The Most Effective Way to Use PowerPoint

• 00:05 So now you have stories for each one of your message points.
• 00:08 What else can you do to really increase the odds,
• 00:12 that your audience will remember your message?
• 00:16 Another tool is to use visuals.
• 00:19 Now if you have good stories,
• 00:20 you're forcing people to visualize things when they hear you.
• 00:24 But if you actually give them something visual to look at, then they don't
• 00:29 have to do any creative thinking, they're just going to instantly see that.
• 00:34 Now, the most commonly used visual in presentations, is the PowerPoint slide.
• 00:39 Now I know some of you have instant reactions when you hear the phrase
• 00:43 PowerPoint, because they think all PowerPoint is awful, it's horrible, it's boring.
• 00:47 And yet, we have to use PowerPoint in our company.
• 00:51 Here's the thing, the problem is not PowerPoint, it's how people use it.
• 00:57 The number one way most people use PowerPoint, is just to throw lots, and
• 01:01 lots, and lots of bullet points, texts, their script.
• 01:04 They're thinking, wow, this is going to be easy, I don't have to know what I'm
• 01:09 saying, I don't have to practice, rehearse, memorize.
• 01:12 I can just follow the PowerPoint.
• 01:16 The problem of course is, if you're reading the script,
• 01:19 the audience can read it too.
• 01:21 So, why does anyone need you?
• 01:24 It's boring when you're reading a PowerPoint, and you're destroying your eye
• 01:29 contact, that you can no longer look at your audience members.
• 01:33 You're fixated on your slides in front of you, or
• 01:37 you're turning around and you're back, so, that's the real problem.
• 01:42 Now, there are a lot of different theories out there on PowerPoint.
• 01:45 My theories are based on having tested them in the real world,
• 01:50 in front of live audiences, and do the same thing.
• 01:54 I don't want you to take my word for anything to do with PowerPoint test.
• 01:58 But here's the test, prep your slide, give your presentation when you're done,
• 02:03 ask people what your slides were.
• 02:05 If they don't remember it, it didn't work, it's horrible.
• 02:10 Take it, tear it up, and throw it in the trash can.
• 02:13 If people did remember your slide and what was on it, and
• 02:18 what the messages, it did work.
• 02:20 That means you past, keep the slide, it's effective.
• 02:23 It really comes down to that if people remember your slides and
• 02:27 the message is from it, it works.
• 02:29 Now, here's the rule of thumb that I follow, and
• 02:32 that I get my clients to follow who really want to be effective speakers.
• 02:37 If you're using PowerPoint, don't use text.
• 02:41 I know I know I know you could tell me a little TJ, that's crazy,
• 02:45 talk in our corporate culture.
• 02:47 We have five bullet points and we have eight words per bullet point,
• 02:53 and it's done that way a lot of places.
• 02:57 Does it mean it's effective?
• 02:59 The most effective way to use PowerPoint,
• 03:03 is to put one image per slide, and to have that just convey one idea.
• 03:09 One pitch not four different pictures that convey the point,
• 03:14 just one picture per slide.
• 03:16 That's the most effective way to use PowerPoint,
• 03:21 someone should hear you talk about the concept.
• 03:26 See the image up on the slide,
• 03:29 instantly make the connection of what your point is, drives it home.
• 03:34 Now they can understand it better.
• 03:37 And remember it better, the rule of thumb for any slide is,
• 03:41 does it make your audience understand the idea more than you simply saying it?
• 03:47 And does it make your audience remember the message more than you just saying it?
• 03:54 If you can't say yes to both questions, it's not a good slide.
• 03:58 Now, what I recommend for most of my clients and what I do myself is,
• 04:04 when I'm creating a PowerPoint presentation, I use two powerful ones.
• 04:10 One is to traditional, lots of bullet points, lots of text,
• 04:14 lots of words, email it to people in advance.
• 04:18 Give it as a handout, post it on a website, but
• 04:21 do not project it when you're standing up speaking in front of people.
• 04:27 The second PowerPoint, is just for you to show when you're standing
• 04:32 in front of people, and you have something to project on a big screen.
• 04:37 That should consist of images, one image per slide, one idea per slide, not text.
• 04:43 I understand if that's not the way it's done in your company,
• 04:47 I understand if you haven't even seen it done that way.
• 04:52 I'm telling you as an expert who's worked with 10,000 clients around the country,
• 04:57 around the world, from six different continents.
• 05:01 This is what actually works.
• 05:05 Again, I don't want you to just blindly follow what I say,
• 05:09 I do want you to do one thing I asked for, and that is test.
• 05:12 You're giving a PowerPoint presentation to 40 colleagues, or
• 05:17 40 new business prospects on Thursday, find three colleagues, lunchtime Tuesday.
• 05:23 Maybe offer to buy him a sandwich, give them your presentation.
• 05:28 When you're done, ask them every slide they remember,
• 05:32 ask them every message they remember.
• 05:35 Any slide they remember, you now have empirical evidence it works,
• 05:40 keep it, good job.
• 05:41 But any slide they don't remember, exactly what it was,
• 05:45 exactly what the message was, exactly what was on that slide.
• 05:49 If they can't remember your slide, you now have empirical evidence,
• 05:52 that that slide was garbage, throw it away, or keep it as the handout.
• 05:55 Keep it as something that you're emailing to people in advance,
• 06:01 or handing out afterwards.

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