Death by PowerPoint (how to give killer presentations instead)

PowerPoint presentations have become a common tool of business - sometimes enlightening and entertaining, many times uninteresting, boring, and fatigue-inducing. Great speakers seldom have a need for it but others will freeze to death without it.

For many of us not born with the right genes, giving effective presentations is a real struggle - and could be a mind-numbing experience for the audience, too. It does not have to be this way.

What follows is a brief compilation of tips that will hopefully help you, and me, give killer presentations.

Know your presentation. You should be familiar with your material backwards and forwards and should be able to carry on an intelligent conversation about it prior to the presentation. Try not to memorize. Preparation will give you the confidence to talk about your topic comfortably (so they say).

Present key points only. Have as few bullets per slide and avoid sub-entries altogether. Do not use the PowerPoint screen as your notebook and do not read from it except glancing for cues. The PowerPoint presentation is for the audience and not for you. Try to speak in your own words (if you're not choking yet). Use hardcopy notes that you can hold or put on a lectern and read from it, not the screen, if you must.

Utilize graphics. A picture, chart or photograph, is really worth a thousand words and can spice up your presentation. Animation is a nice touch also if used sensibly and not to the point of being distracting. However, do not show images just for the sake of it; explain how they relate to the topic being discussed.

Check readability and audio. Make sure your presentation is readable and your voice comprehensible up to the last row. The audience at the back will lose interest on a presentation that they cannot read or hear well enough. and they usually are not afraid to show their boredom by talking to each other or walking out instead (they are out of view after all; and no, you do not have the same option).

Interact with the audience. Relieve the feeling of isolation by interacting with the audience. Do not act bored. What you present has to be interesting and you have to be excited about it yourself.

Pause for effect and emphasis. It is the most dramatic way to make a point. Avoid ahs and ums; they are annoying and distract the audience.

Reiterate your point. The old axiom: "First tell the audience what you are going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you told them." usually helps in effectively conveying your point across.

So there - seven good tips to die for (pun intended).

What is also important to know is that nerves and anxiety are a universal part of giving presentations, especially for those who do not do this for a living. So what if you fail? Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and try again another day. Failing is part of life and business - this is not any different.

...and maybe, too, it is time for business and organizations to realize that not everyone can do presentations. Everyone should try to learn to communicate better but not everyone will be able to stand in front of, and engage, an audience effectively. It is a skill. Encourage those who can do it and stop torturing those who cannot (no pun intended).