Presentations play an important role in business communications. Although many speakers give formal presentations to hundreds of participants, most of the 33 million presentations delivered daily in the U. S. are delivered informally to groups of 10 or less (Presentations Magazine, November 1994). This means people throughout organizations are being called upon to present their ideas, often on short notice.

Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 95 helps presenters such as you be successful throughout the entire presentation process. It makes it easy to organize your ideas, represent data in charts, add graphics and multimedia effects, create handouts, rehearse, take meeting notes, collect action items, and conduct presentation conferences across a network. The better you understand presentation techniques and the more you know about the PowerPoint presentation graphics program, the more effective you'll be. That means that whether you have highly developed presentation skills or are just getting started, you'll find some of the suggestions below useful for preparing and delivering your next presentation.

Step 2 - Tell the wizard the kind of presentation, such as training, and
it provides an appropriate content outline and presentation design.

Step 3 - Go to Outline view and fill in the outline. Return to Slide view to see text in place on each slide, ready to present or embellish.

Answer Wizard: Learn About PowerPoint
Since the focus of this guide is to help you be an effective presenter, it covers only a few PowerPoint commands. The Answer Wizard from the Help menu offers additional assistance: Type your question in your own words and tell the wizard to Search so a list of related topics appears. Or use the Help file to find answers by topic.

Key Presentation Activities
Step 1- Develop a plan.
Step 2- Define the message.
Step 3- Write, format, and embellish.
Step 4- Insert supporting data and information.
Step 5- Revise.
Step 6- Practice and prepare.
Step 7- Deliver.
Step 8- Follow up.

Choose the Best Presentation Mode^*
For formal presentation to a large group

• On-screen presentation via large-screen projection device.
• 35mm slides (longest lead time)For informal presentation to a small group
• On-screen presentation via a monitor or over a network (see below)
• Overhead transparencies
• Present from handoutsFor 1:1 presentation
• On-screen presentation via PC
• Present from handout

Organize to Make Your Point
Include these slides:
1st Slide-Your name and topic (use new Title Master for pizzazz)
2nd Slide-List of objectives (so you can tell listeners where you're headed)
Slide 3-Message and supporting information
4th Slide-List of objectives (to help you review and reinforce key points)
5th Slide-Summary of action items (to emphasize ownership and due dates)

Keep Things Simple

• Match the presentation mode to conditions so slides can be seen. Don't show overheads to a group of 400.
• Avoid crowding the slide.
• Limit headings to 2 lines.
• Follow the 6 x 6 rule: 6 lines per slide and 6 words per line.
• Use short words, such as "aim" for "objective."
• Keep text readable.
• Specify type at least 18 points in size.
• Use bullets to organize text.
• Avoid ornate fonts except in title slides and headings.
• Don't hyphenate words.
• Ensure adequate contrast between text and background.
• Substitute pictures, tables, or charts for words they are easier to remember.
• Prepare useful charts.
• Stress one point, breaking data into 2 charts or graphs to avoid confusion.
• Emphasize key data with a bright color.
• Label important components; use horizontal text.

Meeting Minder Speeds Follow-Up

• Use the Meeting Minder to review and revise any information entered during your presentation.
• Type follow-up notes related to a specific slide into the Meeting Minutes tab for that slide.
• Click Export and PowerPoint sends Action Items and Meeting Minutes to a Meeting Minutes template in Word.
• Reorganize or edit the copy in the Word template and attach any follow-up documents (this might include a copy of your presentation).

The shorter the preparation time frame, the more critical it is to take a few minutes to focus your thoughts and plan how to use your precious time. Advance planning saves you time later. It reduces the frustration of easily preventable mishaps. And it minimizes the chance of a last-minute crisis that might detract from your delivery.

Identify your main message, select the best mode of presentation, and establish a timeline. Set deadlines for completion and review of copy. Make sure the timeline reflects lead-time to order equipment or 35mm slides. Schedule time to prepare and practice.

Focus on your topic.

• What must I accomplish? Sell an idea? Report financial status?
• What is my main message?
• How well do I know the subject?
• What data supports my message and where can I get it?

Tip 2: Prepare your own presentation.

Chances are you'll deliver your presentation more smoothly if you prepare it yourself so it reflects your ideas in your own words. PowerPoint minimizes the time it takes to develop an effective presentation, even if it's the first time you use PowerPoint or the hundredth presentation you prepare.

