Storytelling in Presentations For Dummies

Chapter 8

Slideware: Buying and Applying

IN THIS CHAPTER

Getting to know some slide software players

Understanding the power of an opening slide

Formatting text and using bulleted and numbered lists

Being inclusive

Editing yourself

PowerPoint doesn’t kill meetings. People kill meetings.

–PETER NORVIG, GOOGLE DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH

The problem with shoddy presentations isn’t the fault of the slides any more than shoddy carpentry is the fault of the hammer. It’s the fault of presenters who prepare and deliver Death by PowerPoint. Too many presenters think of slides as “The Presentation” as opposed to tools to enhance the presentation. Slideshows are often poorly designed, lack relevance, have distracting transitions, or contain way too many bullets on way to many slides, among other blunders.

Like anything in life, excess yields negative results. Two aspirin tablets may help your headache, but a hundred may result in acute aspirin poisoning. Your time is valuable, and so is your audience’s. ...