More tips for The Pow'Rful Process

Today I had the privilege of critiqueing a number of slideshows. Here are tips that I can share.

1. It's OK to retell another persons story to make a point, as long as you give appropriate credit. A speaker explained his definition of a Paradigm Shift by telling a Stephen Covey story. - Unruly kids and a despondent father are on a train. Fellow passengers get tired of the kids, and tell the father to control the kids. He says "I know they are out of control today, but you see, their mother died this morning, and we don't know what we are going to do without her". Wow. This is still a powerful story although it is not a personal story from the speaker, and many of us have heard it before. It is was appropriate for this setting.

2. Don't put Dilbert cartoons on slides, for at least, but perhaps not limited to the following reasons. It is difficult to read the text from the back of the room. What do you do while your audience is reading the cartoon? Stand and smile? You are forcing audience attention to the cartoon, and taking all attention off you.

3. Find a buddy to video tape your presentation from the back of the room. Then watch it. Can you interpret your tables, charts, processes and data-packed slides from this distance? If you can't then don't expect your audience to. No further comment. (This technique has potential for use as a tool for torture i.e. forcing presenters to endure their own slide shows)

4. Put "before" and "after" photos in juxtaposition. For example, make your left-hand image "This is me at 200 pounds" and your right-hand image "This is me weighing 400 pounds". Displaying both images on the screen at the same time instantly conveys a large portion of your meal, I mean message...