Four PowerPoint Pitfalls And How To Avoid Them

PowerPoint, when used effectively in business, can be an excellent presentation tool. It can also be a distraction (or worse, a confusion) to your audience if you fail to follow some simple PowerPoint etiquette. Of course, outside of the boardroom you can use PowerPoint any way you choose, but in business - you need to keep your message clear, concise, and professional. Here are the four most common areas of "PowerPoint pitfalls", and how to avoid them spoiling your next presentation.

Graphics and animation

PowerPoint has so many animation features (some with the 'wow' factor the first time you see them), that you can't resist using them. And another. And another. So much so, you have things whizzing around the screen that either makes your audience laugh, or fail to look at the text that is actually being animated. Less is more!

Do not clutter your slides with excess pictures or clipart. Keep the artwork professional if you have to use it. Animations that would be good on a children's website may not be that good an idea at your staff meeting. Make sure it's on topic, for the same reasons. Try not to use graphics that come with sounds - these will only serve as a distraction from your work. Make sure the background is either plain or a very simple design (no loud wallpapers), or it might make your text unreadable.

Text

If your audience cannot read your presentation, then no matter how good it is, you will have failed in your task to deliver a message. Remember that people often ask for printouts of presentations and depending how big the room is, some people may be far away from the projector - use a large font, 30+ size or more is recommended. Don't use italics if you can help it, some fonts are difficult to read when italicised. Don't forget to give each section (or slide) a different title, so people can refer back to it when asking questions or forwarding information on. Use a text colour and style that matches the rest of the presentation - red text on a blue background, for example, is very hard to read. Try not to fill each slide with text - keep your lines and phrases short. After all, you are doing the presenting, not the slides and they should server as a memory aid for what you are presenting.

Colours and patterns

Try not to use too many colours - rainbow-coloured presentations do not look professional. You need to be taken seriously (unless of course, you work in an area where this would be acceptable, such as a children's TV department and so on). Loud colours will call attention to certain parts of the text, but over-use them and they will lose their impact. Use lighter text with darker backgrounds and vice versa. Remember that what appears with your laptop palette of colours may not show up the same on all screen and projectors - test it first!

Presentation Tips

As mentioned, do not use the presentation as a crutch to speak for you. You do the talking, the presentation is a memory aid. Resist the urge to read the slides aloud - these are for the audience to read, to clarify what you are saying. If you read from the slide, the audience will only be able to see your back, which doesn't look very confident or inspiring.

Make sure there are no spelling mistakes in your presentation, as one in 30+ font beamed across the room will stick out like a sore thumb! Use bullet points and more slides to break up an information-heavy presentation. If it's possible, have someone else doing the mouse clicks from slide to slide (or use a wireless one) so you can employ public speaking tactics - moving around the room, using gestures and so on.