1. PowerPoint is only a support tool – you are the star of the show

PowerPoint is an effective tool in supporting your presentation but it is not the presentation in itself, you are the person that your audience came to see. Therefore construct the presentation with yourself as its focal point. Use your slides to support your points and keep them simple and clean. Cluttered slides and flashy effects will distract your audience from you and your message.

2. Beware of too many bullet points – they don’t work

It has been shown in a number of studies that the extensive use of bullet points and text is not effective in a presentation and that images and diagrams used to support the presenter’s spoken points are absorbed more readily. However bullet points are sometimes unavoidable and so they should be used sparingly to highlight the key points of your message.

3. Put the detailed text in your handouts

Remember that you have your presentation notes/handouts to reiterate the detailed points of your presentation. Your handouts should not be a direct printout of your slides nor a copy of your script, but a combination of the two in which you can give a detailed account of your presentation as well give full versions of any lengthy quotes or sources you may have used.

4. Don’t get tricky with slide transition and effects

Be subtle and sparing with your use of animations and transitions. A clean left to right wipe for your bullet points and a brisk fade for slide transitions can make a slideshow run more smoothly. But “flying” or slow animations can become tedious for your audience and hinder the pacing of your presentation.

5. Don’t use clip art – just don’t OK!

6 People remember photographs, illustrations, diagrams and graphs

High quality photographs and illustrations will convey meaning and bring your presentation to life. First check on what image resources you company already holds. This can be supplemented with photo library shots which can be bought for a few dollars from the likes of Istock, Shutterstock and Alamy (we do not use Getty as they can be overpriced). Never use low resolution images or stretch them to fit a space.

Diagrams and graphs can be even more effective but keep them simple and legible.

We recommend creating an image library of your own and also investing in images or diagrams that you use frequently. As you might suspect we strongly recommend using a professional designer.

7. Get “On Brand” and a create a consistent “look and feel”

Create slide templates that reflect and reinforce your identity through branding, colour and layout. Your templates can be saved as.pot files and used across all of your company’s presentations for a consistent brand image.

8. Colour, contrast and fonts

Colour influences mood and you should ensure that you use a limited and well integrated colour palette. Most of the presentations we work on follow corporate design guidelines but we try to keep the feel as bright and fresh as possible.

Good contrast between the background and text is important especially in well lit rooms. Text must be large enough to be easily read in actual presentation situations. However a great many people go the other way and make the text too large because they are working in design view ( where everything looks smaller)

We strongly advise that you avoid using non standard or corporate fonts in your presentation because special fonts have to be embedded within the presentation and can cause technical issues further down the line when shown on another PC or platform.

If you are displaying from a PC you should use Windows system fonts (or Mac fonts if your final output is on a Mac). In Windows the available fonts are Arial, Comic Sans, Courier, Franklin Gothic Medium, Georgia, Impact, Lucida Console, Lucida Sans, Microsoft Sans Serif, Modern, MS Sans Serif, Palatino, Roman, Script, Symbol, Tahoma,Times New Roman, Trebuchet, Verdana, Webdings, WingDings ( The fonts in bold are the most commonly used and work well on screen).

9. Video and Audio

A brief video or audio clip can effectively back up a particular point and provide a welcome break for you and your audience. Clips should be kept short and support your message rather than delivering the message for you. Be very careful to test any presentation containing video on the actual computer you are using to present with. A low powered machine can freeze up on you. Obviously test your audio system as well.

10. Use the slide sorter and edit

While planning your presentation spend time in the Slide Sorter view of PowerPoint. This will display all of your slides on one page and will allow you to not only effectively judge their order, but also to see how your presentation will progress and whether it flows naturally.

Have you considered how colors can improve your negotiations and the impact colors have on your body language? People make snap judgments based on the colors we wear and the colors of the negotiation environment we’re in. Colors influence your everyday activities.

Read this article to gain valuable insight per how you can improve your negotiation and body language efforts.

Color Effect on Body Language:

People that are less reserved and more outgoing tend to wear vibrant colors. It’s like they’re saying, I want to be free. I want to be seen and recognized.

Colors release the vibrancy within them. It makes them feel good. They display their good-naturedness in their attitude (i.e. let everybody be happy – I’m happy) and through the interactions they have with others. They emit the signal, I’m approachable. The brighter the colors the more siren the signal.

Contrast that type of demeanor against someone who wears darker colors. The message emitted is, I’m not so approachable, not in the mindset of engaging in less serious matters. They say through the colors they wear that they have a certain air about themselves. They’re more reserved than those who wear vibrant colors.

From an observer’s perspective, it’s important to understand the signals that colors emit because of the signals the person is sending. Colors give you insight per how to address and engage with that person. Thus, it would not benefit you to be overly gregarious with someone who wore dark clothing in an attempt to befriend them in your first encounter. Instead, you’d best be served by approaching such an individual in a measured and reserved manner. The opposite would be the case of someone wearing more vibrant colors.

Knowing the right approach to adopt, based on the colors someone wears, will add to your bonding efforts.

Color Effect on Negotiations:

Per the above insights pertaining to the colors people wear and the effect such has on the projection of body language signals, you gain instant access to the person’s possible negotiation style and demeanor. I said possible negotiation style because good negotiators know how to ‘dress for the occasion’. They project the image they want you to perceive based on the clothing and colors they’re wearing. This can be an outlier to their real persona and negotiation style. So, you can make an assessment as to the demeanor they possess, but be on the lookout to reevaluate it the moment you sense things are not going according to how you thought they’d go.

One way to detect the effect colors have on someone is to observe to what degree they give a casual glance, versus a snapping of the head to look at your attire. If you’re physically close enough, you can observe the degree their eyes actually dilate. The wider the pupils, the greater the level of excitement. If you notice such occurring, make a mental note to discover more of what the act entailed. You’ll gain clues to how you’re being perceived and thus how the other negotiator might engage you.

The colors you wear in a negotiation, the color of the environment, and the color that those you engage with wear, play a major role in how engaged or disengaged you’ll be with them and them with you. Given the insight that you’ve gained from this article, you’re now better prepared to dress per the image that best suits you. To do so means you’ll win more negotiations and improve other aspects of your life… and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

When speaking in front of an audience getting them to be remember you, your message, and your presentation is critical to making sales happen at the time of your event and after you have left the venue.

Each presentation needs to WOW an audience as it will generate additional speaking events for you should you desire and sales for your product or service.

Let’s cover a few ways to make sure your next presentation is one that the audience is talking about long after you have left the building.

· When you have passion for the subject you are speaking on your audience will feel the passion and excitement. Regardless of your product, service, or topic enthusiasm of it will spread through your audience and have them talking about your topic.

· Use the name of audience members when addressing their questions. Many speakers lecture audiences and while this works audiences remember these as “lectures” and don’t come away with a WOW feeling. Ask audience members their name before you answer their question and repeat their name back to them. This will directly involve them in your topic.

· Don’t stay fixated to a podium. Being behind a podium or table can separate you from your audience and won’t have them directly involved in your talk. Feel free to move about the stage or even move through the audience to connect with them.

Audiences want to be wowed by presentations. They are looking for how they can be get the most out of each presentation that they attend. The above methods can be easily added to any presentation. These skills will put you on the way to wowing your audiences and have them talking about it for days, weeks, and even months to come.

When you would like to discover how to maximize each presentation for your business, product, or service I would invite you to visit www.ToddBatesSystems.com.