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Bullets or No Bullets?

The use of bullets in presentations can be useful because it’s always better to have as few texts as possible on your slides. People can immediately read your content as soon as the slide is shown to them; however they usually find it hard to read and listen at the same time.

At times, Bullets also present other issues:

* Some will associate your presentation with dreary ones
* It represents a template for lists
*It is a delineated way of presenting information

Bullets Make Your Presentation Dreary

Presentations with a lot of text and bullets are often not appreciated. Avoid using bullet points in your presentations or you’ll risk losing your audience’ interest.

Bullets Represent a Template for Lists

As long as messages are carefully and logically arranged, you can go away with a list format for your presentation. An example is when you write about something and you mention related information such as supporting numbers and related examples. However, your slides shouldn’t just contain a number of lists; instead they should cover the entire topic.

When using bullets, it is your speech which expresses the progress of the topic however the audience feels you are only providing them an outline.

Bullets are Non-Graphical

PowerPoint slides are made to put together both graphical and verbal means of communicating, so they should be made graphical. Always remember that the PowerPoint presentation isn’t the core of the presentation, but is your actual discussion.

A good number of researches have proven that useful images help express a clearer point, and audiences remember images better in contrast to texts. Audiences also comprehend the discussion better in general.

When choosing an image to use for your presentation, make sure it is significant to your topic. The images should help express your message and help the audience connect to the presentation at an emotional level.

Moreover, if you make use of irrelevant images, recalling the message of the presentation becomes harder.

More PowerPoint Tips on How to Avoid Bullets

It might seem impossible to avoid using bullets when you have so many important things to say. But these PowerPoint tips offer great ideas on how you actually can!

You simply have to put one idea in one of the slides and disseminate the bullets into other slides. Make sure to add images related to the topic. Should you want to summarize all your ideas in the end, you can add all of it on the last slide. During this part, the audience will be familiar with your ideas and you will find it convenient to use all of them at once.

A speaker must constantly make eye contact with his or her audience. How else would the speaker know if he is getting his or her message across? The audience always want the speaker to succeed. But there is only a finite amount of time before the audience switches off if the message is not creating interest in the minds of the audience.

The speaker must observe the signals coming from the body language of the audience that will tell him or her that the audience is no longer interested in what is being said.

There are a number of movements within the audience that are signals. They include the following:

1. Eating or chewing;

2. Tapping a pen; playing with a paper clip…

3. Adjusting hair, clothes…

4. Texting or taking calls;

5. Looking out the window;

6. Blowing his or her nose;

7. Looking at the wall clock or watch;

8. Yawning;

9. Reading.

These are all physical indications that are easily read or seen.

There are some more subtle ways the audience tells the speaker that he/she have lost their audience. They include:

1. Asking questions at a seemingly wrong time. This could mean that the questioner has not understood your point or is maybe trying to get you back on track. It might also mean that what the speaker is saying is common knowledge to the audience or is not what they paid for or expected to hear.

2. Asking questions that seem irrelevant to the speaker’s speech. This could mean the speaker has lost the audience completely or the message has failed to be taken in by the audience.

3. A silent question time. No speaker is so perfect in getting the message across that there will be no questions. Silence most likely means that the audience simply has had enough and wants to leave.

Once the speaker notices more than a couple of these signs, the time is ripe to change how the speaker is delivering his/her message. He/she may need to involve the audience in some way. It might mean asking a question of the audience or having an activity for them to do to open up the topic. It might be time to offer something controversial. Maybe, the speaker might need to summarise what is left to say and just finish the presentation.

Professional speakers will always provide their audience with a feedback sheet. It is important to offer the audience a chance to critique the presentation. There will be committed people in the audience who will give honest feedback and suggestions for improvement. The evaluation sheet should allow them to do it. Importantly, the speaker, in reading the reviews, must not take anything negative personally but use it to improve the next presentation. It is also important to understand where the negativity is coming from and address the reasons for it.

After the event, it is important for the speaker to review the way they performed, what succeeded, what failed, what needs to be deleted and what needs to be added to the presentation. This evaluation should be done as soon as possible after the presentation.

Finally, taking into consideration their own evaluation and the helpful comments from the audience evaluations, the speaker should prepare an upgraded version of his/her speech for the next time it is presented. This must be done while “the iron is hot”.

One of the most powerful skills in today’s business world is the ability to deliver effective presentations. Few of us are born with the raw natural talent to be great presenters. For most of us, it requires practice, coaching, and hard work to master a skill which can be intimidating and frightening. At a time when it seems there is an aversion to PowerPoint presentations, there will always be a need or requirement for career-minded individuals to be competent and comfortable speaking and presenting in front of audiences – in person or online and to employees, colleagues, or clients. Here are 6 tips to success from a career of delivering more than 300 presentations.

1 Start with the end in mind

One of the most difficult steps in delivering effective presentations is the development of the presentation itself. We often struggle organizing a presentation so it delivers the messages you want, is well organized and flows nicely, and is visually appealing (if using visual aids). Start with end in mind. Identify 3-5 key messages you want the audience to remember. Once you have your messages, build your presentation around those messages. Create an outline for your presentation and fill in the blanks – introduction, body and content, value proposition of very most important takeaway message, and closing.

2 Keep it simple

We hear it often – keep it simple. I recall preparing a presentation for a CEO in the Middle East about 5 years ago. I worked on it for about a week and went into the meeting ready to deliver about a 45 minute presentation. Before I started, the CEO turned to me and said “I have about 15 minutes so please just hit the highlights of what you are proposing and how it will solve our issues.” This was a great reminder of how most of us our today – busy and overloaded with information. I improvised and shortened a 45- minute presentation into about 12 minutes. Always be ready to deliver an “executive summary” of your presentation if needed.

3 Use graphics and pictures

Using graphics and pictures in a presentation can be powerful. Use simple but attractive graphics to tell a story or convey and support a message. Use pictures to show your experience or an example. Graphics tend to trump bullet points and text every time.

4 Practice your presentation

There is no better substitute than practicing. Whether you are using visual aids or just standing in front of a podium, practice, practice, practice. You should rehearse in front of a mirror or in front of other colleagues (when possible) at least 3-4 times before delivering the presentation. Be open to feedback. Sometimes we can’t see what others see in us or we don’t realize we are doing something annoying like putting our hands in our pockets and jingling coins. Never try to “wing” a presentation. Be ready when it counts.

5 Bring energy and enthusiasm

Audiences and clients are perceptive. You need every edge you can get when competing against others for projects or competitions. Look like you want to be there by showing some excitement and enthusiasm. There is a fine line here with not over-selling or going out of character. Be yourself, be calm, confident, and make the audience feel you want to be there and you are enjoying it.

6 Nail your opening and closing

Leave nothing to chance, nail your opening and closing. You should practice and know the first 25-35 words you are going to open with, exactly. You should also know how you are going to close and summarize, precisely. Both of these are opportunities to capture the audience and then confirm you delivered a winning presentation!

Gary L. Miller lives in Tokyo, Japan and is the founder of http://logosreadyonline.com