10 takeaways from a recent AAPS webinar on the cognitive science, neurology, and psychology behind human focus.
In Fall 2018, AAPS invited presentation expert, Alexander Jarlung-Grabner, from the Death by PowerPoint team, to offer insightful, tried-and-true presentation techniques to the AAPS community. Here are the top 10 takeaways from that webinar, How to Avoid Death by PowerPoint:
- Leave the lights on. Pay close attention to lighting whenever you give a presentation. Don’t make your audience sit in the dark. They will lose focus on your presentation.
- Announce your next slide. Draw your audience in by preparing them for what is to come in the next few slides.
- Become the focal point. You are as much a part of the presentation as your slide deck. If you are speaking to your audience and want their focus on you, insert strategic blank slides throughout your presentation. Blank slides will automatically draw the audience’s attention to you.
- Use a remote control to advance your slides. Use the presentation space to its fullest by moving freely from one side to another. To do this successfully, use a remote to free you from behind the lecturn.
- Remember: one slide, one message. Don’t crowd your PowerPoint with multiple messages on one slide. Communicate a single message on each slide presented.
- Communicate your thoughts; don’t read your content verbatim. Your audience would much rather hear your interpretation of the content rather than you reading the slides.
- Make six your magic number. The human brain can remember up to six items at any given time with ease. Anything above that becomes a bit more challenging and requires more intentional focus. Stick to no more than six visual elements on an individual slide.
- Use images. According to the Death by PowerPoint team, the human mind will remember 85 percent more information if it is paired with a relevant image.
- Use animation intentionally. Be conscientious about the use of animation in a slide. Animations can create unintended chaos during your presentation.
- Choose the right words. Resist the urge to use too many ideas and words in a single slide. However, words are powerful and give depth to a presentation. Focus on keywords and phrases that will engage and resonate with your audience.
Watch the AAPS webinar and improve your communication skills and give your PowerPoint presentations more impact.
Visit the Death by PowerPoint team website.