Lesso 33 Presentations --- Presentation Myths

Reading Comprehension
Here are a few of the myths that we hear a lot.
1. Tell 'em what you're going to tell them, tell 'em and tell 'em again.
If you want your presentations to sound stilted and formulaic then this is the technique to use. Oh, and it sounds better in a monotone voice. Otherwise give this a wide berth.
2. Don't use PowerPoint as it will distract the audience.
This is one of the biggest lot of old cobblers, and yet has been included in an article in The Times this year. According to research by the psychologist Albert Mehrabian, 55% of a presentation is visual. So unless you have a voice like chocolate, then not using visual slides, you are on a hiding to nothing. What we say is don't use bullet points as they are a very poor way of conveying your message.
3. Clip art makes you presentation look groovy.
Wrong! Clip art makes your presentation look old fashioned. And unlike house antiques an old fashioned presentation makes you look like you are behind the times. A bit like wearing fashions from three years ago. I once remember getting a laugh using the clip art of the duck hitting a computer with a mallet - but that was ten years ago. If I put it up today I perhaps would get them laughing - but more likely that they would be laughing at me!
There are lots of high quality real pictures that you can use instead of clip art. Use them instead and your presentation should fly. Yet if you go to the Microsoft web site you can still see them extolling the benefits of clip art. And I'll let you into a secret, I've seen some Bill Gates presentations and attractive as they are there is not a single clip art in sight.
4. Martin Luther King didn't use PowerPoint.
Martin Luther King may not have used PowerPoint, but he was also a great orator, and he had practiced his speech many times. If you are great at public speaking, fine - don't it. But if you are not, then a visual PowerPoint presentation (no bullet points) should give your presentation a real lift. Professor Albert Mehrabian showed that 55% of a presentation is visual - so if you don't use visuals, then the odds are against you.