• If you already work with Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel, you'll immediately feel at home with PowerPoint because it shares many characteristics.
• The AutoContent Wizard in PowerPoint helps you create a formatted presentation from scratch in little more time than it takes to write down your thoughts. The wizard lets you specify the presentation topic, then provides an outline, suggestions on the content, and an appropriate format.
• If you prefer, you can quickly turn an existing Word document into a presentation.
• When questions do arise, the Answer Wizard directs you to relevant Help topics.

Tip 3: Develop and focus your ideas into persuasive arguments.

Your audience quickly grasps your point when you have honed your thoughts into a concise message.

• Begin by reviewing any notes you wrote during the planning phase, prioritizing arguments and data that support your message. Consider the audience and decide if it's better to open with your main message and then discuss backup data, or to build your case bit by bit and conclude with your main message.
• Work in the Outline view if you prefer to compose and rearrange copy while viewing multiple slides. Work in Slide view if you prefer to enter text directly on slides, working with one slide at a time.
• Insert additional slides to display supporting data, add text, or graphically illustrate your point with a chart borrowed from a business plan stored on your hard drive or a graph retrieved from the Internet.

Tip 4: Choose a look to enhance your message.

Polished presentations incorporate appropriate format, color, and type fonts that are presented consistently from slide to slide. Poor design or lack of design continuity among slides may appear unprofessional and could distract your audience.
Presentation Designs offer a simple way to ensure your presentation looks professional. AutoContent Wizard automatically opens a Presentation Design appropriate for the topic you select. Or click on the Presentation Designs tab when you open a new presentation and choose from 25 designs.
Quickly change the look of the entire presentation by applying a different Presentation Design. Use Color Schemes to apply a new set of coordinated colors or a black and white scheme if you will be printing overhead transparencies or handouts on a black and white printer. Or redefine individual elements yourself.

Tip 5: Make the presentation lively.

Animation effects can help break the monotony of a number of text-only slides, especially during on-screen presentations. Add clip art, photos, charts, sounds, or movies to enliven your delivery and keep your audience alert. Use text builds to add variety and stress each point: As you click the mouse, a bullet point flies onto the screen; click again and your next point appears. You can even build from the bottom up to your most important point.

PowerPoint for Windows 95 lets you quickly add other animation effects such as these:

• Animate clip art so it flies onto the slide with a Whoosh.
• Animate a slide title so it flies into position word by word or character by character.
• Attach music or other sound for attention-getting transition from one slide to the next.
• Use the AutoShapes tool to create an arrow and animate it so it dissolves onto the screen with the Applause sound effect to highlight a data point on a chart.

Tip 6: But, don't overdo too much of a good thing.

The ease of accessing a huge variety of special effects, fonts, and clip art makes it fun to prepare a presentation with PowerPoint. However, over-use of such elements may actually bore your audience or, even worse, detract from you message. Here are guidelines to ensure the look of a professional presentation:

• Avoid the temptation to add animation to every slide. Instead, use it for a special purpose.
  • Add zip to the text on the title slide with a sound and motion sequence.
  • Emphasize your conclusions through a text build.
  • Conclude on an upbeat note by turning your final slide into a multimedia "show" with multiple effects.
• Limit the variety of type fonts to three per slide.
• Restrict highly textured or multicolor fills and backgrounds, such as woodgrain and rainbow, to text-only slides.
• Use transitions between slides, such as dissolves, checkerboard, and stripes, sparingly since they take longer to complete and could affect the pace of your presentation.
  

Tip 7: Fine-tune your draft.

Professional writers and presenters review their work after they've set it aside for a time. They reconsider how well their message is presented and supported, refine their prose, shorten and simplify wherever possible, and check again for accuracy and consistency.

• Review and revise your presentation several hours or days after you think you're done - your presentation will be smoother for the attention.
• Read each slide aloud to assess the flow of ideas and words.
• Gauge how any multimedia effects influence your pace.
• Give your presentation to someone who will offer constructive feedback.
• Time yourself with the Rehearsal Timing tool in PowerPoint. If you take more than three minutes to present a slide, consider breaking it into two slides.

Tip 8: Catch errors before the audience does.

