1. Possibly the most typical PowerPoint blunder is neglecting to embed the fonts into your presentation. If you do not embed fonts and the computer system showing your presentation doesn’t contain the fonts in your presentation, it will substitute another font, often with disastrous results. Together with making your presentation appear unprofessional, a change in font can easily have an impact on text wrapping and table spacing. You can keep this from taking place by using PowerPoint’s “Embed Fonts in File” capability, which assures that the font you used will display on a different computer even if that font has not been installed on the other machine.
2. Playing around with the many different fonts, effects, templates and graphics in PowerPoint can be genuinely enjoyable. With that said, don’t go crazy. An effective presentation will use the same stylistic elements throughout for consistency. If the title of your first slide is written in size 12 Times New Roman, so should the rest of the titles within your slides.
3. Steer clear of the temptation to write everything you would like to say on the slides. Large blocks of text are very difficult for your audience to read. The result is that the audience will either lose interest in the presentation or may try to read each and every word on the slide instead of listening to you. A more successful strategy is utilizing bullets to provide your major points. This will provide you with an outline to refer to while you speak in the event you lose your place or train of thought. The audience, meanwhile, will be able to rapidly scan the bullets and take notes while you speak.
4. Just as crucial as the quantity of information on every slide is the quantity of slides in your presentation. By slide 20, your audience may begin to encounter difficulties retaining the data you’re presenting. Although there’s no formula for identifying the optimal number of slides, keep in mind that ten to fifteen slides are adequate for quite a few presentations. Review your slides and ask yourself whether or not the material of each is essential or is merely “filler.”
5. Last but not least, never treat your PowerPoint slide show as the visual version of your talk. The PowerPoint slides are there to enhance your talk, not duplicate it. Make the effort to practice your talk several times. Get to know any supporting points that complement each of your primary points since these principal thoughts are going to be on the slides for you to refer to. You should have the ability to swiftly recollect the supporting information as you skim through the main points.

Stay clear of these five pitfalls and delight in a presentation that brings your ideas to life along with earning the admiration and appreciation of your audience.

PowerPoint and Keynote are incredible tools, but as we’ve learned the hard way from ice cream and tequila, too much of a good thing is…well…a bad thing. Too many speakers use PowerPoint as an 8-foot projected version of their speaking notes, in effect a teleprompter on display to all, rather than a complement to their oration. Never underestimate the power of the spoken word when delivered in its raw state, sans flip-charts, white boards or PowerPoint slides. Such unfettered speech has served many generations well, and, in some cases, has changed the world profoundly.

You can tap into this power by including a blank, black slide in your presentation, to focus your audience’s attention on you, and by doing so, bringing a special importance to your words in their ears. Use the slide to pause for a moment, let the room get quiet, and let the anticipation build for your next words. (If the room you’re presenting in is extremely dark, you might consider a gray or blue slide so that a bit of light is still present. This is easier on the eyes and safer in case someone is wandering about the room. I have three different slides prepared and hide the two I won’t use depending on the characteristics of the room.) To prepare your black slide, simply create a new slide, then right click on the slide and select Format Background… Next, click the Solid fill radio button and check the Hide background graphics box. Select Color and choose the color you want to make your slide and select Close. Finally, in the Slide Sorter view (select View, Slide Sorter) highlight the black slide, select Animations and pick the Fade Smoothly animation, setting the Transition Speed to “Slow.”

That’s it. You now have an opportunity to make some real impact on your audience. I would use this technique sparingly, but make sure to use it and rediscover the power of your spoken word.

There are many reasons for sharing and distributing your PowerPoint presentation. I’ve found that in most cases, distributing your slides in PDF format has some important advantages, both for you and your presentation’s recipients.

If your presentation stands on its own statically, without dynamic elements such as animations, transitions and media, such as video, then you may find the PDF solution ideal for your needs. Some of the advantages include:

• Your Receipients Don’t Need PowerPoint: Nearly everyone has Adobe Reader these days, but not everyone has PowerPoint (or PowerPoint viewer) installed on their system. Nor do you need to worry about which version of PowerPoint your recipients have, something complicated by PowerPoint 2007 which introduced a new file format (.pptx)

• Fast and Easy: PDF files open in a snap and it’s something that everyone already knows how to do.

