Home Archives for Too Many Bullet Points
April 5, 2009 Leave a Comment

I Added a New PowerPoint Video Lesson

I am just getting back to adding more PowerPoint Video Lessons on my blog. Follow this link to view the video – “Tools To Control Text On Slides”

The key learning points in the lesson:

  • Enforce a style to limit the number of bullet points per slide.
  • Establish a style to maintain consistent ending punctuation (on or off) for bullet points.
  • Establish minimum font sizes for Slide Titles and bullet points.

Reduce “Visual Clutter” on your PowerPoint slides. Achieve the professional look that sets you apart from other presenters. Use the tools that PowerPoint provides to help improve Visual Clarity.

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Filed Under: Business Communications, Presentations Tagged: , ,
April 5, 2009 2 Comments

Tools To Control Text On Slides

I want you to reduce the “Visual Clutter” on your PowerPoint Slides. You are not trying to write a “ransom note,” you are attempting to create a professional image.

PowerPoint has a great set of tools that you can use to enforce the Visual Style options that you set. In this video lesson, I demonstrate how to set up the style guides and then how to use PowerPoint’s tools to make the changes that conform to your rules.

Here are the steps to follow for this lesson:

  1. Go to the Tools Men and choose Options and then click the Spelling & Style Tab.
  2. On the Spelling & Style Tab choose Style Options.
  3. You can make your stylistic choices on the “Case & End Punctuation” tab and on the “Visual Clarity” tab. When you have made your choices, click OK.
  4. Back in Normal View, when you click in a Text Place holder, look for the Yellow Light Bulb. Click on it to see your options to conform to the style settings that you set.
  5. Also, look for the AutoFit Options Smart Tag. Choose the best option to change your style.

Search my Index of PowerPoint Video Lessons for the topic of your choice.

News! My DVD, “The 50 Best Tips for PowerPoint 2007” is availabe for purchase. Visit my online store for details.

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November 18, 2006 Leave a Comment

Death by PowerPoint – Part 2

I was just re-reading “What Clients Love,” by best selling author Harry Beckwith.  Under the heading, “Lincoln Had No Slides at Gettysburg,” Beckwith offers some classic advice about how to avoid the mistakes that arise froman over-dependence on PowerPoint when making a speech or a presentation:

1) You are not selling the slides, you are selling the people who are clicking the slides.

2) When prospects gaze at slides, they are not looking at what you are selling: you and your ideas!

3) Use slides only to illustrate a point that you cannot express as well with words alone.

4) A slide filled only with words is neither a visual nor an aid.

5) Make contact with your audience – you must look into their eyes and let the audience look into your eyes.

Thank you Harry.  Your advice is invaluable.

Personally, I think that many presenters use PowerPoint for their own selfish reasons. Rather than just outline their talking points (so that they remember what they are going to say) presenters create PowerPoint slide shows.  They think – wrongly – that “if my outline presents my ideas in a logical fashion, why not add some graphics and show the audience how clever I am with PowerPoint!”

As Mr. Beckwith reminds us, the audience is not interested in how clever you are.  They are interested in your ideas – as they pertain to their interests.  However, the audience is most interested in you – how capable you are in executing the ideas that you are presenting.  And… how well you connect with your audience – your clients.

I wonder what would have happened if Lincoln had, in fact, used PowerPoint to “enhance” his speech on the battlefield at Gettysburg?  It would have been easy to fit such a short speech (“Four Score and …”) up on a screen.  But would we have remembered the speech?  Or just read the words ourselves?  And, it might have been a challenge to find the right visuals – hard to top the stark visual presented by the battlefield itself. 

Think about this the next time you are preparing for a presentation.  No slide show can ever cover-up your weaknesses.  Present yourself.  Make contact.  Leave a lasting impression.

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Filed Under: Business Communications, Marketing, PowerPoint, Presentations, Public Speaking Tagged: , , , , , ,