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Q&A
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Editorial opinions
expressed in our answers are for your information only; they do not constitute medical, legal, or similarly licensed
or regulated forms of advice, nor do they necessarily reflect the opinions of
instructors or other persons associated with the corporation. All rights
reserved © 1999 Corporate Training Partners, Inc.
What tips exist for good
presentations using transparencies or electronic projection?
Q. We use a lot of transparencies and electronic
projectors in
presentations at our company.
So many of these exhibits are
hundreds of words of teeny-tiny print, I could just scream!
There has to be something better for a roomful of executives to do
than sit in a dark room, while someone drones on for hours, pointing at
illegible fine print on a screen!
Do
you have any guidelines for using transparencies and electronic projectors in meetings?
A. Please realize that some people
will want to experiment with a different presentation style and
some will not.
Here are our recommendations:
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If working directly
from handouts will suffice, avoid using transparencies or electronic projection at all.
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Use the brightest projector and largest screen available to you; set up the
projector so it fits the screen.
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Use a print large enough to be legible from the farthest corner
of the room.
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Limit text to nine words on a line and seven lines
on a page.
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The best exhibits clearly communicate one main idea per
"page."
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Use sentence fragments, in outline format, for
brevity.
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If you are using electronic projection, be very sparing
with animation; many audiences perceive excessive animation as a frivolous,
distracting gimmick.
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Set up and test everything BEFORE your audience is
sitting there waiting.
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If you have any problems, work through them as best you
can, and avoid emphasizing the problems with elaborate jokes or apologies.
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Avoid reading exhibits verbatim; paraphrase.
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Stand at
the screen plane, face the audience, plant both feet flat, smile
(unless delivering bad news) and try to avoid pacing.
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Save the
laser and other pointing devices for times when they are
absolutely necessary (such as when using very large screens).
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