A mistake on a slide may distract your audience and detract from your presentation. It's also a bother to discover a misspelled word after you've sent your file for conversion into 35mm slides. Here's how PowerPoint helps you avoid embarrassing mistakes:

• The new AutoCorrect feature automatically fixes common typing errors as you enter text.
• StyleChecker scans your presentation and corrects errors in punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. It alerts you when a maximum number of type fonts, bullet points, words, or lines per bullet is exceeded. You decide whether to modify your slides to conform.

Tip 9: Rehearse your delivery until it feels natural.

The amount of time you need to practice depends on your specific situation and experience. If the presentation is very informal, the time you spent to fine-tune your draft will probably suffice. Otherwise you should rehearse several times in the mode you will be presenting, for example, in Slide Show view on your computer or with 35mm slides. Explore the features you can tap by clicking the right mouse button during Slide Show, for instance, Slide Navigator.

It's fine to use speaker's notes as a guide, but don't read them word for word as you present. Review the suggestions for "Effective Delivery Techniques" on page 5 and try to emulate them as you practice. Rehearse until you feel confident you will do a good job, then relax in the knowledge you are well prepared.

Tip 10: Prepare for the unexpected.

Although the phrase "What can go wrong will go wrong" rarely applies, it is a good idea to plan for the worst. You'll cover most eventualities if, on the day of your presentation, you bring a printout of your presentation and, if applicable, a back-up file. PowerPoint for Windows 95 facilitates this in several ways.

• The new Pack and Go wizard compresses and saves your presentation, including linked files such as supporting documents, spreadsheets, and any multimedia files.
• The PowerPoint Viewer saves your file as a self-contained presentation so you can run it without installing PowerPoint.
• The new Black and White View lets you adjust the grayscale so that a color presentation prints well in black and white no matter how many gradient fills or textured backgrounds it contains.

Tip 11: Check that everything is ready for a successful presentation.

Arrive early enough before your presentation to make sure the projection equipment works with your presentation. Test the microphone level. Test the speakers if your presentation includes sound effects. If possible, do a final on-site practice run. If you plan to distribute handouts, arrange one set at each place so the audience isn't scrambling to find them as you begin to speak.

Tip 12: Deliver a polished presentation.

A smooth opening, backed by solid preparation, builds the confidence you need to give a poised, professional delivery. Take the first few moments in front of the audience to gain your composure and position yourself as the person in charge, then launch into your message.

• If you are presiding over the meeting, start on time.
• Begin with the title slide, welcoming the audience and introducing yourself.
• Explain any ground rules, such as whether participants should save questions for the end.
• Briefly describe the handouts and answer any questions so the audience can focus on you.
• Show the second slide and review objectives so the audience knows what you'll be covering. Then quickly move on to the main message.
• If you accept questions during the presentation, try not to become side-tracked. Answer a question if it's relevant, then focus attention back to the presentation as quickly as possible. Politely defer irrelevant or lengthy commentary or questions to the discussion period.
• When presenting in the on-screen electronic mode, you can support data and enhance discussion by revealing a previously hidden slide or showing a back-up spreadsheet linked with an Interactive Button. Or use the Slide Navigator to jump to slides out of sequence.
• Presenting in the on-screen mode lets you tap Meeting Minder. For example, enter important discussion notes in its Meeting Minutes tab - they automatically appear in follow-up notes.
• Use Meeting Minder to capture action items that arise during your presentation. PowerPoint automatically inserts a final slide that lists the action items you've entered. Use it to reinforce each item, its designated owner, and the date it's due. (It's best to be as specific as possible when you enter an action item. For example, "Ron will distribute final plan draft plan to entire team by July 10^th.")
• Close your presentation by thanking participants, letting them know whether time remains for questions and discussion or how they can follow up later with further questions.

Tip 13: Follow up and follow through.

Today's results-oriented business environment demands timely follow-up that's concise and organized. A written summary of the conclusions, discussion points, and action items from your presentation can be extremely valuable as a record of what happened and what needs to happen.Too often, competing priorities take over and this useful information is not communicated quickly or at all. Making follow-up communication a part of your presentation routine helps avoid this situation. Schedule time to follow up immediately after your presentation. Use Meeting Minder to prepare meeting notes, even if you presented with 35mm slides or overhead transparencies.Distribute your completed meeting notes in printed form or electronically, or place them on a network in a Microsoft Office Binder along with related documents.