PowerPoint tip 5

PowerPoint tip 5.

Outlining your content
I suggest you start your planning in analog mode. That
is, rather than diving right into PowerPoint (or Keynote),
the best presenters often scratch out their ideas and
objectives with a pen and paper. Personally, I use a
large whiteboard in my office to sketch out my ideas
(when I was at Apple, I had one entire wall turned into a
whiteboard!). The whiteboard works for me as I feel
uninhibited and freer to be creative. I can also step back
(literally) from what I have sketched out and imagine
how it might flow logically when PowerPoint is added
later. Also, as I write down key points and assemble an outline and structure, I can
draw quick ideas for visuals such as charts or photos that will later appear in the
PowerPoint. Though you may be using digital technology when you deliver your
presentation, the act of speaking and connecting to an audience ¡ª to persuade, sell,
or inform ¡ª is very much analog.
Cliff Atkinson in his 2005 book, ¡°Beyond Bullet Points,¡± smartly states that starting to
create your presentation in PowerPoint before you have your key points and logical
flow first worked out (on paper or a white board in my case) is like a movie director
hiring actors and starting to film before there is a script in hand.
More on ¡°planning analog¡±
I usually use a legal pad and pen (or a whiteboard if there is enough space) to
create a rough kind of storyboard. I find the analog approach stimulates my creativity
a bit more as I said. No software to get in my way and I can easily see how the flow
will go. I draw sample images that I can use to support a particular point, say, a pie
chart here, a photo there, perhaps a line graph in this section and so on. You may be
thinking that this is a waste of time: why not just go into PowerPoint and create your
images there so you do not have to do it twice? Well, the fact is, if I tried to create a
storyboard in PowerPoint, it would actually take longer as I would constantly have to
go from normal view to slide sorter view to see the ¡°whole picture.¡± The analog
approach (paper or whiteboard) to sketch out my ideas and create a rough
storyboard really helps solidify and simplify my message in my own head. I then have
a far easier time laying out those ideas in PowerPoint. I usually do not even have to
look at the whiteboard or legal pad when I am in PowerPoint, because the analog
process alone gave a clear visual image of how I want the content to flow. I glance
at my notes to remind me of what visuals I thought of using at certain points and then
go to iStockphoto.com or to my own extensive library of high-quality stock images to
find the perfect image.