Using Props during a
Presentation – The Wow Factor
(An excerpt from I Have to Give a
Speech – Now What by Larry B. Gray)
With
the advent of computer generated presentation software such as Microsoft
PowerPoint it is now easier to make a professional presentation. Speakers now
have the ability to present a lot of information in a format that emphasizes
and reinforces their message.
This
has also created a phenomenon that I call the “Wow Factor.” It can have a
positive or a negative effect on the message. One negative effect can occur
when the speaker has added so much “razzle dazzle” to the material being
displayed that it distracts the audience from the true message. When the audience is more interested in the
display they tune out the speaker and miss the key points. Here are a few tips to help improve your next presentation:
Follow the KISS principle, Keep It
Simple Stupid. Try not to make it more complicated than it has to be.
Avoid the temptation to WOW.
Keep your presentation slides as simple
as possible.
Use large and legible fonts.
Spell Check!!
Practice with your slides.
Keeping
it simple means don’t overdo it. Cover your subject and make your slides
interesting but relevant. It is easy to over describe a topic when one or two
sentences and/or slides have covered it. Don’t lose your audience by boring
them with needless information.When you over emphasize the “Wow Factor” you run the risk of causing two problems. Your audience may become more interested in your slides than in you and too much “Wow” may be mistaken for a lack of knowledge of the subject. Be sure your slides emphasize the subject of the presentation without distracting from it.
There is also the temptation to put too much data on a single slide. This can make the slide unreadable or confusing. Remember, your audience is trying to read the data from a distance and too much data will make the slide look jumbled.
Order Your Copy of I
Have to Give a Speech – Now What by Larry B. Gray
Kindle Version - http://www.amazon.com/I-Have-Give-Speech-ebook/dp/B0068PH6IK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1342783975&sr=8-2&keywords=larry+b+gray
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