more than six words on a slide. Ever. No excuses. And a ban on all transitions and fades. Personally I'd ban the sound effects too, although on a very few occasions I've seen them used well.
Simple advice, yet I can't remember the last time I saw it adhered to. I'll be the first to say that I'm not perfect either, but I wish more people were moving in this direction. It would make everyone's conference experiences so much more positive.
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