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Using PowerPoint Effectively

By July 16, 2008June 19th, 2014No Comments

Nothing kills an audience’s interest faster than spotting the words “Slide 1 of 101” on the first screen of a PowerPoint presentation. As a pastor or church leader, you probably make a number of PowerPoint presentations in different venues: in your teaching, in your preaching, in making proposals to your deacons, or in presenting proposals to your church family. A presentation that makes its point and effectively conveys information requires more than just slides.

Here are eight tips successful PowerPoint communication:

  • Begin every presentation by remembering that the audience cares less about what you have to say than you do.
  • Limit your presentation to a maximum of three points. Audiences have trouble absorbing more than that.
  • Begin presentations with a one-minute explanation of why your presentation is important to the audience. If you can’t do it in one minute, you’ll lose them.
  • Don’t use the podium if possible. Speakers who walk around appear to have more confidence and are more interesting to watch.
  • Be so well-rehearsed that it doesn’t sound rehearsed.
  • Organize your slides so the titles alone tell the story. Other text should simply support the title.
  • Never read slides word for word.
  • Prepare so you don’t actually need any slides. If you can be effective without them, then you’re a great presenter.

Source: “Death by PowerPoint!” by Robert Waite