• Your Presentation Will Appear the Way You Prepared It: If your recipient’s computer doesn’t have all your presentation’s fonts installed on their computer, your presentation may appear completely differently to them as Windows will substitute another font instead. (See: PowerPoint Fonts: How to Font-Proof Your Next Presentation.) Converting your presentation to PDF format “locks down” all of its elements, ensuring that everyone sees exactly what you prepared.

• Protect Your Content: OK, I admit it. I don’t like to share. I put many many hours into preparing my presentations, and if someone hands me their USB flash drive at the end of a talk and asks me for a copy, I’m a bit hesitant if I think they’ll simply take my slides and use them as their own. Distributing a PDF file doesn’t eliminate plagiarism, but it doesn’t distribute your hard work on a silver platter, either.

Here’s an example of a PowerPoint 2007 presentation converted to PDF format. In addition to creating a PDF file of your presentation’s slides, you can produce handouts, speaker notes, etc. Even if your presentation includes video or other dynamic elements, and if those elements live on the Internet or corporate network, you can embed hyperlinks in your presentation. For example, see the last page of the PDF file which includes a link to this site.

Saving your presentation as a PDF is simple, especially if you’re using PowerPoint 2007. Microsoft has added “PDF or XPS” as one of the “Save As…” choices. However, this feature is not enabled after you initially install PowerPoint 2007. You’ll need to download the Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS Add-in for 2007 Microsoft Office programs.

Still using an earlier version of PowerPoint? No worries. Use the freeware product CutePDF Writer which, when installed, shows up as another printer on your system. Simply choose CutePDF as your printer and “print” your presentation and it will be saved as a PDF file. I still use CutePDF for other applications that don’t support PDF.

I hope you’ll give the PDF approach a try. It’s one of those rare solutions that benefits both you and your audience.

Though Monster’s products are notoriously expensive (like that $150 HDMI cable the salesman said you absolutely had to have), the sub-$20 Monster Outlets To Go Powerstrip makes it a must-have addition to the Speaker’s Toolkit, specially if you’re a road warrior. The ultra-compact strip fits easily in your briefcase or backpack, weighs next to nothing and sports three outlets (two on one side, one on the other; a 4-outlet model is also available). The outlets themselves are spacious, allowing plenty of room for many oversized “brick” A/C adapters. Wait — it gets better. The Outlets to Go powerstrip includes a built-in resettable circuit breaker, a 24K gold-plated plug, and a blue LED light indicating that the outlets are receiving power. (Don’t underestimate the importance of an indicator light — I’ve accidentally shut power off to my charging laptop in hotel rooms when I switched off a lamp with a wall switch.) Finally, the unit includes a flat plug which will fit just about anywhere, and the cord neatly wraps around the powerstrip for storage, so you won’t end up with a rat’s nest of tangled cord. Highly recommended, Also available in white and silver.

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I’m not a “professional speaker,” but I am a professional who speaks extensively, and I bring more than 25 years of real-world experience to this site. My sincere hope is that my experiences and recommendations can help you.

You’ll find a range of articles on this site designed to help your public speaking efforts. As the site’s title implies, the site is about providing solutions (i.e., “hacks”) to public speaking challenges, with an emphasis on technology and how to best use it.

My public speaking experience has taught me that you need to be exceptionally well prepared and anticipate a wide range of speaking conditions when you step up to the front of the room. If you’re prepared with the right tools and planning, the less you need to worry about the myriad of details that can trip you up, and the more you can concentrate on giving the presentation your all.

I invite your input and encourage you to participate in the PublicSpeakingHacks.com community by posting your comments and sharing your own experiences, ideas and recommendations.

Thank you for visiting, and my warmest wishes for success in your next speech.

Sincerely,

David, “The Public Speaking Hacker”