Presentation development

Four standards identify a good Powerpoint presentation: The audience can read and understand the slides with ease; there is no technical difficulty; it permits the speaker to delve and digress at will; the audience retains the information.

To meet the first standard, I keep graphics and charts uncomplicated and avoid crowding too much text onto the slide (the condition known as "Dr. Bronner's Disease").

I generally restrict font usage to those that are common to most systems, and avoid using transparency and drop-shadows, which are prone to displaying differently across platforms. I also encourage clients to rehearse the finished presentation to ensure it runs smoothly.

Hyperlinked action buttons on the slide template and a hidden index slide put any slide in the deck within two clicks of any other, permitting you to skip ahead or jump back, and return to the point of departure.

Making sure the audience retains what they see and hear during the presentation partly involves meeting the first three standards, but it also demands we scrutinize every bit of information on each slide to determine whether it is presented clearly onscreen and is reinforced in the speech.