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.

I’ve always been a believer in wireless/cordless presenters, the battery-powered remote control devices you use to remotely control your presentation. A small USB transmitter/receiver plugs into the computer and you control your presentation wirelessly from across the room. I’ve owned a few of these, but when I purchased the highly-rated Logitech Cordless 2.4 GHz Presenter last year, I knew I had found the new “best in class” of wireless presenters.

The Logitech is small, unobtrusive and not distracting in the presenter’s hand. Though small in form factor, the Logitech packs the critical features you need, including flawless wireless control up to 50 feet away. (No software is needed — just pop the USB plug out of the main unit, plug it into the computer, and you’re ready to go.) The buttons are comfortable and intuitive (start/end slideshow, slide forward/back, black screen, volume control) . An integrated red laser pointer keeps you from fumbling for a second device. And best of all, the Logitech masterfully integrates a nicely visible LCD countdown timer, which provides discreet, vibrating warnings at 5 and 2 minutes remaining. No more setting your watch on the podium, or worse, looking at your watch during your presentation. I’ve found this feature has rescued me from all sorts of nutty solutions to staying on time — more on that in a future post.

Another nice feature: A battery indicator on the LCD display so you’ll know in advance if you’re running out of juice. The unit includes a compact neoprene case and takes up negligible space in your briefcase or purse. The unit is so portable that I always bring it along. You’d be surprised how many times even high-level conferences don’t provide workable equipment. Just don’t leave it behind when everyone asks you to borrow it!

Logitech Cordless Presenter 2.4GHz Read Our Review

I recently remarked to a colleague that I’ve seen a PowerPoint presentation malfunction of one sort or another at virtually every conference or meeting I have attended. Too often a simple step could have prevented a disastrous result, and this couldn’t be more true for PowerPoint fonts. If you’ve ever spent hours preparing a presentation with thoughtfully selected fonts only to see many of your fonts suddenly change at the moment of truth — when you’re on stage and presenting — then you’ve encountered the PowerPoint font trap. It’s far more serious than just an aesthetic issue. The wrong font can change word wrapping, table spacing, and the overall readability and professional look of the presentation you worked so hard on. Fortunately, it’s an easy problem to prevent.

Why does this happen? The maddening font problem is caused by the simple fact that the computer you’re presenting on does not have the same fonts installed as the computer on which the presentation was prepared. Windows tries to substitute a similar font, but often the results are far from acceptable. The PowerPoint font problem can crop up in all versions of Powerpoint, including PowerPoint 2007.

Here’s how to font-proof your next presentation:

• Alternative #1: Choose “Safe” Basic Fonts: If you stick to basic fonts that are likely to be installed on any computer (such as Times New Roman, Arial, Symbol, Courier New), you’re very likely, though not absolutely guaranteed, to be safe. (I’ve seen some computers where some popular fonts had been removed.) This is surely the fastest and easiest approach, though you’ll sacrifice some pizzazz by using unexciting and overused fonts.

• Alternative #2: Embed Fonts into Your Presentation: When you embed the fonts you’ve used into your presentation, they’ll travel with your presentation and display no matter what fonts are (or are not) installed on the computer it’s being displayed with. To embed the fonts into your presentation in PowerPoint 2007, follow these steps:

1. Select the Office Button (at the top left of the PowerPoint window)
2. Select the PowerPoint Options button, which lies along the bottom margin of the window that opens when you press the Office Button
3. Select Save in the list of options that appears on the left of the PowerPoint Options window
4. Now check the Embed Fonts in File box and select the second sub-option, Embed all characters. This is the safest option and ensures that you’ll have ALL of the characters of all of the fonts in your presentation on any computer, a safeguard I highly recommend in case you or a colleague wants to further edit the presentation.

If you’re using PowerPoint 2003, select File > Save As…, then select Save Options from the Tools menu at the top of the Save As… dialogue box and check the Embed True Type Fonts box.

For PowerPoint 2000, select File > Save As…, then select Embed True Type Fonts from the Tools menu at the top of the Save As… dialogue box. (In PowerPoint 2000 you’ll need to specify this every time you save a new presentation.)

• Alternative #3: Package Your Presentation for CD: In PowerPoint 2007 and 2003, use the Package for CD feature. In PowerPoint 2000, use the Pack and Go wizard. The Package for CD feature assembles and packages your presentation and related graphics, videos and fonts for distribution. For PowerPoint 2007, follow these steps:

1. Select the Office Button (at the top left of the PowerPoint window)
2. Select the Publish option
3. Select Package for CD

I never underestimate the importance of peace of mind when giving a presentation and it’s often the little things that bite. Font-proof your PowerPoint presentations and rid yourself of at least one worry…and potential landmine.