Power Points

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'Death by PowerPoint'

Here are the top annoyances:

The speaker read the slides to us 61.9%

Text so small I couldn't read it 47.1%

Slides hard to see because of color choice 42.7%

Full sentences instead of bullet points 39.0%

Moving/flying text or graphics 24.8%

Overly complex diagrams or charts 22.3%

POWERPOINT -- ACCORDING TO FORREST GUMP

Break the rules. When you think about the way presentations are done today, there isn't much to envy. So be different. Be groundbreaking. Be epic. Be like Forrest Gump.

The beauty of the movie Forrest Gumpis that there is no real plot and no villains. Amazingly, there isn't even a major moment of tension or discovery. The film begins with a simple introduction: a feather drifting with the wind and finally landing at the foot of an unassuming man sitting at a bus stop. This is the start of a powerful story - a story that breaks the rules.

As presenters, there is so much we gain from Robert Zemeckis' 1994 dramatic film that tells the story of a man with an IQ of 75. It details Forrest's epic journey through life and it's through these mini-stories that we can gain so much. For starters, you can be successful with your next presentation simply by being different - by breaking the rules. After all, the status quo is boring. That's the first lesson. However, if you look more closely at the film, you can learn some great lessons about presentations.

Here are five presentation lessons that you can learn from Forrest:

1. Understand that Presentations are Like a Box of Chocolates

Guy Kawasaki has a great quote from his book, The Art of the Start: "If there's no projector when you show up for a meeting, it's your fault. If your laptop and the projector don't work together, it's your fault. If the bulb blows out in the middle of your pitch, it's your fault. If you start slowly, seem disorganized, and look disheveled, it's your fault." Everything related to or surrounding your presentation is your fault. Presentations are a lot like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get so make every effort to prepare and prepare some more.

2. Run, Forrest! Run.

Movement creates emotion. According to a recent study done at UCLA, 93% of human communication is nonverbal. So why do so many people hide behind podiums? That's baffling since podiums hide 75% of our bodies. Let your audience see you. Move. There is no excuse to be stagnant with your next presentation. Work the room and move. Good news! You don't have to move around for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours - just the 20 minutes you need to shine.

3. Repetition is the Fruit of the Sea

Dan Pink, author of A Whole New Mind and The Adventures of Johnny Bunko, talks a lot about the importance of three things when giving a presentation - brevity, levity, and repetition. On that note, great presentations and great stories contain repetition.

Remember this quote?

Bubba: "Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sauté it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp Creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan-fried, deep-fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it."

Notice a theme? Will anyone forget this scene? That's the beauty of repetition. Apply it to your next presentation.

4. Become a Presentation General

The reality about presentations is that most people think of them as a "got to" moment rather than a "get to" moment. Your presentation is your opportunity to educate, motivate, and maybe even change the world. Unfortunately, most presenters don't seize the opportunity and their presentation becomes more self-focused than audience-focused. Stay on task. You are there to perform an assignment - to education, to entertain, and to motivate. Be like Forrest.

Drill Sergeant: GUUUUUUMP! Why did you put that weapon together so quickly, Gump?

Forrest Gump: You told me to, Drill Sergeant?

Drill Sergeant: ... I'd recommend you for OCS! You are gonna be a general someday, Gump, now disassemble your weapon and continue!

If you have an attitude like Forrest, you may be a "presentation general" some day. After all, your presentation is your one moment to shine. You want that promotion, right?

5. Know What Passion Is

If you don't remember any of the above lessons than please remember this one. There is a great scene near the end of the film where Forrest tells Jenny, "I'm not a smart man... but I know what love is." That's a strong statement. What it illustrates is that your tone and passion for your subject matter is far more important than your content. Your IQ and knowledge of the material is critical, but your level of passion is what your audience will remember.

So what are you waiting for? Take these lessons from Forrest Gump and go break the rules with your next presentation. You may just win an Oscar!

Here are some of the keystrokes that you can use while in Slide Show mode.

Ctrl+H - this key combination will prevent the pointer from coming up on the screen during the presentation if your mouse is moved. This can save you from having the arrow dancing across

the screen while you are talking.

A - pressing the A key during a presentation makes the pointer appear or disappear. If the pointer does appear on the screen during your presentation (because you forgot to use Ctrl+H

above), the natural inclination is to press the Escape key - but this stops the presentation! Pressing the A key toggles the pointer on and off, so it can be used to turn the pointer off if it comes on.

B - pressing the B key during a presentation turns the screen black, pressing it again returns you to where you were before. This can be very useful when you want to put the audience's focus on you for a moment instead of your visuals.

Down arrow, Pg Dn, Spacebar, N key, Right arrow, Left mouse

click, Enter key - all of these advance to the next slide or animation build. Good to know in case you need an alternative way to get to the next slide.

Up arrow, Pg Up, P key, Backspace key, Left arrow - all of these go to the previous slide or animation build.

HOW DO I KEEP MY POWERPOINT SAFE, SO STUDENTS CAN OPEN IT, AND WORK ON IT...

BUT NOT CHANGE THE ORIGINAL?

Go to the Powerpoint template in the shared file and right click on it.

Go to Properties.

Scroll down and check the box, READ ONLY.

This will allow the students to open the powerpoint, work on it, but when they try to save it, it makes them choose another name and your original can't get written over.

This works with Smart Notebook files (for teachers, too, if you are sharing files with teachers) and Word Documents. Actually, check any file's properties to see if it has the Read Only feature to keep an original safe.

LISTED BELOW ARE THE OLD RULES, VERY OLD RULES, in fact, DON"T READ THEM, Read Presentation Zen by Garr Roberts to see the NEW RULES that engage your students and audience. Check our YOUTUBE videos by Garr Roberts and watch my presentation below, entitled What NOT to Present!

Text

· Have consistency throughout presentation (create your own template)

o Fonts

o Sizes

o Margins

o Borders

o Colors

· Left justification is easiest on the eye

· Use bullets of contrasting colors

· Times New Roman and Helvetica are easy to see and read

· Underlining text makes it harder to read

o Use underline for hyperlinks

· No text should be smaller than 14 point font

Amount of Text

· Six words per line and s ix lines per slide

· Do not use more than 75% of the slide

· Use short phrases or keywords with bullets

· One concept per slide

· Graphics are good, but use sparingly

· Keep graphs and charts uncluttered

o Show trends - not details

Presentation

· Do not EVER read to the audience

· Use timer only when necessary

o Rehearse when using timer