Believe me, I try my best not to make my presentations boring. I write
only one word on each slide or a phrase. Probably you wont succeed in
one attempt, but keep trying. It’s all practice.

Looks like you didn’t understand what I was trying to convey. –
Whenever people have to give a presentation, the first thing which
comes to their mind is ‘Powerpoint’. I am criticising that mentality.
Presenting should be a art and you should not be crippled by
powerpoint.

Yeah. Xerox name is a misnomer and should get corrected. Even ‘Cello
tape’ is a misnomer. These two misnomers are harmless, but a misnomer
called Powerpoint is a social tragedy.

thank you very much for this excellent tutorial. It got me started!

Cheers,
Vincent

Too much text; Body language; Bad animations…we know the problems. It’s easier said than done though. When the tables are turned and we’re the ones on the stage, it’s difficult to trust in our presenting skills enough to use restraint in our presentation design. We tend to add some extra sentences to make sure we don’t forget our important points.

Great breakdown. This is a list that any presenter should keep in mind when they prepare.

Hell yeah you are, crybaby! I also don’t know who created the horrible term xerox so that its even part of the freaking dictionary now. I think i am unfit to copy on a gestetner. It’s what most people call it that counts. Even your linux loving wikipedians have that mentality when it comes to terms in articles. “Use the most common and widely accepted term. Else I will block your redlinked n00b butt for 24 hours”. Hell, even you of all people call the OS “Linux” instead of the correct term “GNU/Linux”. Even Linus Torvalds says, “since its widely accepted, the whole issue is nonsense and RMS can kiss my open source butt” Convenience? Popularity? Or just plain old typical-of-FOSS-fans: hypocrisy?

Instead of words, use pictures on your slides.

I would say. Use one-line title and diagrams or descriptions to put forward your point. In no case should be a block of text shown up. It’s distracting.

If you aren’t referencing what you see on the screen, blank it using the “B” key. Press the B key again to see the screen content

Perfect! It just skipped out of my mind.

Work with a remote control instead of standing behind your computer all the time.

A remote control is not available all the time.

I think that the big problem, especially in technical fields, is that public speaking (and interpersonal communication in general) is a very much ignored. Yet, in most cases, technical ability gets you in the door. But your interpersonal skills are what create a great and rewarding career.

I hope that as faculties see the importance of communication, they will put more emphasis on developing well-rounded individuals instead of churning out techies who can be easily replaced by lower-paid people who can’t communicate.

Let me add a few more points to your post:

- Don’t be afraid to use humour, but don’t use it to insult or put down your audience.

- Instead of words, use pictures on your slides.

- If you aren’t referencing what you see on the screen, blank it using the “B” key. Press the B key again to see the screen content

- Work with a remote control instead of standing behind your computer all the time.

There’s a bunch more on my Web site, if you’re interested.

L

Keep the presentation simple and to the point. Don’t allow the user to shift his focus from you to the slides.