ADVICE TO GRADUATING STUDENTS: DESIGN YOUR POWERPOINT SLIDES FOR READING OFFLINE . . .
. . . not just for presenting live. To be provocative: students are taught rubbish. Big fonts, reduced text, clever transitions. And the biggest sin: videos embedded in presentations.
In the real world, chances are high that 95% of people will be reading your slides offline, not viewing them live. Any senior manager or executive will want a copy at least 24 hours before you present, sent as a PDF, which is exactly why videos are a no-go.
Hallmarks of a good presentation:
- Should be understandable and effective by reading alone
- The storyline is everything. Slides are not a list, they tell a story.
- Titles state the conclusion, not the topic
- 10pt fonts are fine. Executives prefer detail they can read over empty space.
- No gimmicky transitions, no videos
And something rarely taught: the role of backup slides. If a topic is important, it belongs in the backup after the main slides. A good backup answers questions before they are asked. I have seen top presentations with 8 main slides and 20 or more in the backup.
Remember, your real audience is not in the room. It is in the inbox.
