Getting It Right, Part Three: PowerPoint

This is probably going to be a shorter blog entry than some of the others.

In keeping with the tradition I've started, let's get it out on the table what PowerPoint is good for:

• Presentations. Big surprise there. That's what people Have been using Powerpoint for since its inception.
• Signs. No kidding. If I want to make a sign that has some pizzazz, via borders, themes, and font markup, PowerPoint is actually pretty good at that.

Now, what is PowerPoint not so good at? Interesting question. I guess the best answer to that is "everything else." But seriously, folks, where I would advise against using PowerPoint:

• Making charts. Hold that thought, but for now, let's just say that Excel is better.
• Large, complex tables of information. I'd probably go Excel for calculations, Word for pure display of data.

Where would a Getting it Right blog entry be without the best practices? Well, glad you asked. Here are my best practices for PowerPoint. These will concentrate both on the technical aspects of putting together a presentation, and the tactical aspects of giving the presentation:

• Don't go too crazy on the animation, including slide transitions. My advice would be to use one transition style, and use that transition only in the beginning and end of your presentation.
• In a long presentation, use the Title style of slide to signify the beginning of a chapter. That's an appopriate place to use transitions, too.
• Using music in presentations is dangerous at best. Remember - if the music is more interesting than you are, you've got trouble.
• Three bullet points per slide is best. If you have to break up five bullet points, then put three on the first slide, two on the second. If you have only four bullets, you can get away with it.
• If you're going to have one indented bullet point
• Like this
• Then make sure to have at least two. One looks silly.
• Capitalize at least the first word of the bullet point.
• Speaking of capitalization, I want to transition into case. Title Case is Best for the Title of a Slide, while Sentence case is best for bullet points and body text. Notice the difference?
• Two fonts for a whole presentation is about right. One font for the title text, one font for the body text.
• Which two fonts? I like a serif font, like Times New Roman or Georgia for my titles, with a Sans Serif font like Arial or Verdana for my body text. Notice that all the choices listed are simple, fairly straightforward fonts. That's the way I like them.
• Using graphics is a good idea, as long as they're high-quality. Low-quality graphics make you look low-quality, too.
• Slide masters are your best friend. Deviate from them only when absolutely necessary. Slide masters create consistency and cleanliness.
• If you have to put a chart into your presentation, create the chart first in Excel, and then paste the chart into PowerPoint. That way, you can get all the data that underlies the chart nailed down. Make sure to get the colors right in the chart first, before copying it.
• Speaking of colors, here's a little tip for you - if you have a company logo, or specific set of colors that you have to match against, go to http://www.download.com, and download a color picker application. I would just say search for a free one appropriate for your OS, and go from there. That way, you can get the hexadecimal values for any color on that picture, whatever it may be.
• What good is that, you might ask? Well, as we all know, PowerPoint allows us to change the color of any element on the slide, from the AutoShapes to the background. When you first see the list of colors, it'll be the usual 56 suspects. But click "More Colors," and you get two choices. Choice number one is to use one of 256 Web-safe colors, which are located on the "Standard" tab. Good news is that the colors are easy to pick out. Bad news is, if you're trying to match to a specific color, it's painfully tedious. That's when you go for choice number two - "Custom." When you click on this tab, you can choose a color by its hexadecimal value instead. Make sure that the color picker application of your choosing can pick a color in terms that PowerPoint understands. Bonus feature would be if you can copy the hexadecimal values to the Clipboard.
• Spell check your presentation before you save it. PERIOD!
• Go to Tools, Options, Edit. Change the maximum number of undos to 99. You're welcome.

Now, as promised, a few words on mechanics:

• Always arrive at your presentation location one hour before presenting.
• Know where restrooms, electrical outlets, eateries, and water are located.
• Know who your contact is if you have technical problems. This is especially important if it's not your equipment.
• If you're bringing your own projector, bring a spare bulb as well. The only thing more expensive than a spare bulb is a lost presentation.
• Check your teeth, your clothes, and your shoes before you present. And after lunch.
• I don't condemn people who smoke. But I'd recommend against it the day of the presentation. With all due respect, smoke on your clothes keeps you from being approachable.
• Print out an outline. Keep it on the lectern with you. Refer to it, but don't read it.
• Most importantly of all - if you forget absolutely, positively, everything else I tell you, remember this. DO NOT READ DIRECTLY FROM YOUR BULLET POINTS!!!!!

Bullet points are for reference, for you and the audience. For you, they cue you what you're going to say next. For the audience, they give you a sense of what's coming next.

When closing your presentation, end with a title slide. That title slide should have one of several things on it:

• A humorous quote. I like Mark Twain better than anyone else for this. Who else could say "Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too damn hard to read."
• An inspirational quote. My personal choice is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; too many to name, but start with "Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve."
• A quote from a person respected in your profession, or that your common group can agree on. If you're presenting before a religious group, then a quote or verse from your belief system is a good way to go; if you all work for the same company, then a quote from the founder or the CEO would be appropriate.
• Sidenote on that - if you are a religious person, I would advise against a religious quote, unless your crowd is entirely of your belief system. Otherwise, you risk offending someone who is not. Same goes for political quotes. If I'm going to quote a politician, I usually go for someone respected on both sides of the aisle, like JFK, Franklin D. Roosevelt, or Churchill.
• A call to action is effective, if your presentation is action-oriented. Buy my product, join my club, take on my point of view. Again, as appropriate.
• If you're absolutely out of ideas, the best way to end a presentation is with a title slide that just has your contact information, and something to the effect of, "Please feel free to contact me with any questions." That works.

The bottom line, my friends, is that PowerPoint is probably the easiest application in the Microsoft Office suite to learn. It also comes with the greatest pitfalls. It's easy to get caught up in the animation, transitions, and fanciness. Don't. Get it out of your system before you present, or you'll learn to regret it. PowerPoint gives you the best chance to put yourself in public, but also, the best chance to make a fool out of yourself in public. Don't let it. You're better than that.

The next blog will be on Outlook, which will be a little bit of many pieces. Myths will be dispelled, and truths will be revealed. Until then, be well.