I had the opportunity to see TCU instructors Kelly O’Brien and Tracy Williams give guidance on the art of presenting to the five finalists of the Fort Worth Business Assistance Center’s business plan competition. In less than a month, the business owners will present their plans to a panel of judges in hopes of winning thousands of dollars in cash and prizes.
The entrepreneurs are about to embark on a high-pressured show and tell demonstration of a lifetime. O’Brien and Williams gave a lively tag-team presentation aimed at relieving the presentors' nervousness (read nausea and sweaty palms), and the participation of the future audience (read rotten tomatoes).
My favorite tidbits were in the How Not to Give a PowerPoint Presentation section. Here are the top five things to avoid:
-No more than 24 words on a slide – the more text on the screen the less your audience will retain (Try using pictures instead of words to illustrate your point)
-Limit the number of slides – (15 minutes = 8-10 slides)
-Don't turn your back on your audience and/or read word for word from your slide
-Animation – seriously people this is a distraction - use it judiciously
-A sans serif font (ie. Arial) is easier to read from the back of the room than a funky type face
In sum, less is more. Flashy fonts and animation just lead to more confusion and lower retention.
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